Credit cards in Germany are for the most part debit cards. You only pay an annual fee and the charges are deducted from your bank account at the end of the month. No credit involved apart from the late processing. There are some special laws in place for this I think which don't exist in other countries. On the other hand merchants pay a hefty fee for each transaction whereas EC/debit card fees are very low. That's why many merchants (especially outside tourist areas) don't accept CCs.