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What does "EC-Karte" mean in English?

Banking, Business • 
Last updated on 14 March 2024

The EC-Karte, short for “Eurocheque-Karte,” is a term commonly used in Germany to refer to a debit card. Despite being officially discontinued over 15 years ago and replaced by the Girocard, the term EC-Karte is still widely used colloquially.

What is “EC-Karte”?

The EC-Karte was a check guarantee card introduced in Germany at the end of the 1960s and was widely used for cashless payments and cash withdrawals at ATMs. It evolved into an international debit card with the addition of Mastercard’s Maestro feature. However, since 2007, the official name for this card is Girocard, which is the debit card of the German Banking Industry Committee (Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft)[1].

More information about “EC-Karte”

Despite the name change, many Germans still refer to their debit cards as EC-Karten. The Girocard is the most common cashless payment method in Germany, with over 100 million cards in circulation. It is accepted at numerous payment terminals across the country and includes near-field communication (NFC) technology for secure contactless payments[1].

Here are some additional terms that are related to EC-Karte:

  • Girocard: The official name for the debit card system in Germany, which replaced the EC-Karte[1].
  • Maestro: A feature by Mastercard that was added to the Eurocheque card to enable international debit card transactions[1].
  • Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft: The German Banking Industry Committee responsible for the Girocard system[1].
  • NFC (Near Field Communication): A technology included in the latest Girocards for secure contactless payments[1].

The EC-Karte may have been officially replaced by the Girocard, but the term remains a familiar reference for many Germans when discussing debit card transactions.

Sources

[1] https://stripe.com/resources/more/ec-card-germany [2] https://www.reddit.com/r/berlin/comments/w7s4wb/thumb_rule_for_paying_with_cards_in_berlin/ [3] https://www.reddit.com/r/germany/comments/13jc0xm/what_exactly_is_an_ec_karte_and_how_different_is/?rdt=41078 [4] https://www.welcome-center-germany.com/post/ec-cards-credit-cards-atms [5] https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187323-i135-k10639897-Credit_Card_Acceptance-Berlin.html [6] https://www.lendingtree.com/credit-cards/articles/na-vs-eu-interchangefees/ [7] https://pay.com/blog/top-payment-methods-in-germany [8] https://allaboutberlin.com/glossary/Girocard [9] https://stripe.com/resources/more/girocard-vs-credit-card [10] https://www.iamexpat.de/expat-info/german-expat-news/germanys-beloved-ec-card-girocard-about-disappear [11] https://www.visitberlin.de/en/money-currency [12] https://allaboutberlin.com/guides/first-bank-account-in-germany [13] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girocard [14] https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/germany/you-still-need-cash-in-germany [15] https://cmspi.com/how-do-u-s-card-fees-compare-internationally/ [16] https://www.bafin.de/EN/Verbraucher/Bank/Produkte/Karten/karten_node_en.html [17] https://euroblog.jonworth.eu/the-german-ec-karte-oddity/ [18] https://www.ecabank.com/home/assets/files/card-charges-comparison-aug2021.pdf [19] https://lifeingermany.com/bank-accounts/ [20] https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/credit-card-use-in-germany-349088/page2/