Re: A kick in the VISA
We should be careful to compare apples and pears though. Most, if not all Europeans have a bank account and debit card, and the system is well established, regulated, and utilised. The fact that many in the US don't even have a bank account, transfer money through "wire services" and confuse debit with credit cards continuously, makes we can't compare situations. And thus these (in the eyes of many here) superfluous services are created all the time...
But yes, you're right. Our intra-EU, international payments also go for 99% in real time, the rest within a day. Most of the time it's when I send something to acquaintances in the US when the real trouble starts.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
