Post #1385733

2026-02-11 09:41 UTC

@witcher To be clear: this isn't _replacing_ US services in the payment area, it's just changing which ones we rely on. From Visa+Mastercard to iOS+Android. I don't find this to be an improvement. Someone can use Maestro card (the usual in NL) without having to buy a device from Google/Apple. This just serves to erode the influence of phone vendors done outside the US.

Replies (1)

@witcher@digitalcourage.social 2026-02-11 10:29

@whynothugo I won't pretend I know much about how Wero works, but I am aware that is based on european bank transfer stuff. I wanted to write something about it, but I barely know anything about the underlying technology and infrastructure. I tried it once and was extremely underwhelmed. It's just another app that puts arbitrary restrictions on what operating system it is running on, uses a phone number for identification, and shows a QR code for payments. Wero isn't as revolutionary or independent as they themselves and people generally make it out to be, it's more like a 2026 UI on european bank transfers. What I do care about is making the distinction that the payment cards and services aren't US based anymore but rather based in the EU, which is what I meant previously. FWIW I've seen people talk about using it without a smartphone in the future, but I'm guessing that's just wishful thinking and not something Wero has communicated as planned. I'd rather an app wasn't necessary in the first place.

Open ##1385734