Latvian tourist's pint payment dispute triggers police intervention in Bavaria

A bizarre situation involved a young Latvian citizen who went for a pint at a pub in German Bavaria. When he wanted to pay for each of the 16 pints ordered separately with his card, the angry owner called the police.

The unusual situation occurred to a customer at a bar in Mamming in Lower Bavaria. The 21-year-old Latvian, following customs from his country, wanted to pay for the pints he ordered with a card.

When it turned out that each transaction for 16 pints was done separately, the owner of the German pub was displeased. A quarrel broke out between the men, and the angry restaurateur called the police.

Although the reason for the whole incident may seem trivial, it is actually about the differences in commission fees between Germany and other Baltic countries.

In Latvia, where the man came from, card payments are handled differently than in Germany. In Latvia, it is clearly desirable to pay bills with a card, even for smaller amounts. In the daily life of Latvians, there is a high level of digitisation.

On the other hand, Germans themselves decide on the way they want to receive money for services. For example, restaurant owners in this country can determine whether and what kind of card payment they accept, as well as from what amount. However, it always involves additional effort and costs.

This likely led to the quarrel between the men. The owner explained that he had to pay a fee of about 17 pence for each transaction, which is why he did not want to agree to that method of payment.

As a result, the customer was escorted out of the pub by the police and was banned from entering the pub in the future. However, the police did not consider the matter a crime.