Danish cash, plastic, and banks

Until now I’ve been living off my U.S. ATM card. I pull Danish Crowns (“Kroner” in Danish) out of an ATM, Visa charges me 1%, and everybody’s happy. But now my U.S. account is empty, so I need to use the pay that has been deposited into my Danish account. Simple enough, except that I haven’t been given a debit card yet (which is a whole other story). So, finding myself out of cash, I went to a branch of my bank in the small town where I work. I walked in an explained that I didn’t have my debit card yet, and could I please withdraw some cash. The woman behind the counter responded, “This is a cash-free branch.”

There are several things are worthy of note here beyond the obvious, “What? A bank without cash?”.

First, I find the use of the term “cash-free” amusing. It’s as though they, unlike other branches, have managed to free themselves from the tyranny of bills and coins.

Another thing is that this experience doesn’t surprise the Danes. They think cash-free branches are strange, but apparently it’s not very unusual. One Dane said that this was a trend because some of the smaller bank branches were getting robbed, but another said something more telling: “Who uses cash anymore?”

It’s true. In Denmark people use their debit, or “Dankort” cards for everything. Sure, Americans use cards too, but the Danes use their cards to buy a pack of chewing gum. They use plastic much more casually than Americans. I don’t know if they use credit cards, but almost everyone pays with some sort of card, no matter how small the purchase.

And having a Visa, Mastercard, or American Express — presumably cards that you can use globally — doesn’t mean you can use them in Denmark. Most stores and restaurants display the logos for these cards, but this usually means that they accept the Danish versions of these cards. It’s strange because ATMs work just fine — at least for my Visa debit card, but I don’t even try to use my American cards anywhere else. And again, the most frequently used card in Denmark is the “Dankort”, which doesn’t work outside of Denmark.

And banks truly keep “bankers hours” in Denmark. Most don’t open until 10:00 and they close at 4:00. (Although as a convenience, my bank stays open until 5:30 on Thursdays. Yeah.) So, if you’re unlucky enough to stumble into a “cash-free” branch near closing time, it’ll be the next day before you can successfully visit another branch.

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