Why is America behind Asia & Europe with digital payment? (refund, money)

[hitpausebutton2]

I know, we are bigger.. but just to add more wood to the fire. We are still behind in internet speeds/pricing. But the excuse is we are a bigger country, so bigger infrastructure and less business to expand out.

[randomparent]

I'll go back to, why should I have to own a smartphone to purchase a damn cup of coffee?

[Moonlady]

Originally Posted by randomparent

I'll go back to, why should I have to own a smartphone to purchase a damn cup of coffee?

You shouldn't have to have a smartphone if you don't want one. Cash or a debit card will always be an option. I prefer to use my smartphone but many businesses I frequent aren't set up for it including our grocery stores. I wish it was an option more places. I would use mine all the time if it were.

[engineman]

Originally Posted by randomparent

I'll just throw out that not everyone owns or wants a smartphone.

If I don't have a smart phone, you can't hack it. If I get one it will not be connected with my bank.

[Taiko]

Originally Posted by engineman

If I don't have a smart phone, you can't hack it. If I get one it will not be connected with my bank.

And the fear of hacking combined with a relatively safe and speedy snail mail service left the US with a large population for who the old ways were good enough. It was without taking a risk that they saw no way to protect themselves against

[Not in Kansas any more]

I was in Europe recently and many locals were using tap and go cards or ipay. It seemed like a very good and fast payment system. I suspect that it will not be taken up as much in the US because of the tipping system which slows everything down. Yes, the some places have an additional tipping screen but it is still much slower than what I saw in Europe.

[sheerbliss]

Originally Posted by vision33r

China of all places, where cash was always king now everyone there uses digital payment with their mobile devices. Food stands, taxis, even sending bribes using digital payment. Here in the US, a lot of people don't even have credit cards or bank accts. I've used my phone to pay at any vendor that has CC machine but I've only seen maybe 2 people in years that uses their phone to pay...

Yet, crypto-currencies all got started here yet 99% of Americans don't own any crypto or have a digital wallet.

There are different issues here:

The unbanked. According to the World Bank, 13% of China is unbanked. The FDIC says 6.5% of the US is--and I'd hazard a guess that a large portion of those people are in the country illegally.

Smart phones. They're expensive, they break, they get hacked, they get stolen. Why should I have one just to buy my lunch?

Crypto. You don't need it unless you're doing something illegal. As for an investment...some of us lived through the housing bubble, the tech bubble and the Beanie Baby bubble.

[lieqiang]

This entire thread is just fail. I can use a credit card in USA in far more places than in Asia, and in USA I'm not as likely to encounter minimum purchase or surcharge for credit card use. If one accepts that using a credit card is a form of digital payment then USA is not behind Asia.

Europe depends more, it's a lot more diverse continent than the wealthier western European countries people think of. Can I use a credit card in as many neighborhood shops in Macedonia or Estonia? Russia is the most populous European country, is there usage of digital payment as high as USA?

Originally Posted by sheerbliss

Smart phones. They're expensive, they break, they get hacked, they get stolen. Why should I have one just to buy my lunch?

They aren't necessarily expensive, many people own one for many years without breaking, credit cards and cash can also be stolen, and people don't have them "just to buy my lunch" they serve many other purposes.

[Quietude]

The answer to any question phrased like this - "Why is the US [outdated] when [insert other country here] is so [modern]? - is always the same.

Whether it's 120VAC power or debit cards, the US tends to be a leader, an early adopter and a vast-scale user of innovations... meaning we have adopted and widely integrated v1.0 of something while other countries watch, wait and then go with v2.0 or later, often at lower cost and easier adoption. They have the luxury to choose from matured technology; we have the deadweight of a obsolete infrastructure blocking rapid improvements.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by vision33r

China of all places, where cash was always king now everyone there uses digital payment with their mobile devices. Food stands, taxis, even sending bribes using digital payment. Here in the US, a lot of people don't even have credit cards or bank accts. I've used my phone to pay at any vendor that has CC machine but I've only seen maybe 2 people in years that uses their phone to pay...

Yet, crypto-currencies all got started here yet 99% of Americans don't own any crypto or have a digital wallet.

Who cares? Why is this even important? It's the global elites who want everything digital. It's primarily for their benefit, so they can track and monitor our every move. I'm sure that explains why China is so into digital payments.