{"id":32168,"date":"2026-03-16T08:39:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T07:39:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/?p=32168"},"modified":"2026-03-16T08:39:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T07:39:22","slug":"europe-without-visa-and-mastercard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/03\/europe-without-visa-and-mastercard\/","title":{"rendered":"Europe Without Visa and Mastercard"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

B1 –  Intermediate<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A big part of Europe\u2019s payment system depends on Visa and Mastercard which are both American companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European leaders think it is risky that Europe depends on foreign companies for an essential part of its economy. It is now Europe\u2019s objective to build its own payment system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listen to the audio and read the transcript about Europe\u2019s dependence on American companies for their payment system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.newsinlevels.com\/products\/can-europe-be-without-visa-and-mastercard-level-3<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vocabulary Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. What is a \u201cdigital wallet<\/strong>\u201d? \u201cOne new solution is Wero, a <\/em>digital wallet<\/em><\/strong> created by European banks and payment companies.<\/em>\u201d Use the term in a sentence. Give a synonym.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. What does \u201cmiddleman<\/strong>\u201d mean here, \u201cIt uses instant bank transfer to remove the <\/em>middleman<\/em><\/strong>, reduce fees, and keep data inside Europe.<\/em>\u201d? Use the word in a sentence. Give a synonym.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. What does \u201cpolitical pressure<\/strong>\u201d mean? \u201cThe European Central Bank warns that strong reliance on a foreign system can lead to <\/em>political pressure<\/em><\/strong> or a sudden problem.\u201d <\/em>Use the phrase in a sentence. Give a synonym.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Discussion Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Discuss the reasons Europe wants their own payment system.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. What do you think about Europe\u2019s payment system being dependent on foreign system? What problems can originate from this?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. What is your opinion about Europe building its own independent payment system? Talk about its advantages and disadvantages.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Share your thoughts on this, \u201cEU leaders say the payment system is key infrastructure, and infrastructure gives power<\/em>.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      B1 –  Intermediate  A big part of Europe\u2019s payment system depends on Visa and Mastercard which are both American companies. European leaders think it is risky that Europe depends on foreign companies for an essential part of its economy. It is now Europe\u2019s objective to build its own payment system. Listen to the audio and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[49,294,162,8710,301,290,295],"class_list":["post-32168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-homework","tag-audio","tag-b1-intermediate","tag-business","tag-business-and-business-english","tag-business-english","tag-listening","tag-preliminary-pet"],"yoast_head":"\nEurope Without Visa and Mastercard | phone english blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/03\/europe-without-visa-and-mastercard\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Europe Without Visa and Mastercard | phone english blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"B1 –  Intermediate  A big part of Europe\u2019s payment system depends on Visa and Mastercard which are both American companies. 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