As I was reading the article Cash is king for Japan's consumers on CNN, I remembered that many Americans like to pay on credit over several months. It's probably no mystery that all major credit card companies (Visa, Master Card, American Express, Diner's club...) are American, as this behaviour of buying on credit is almost unique to Americans (and Israeli, have I heard).

But whereas the Japanese like cash, Europeans do use cards a lot. It's just that debit cards are much more common, and when it comes to credit cards, I don't know anyone who has ever paid over more than one month credit, as there is a interest taken. In fact, I didn't even know that it was possible to pay over more than a month with a credit card before comming to Japan, as the first time I was asked whether I wanted my payment to come in 1, 2 or 3 months (or more) was in Japan. Nobody ever asked in Europe, as I can't think of anybody willing to pay more than they should.

Debit cards are apparently inexistent in Japan, so I always use my credit card. Japanese credit cards usually have a point system (which I had never seen in Europe) to encourage its use. I already used cards all the time before coming to Japan because it prevents carrying too much cash, but with the point system I really make sure to use it whenever I can - and never over a month.

What about you ?