Before Covid: cash was absolutely king in Germany. Plenty of restaurants, even in the most touristy parts of Nuremberg, did not take credit cards (maaaybe EC cards, but that’s a different system, and no tourist from outside Europe would have one). Loads of stores didn’t take credit cards.

Now: while cash is still normal, just about everywhere has contactless credit card terminals. I don’t even get a second glance when I ask to pay with a card at the bakery for a 3 EUR purchase. Some food trucks won’t take cash.

However, we did pay for our 17k EUR used car with cash last year, and that is still the recommended way for private used car sales.