Off to Danish church? Don't forget your smartphone!

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One of the things I love  about Denmark (stop me if you’ve heard this one before…) is the mixture of new and old. On the face of it, Denmark is a liberal, modern, forward thinking country. When you scratch the surface, you discover the Danes’ deeply ingrained love of traditions. This morning I saw the new/old combo working in reverse.

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We were at church for a Harvest service…

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It was very traditional, so there were all the usual elements you’d expect. Beautiful displays at the church entrance.

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Inside the church there were candles and flower/grain decorations at the end of every pew… (Yes, there we go again with those ubiquitous candles!)

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When I went to church as a child in Scotland (on a side note, the Danish and Scottish church are very similar: they are both Lutheran), a large wooden plate would be passed around  halfway through the service at Collection time. You would put in your coins as it was handed along the pew. Ching, ching! Or a little brown envelope containing your donation. When the plate made it to the other end of the pew, it was then handed to the first person in the pew behind, and off it went again. And so on and so forth. Fast forward to 2016… Ain’t nobody got time for that! 😉 These days you can make a donation on the way in, or on the way out. In our church, the collection box is fixed to the end of the first pew.

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Oh, but hang on a minute, we’re in Denmark, right? Where most people don’t carry small change or banknotes. You see, we hardly ever use cash: we use our bank cards or our phones to pay for things. Remember my post from 2014? Cash ain’t King when you don’t have a Crown? Never fear! The church has thought of everything! Did you notice the little sticker above the collection box? With the ‘Mobile Pay’ or ‘Swipp’ app on your smartphone, you simply type in your donation and press send.

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And, voilà, it’s done! No more fiddling around, desperately looking for coins underneath the sofa cushions or in your Dad’s coat pockets, before heading out to church. Less risk for the church of having the collection box stolen.

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Hallelujah! Have a super Sunday!

Diane 🙂

 

 

 

 

Cash ain't King when you don't have a Crown!

Picture the scene.  You’re quietly minding your own business, walking along the street, when you see a sign that makes you lækkersulten. [Great Dane-ish Expressions – To ‘have a case of the munchies’]  I wanna flæskestegssandwich (roast pork sandwich) and I want it NOW!

But, hey, the pølsevogn(sausage wagon) doesn’t take cards.  I don’t have any cash on me (remember, the Danes pay for everything with their trusty Dankort).  And there isn’t a cash dispenser in sight…  Waaaaaaaaaaah!

But hold on a mo’!  All is not lost!  There’s also a sign that says “Mobilpay” together with a telephone number!    Yep, I can play for my flæskestegsandwich (and a cold chocolate milk, Cocio, to go with it, should I so desire…) by simply opening the app on my telephone and transferring the money straight to the sausage seller.  No fees or fuss for either of us. Très smart, non? 🙂

I’ve also used Mobilepay when transferring money to my kids’ pocket money accounts. For paying our dues to the school slush fund.  When out having lunch with friends: I pay the whole bill, we divided it up ourselves and they send me their share by phone, straight to my account.

Not to mention buying things when out and about at markets and summer festivals (here’s my sweetie friend, Tina, owner of the Pink Flamingo shop in Hellerup at a charity fundraiser).

Just download the app, get your account sent up and keep a look out for a sign that says “Mobilepay” or “Mobilpay”.  And remember not to spend all your money in the one shop! 😛

Have a marvelous money, money, Monday!

Diane 🙂