I'm confused. You say:
> It's arguably quicker to open your wallet and use a debit card with an NFC chip than it is to use QR codes
So I assume that even though QR codes are available where you live, you use your debit card with an NFC chip because it is quicker than using QR codes...
Anyway, the important part is that NFC doesn't require an internet connection, and I had missed that. Now I wonder why a QR code couldn't work without an internet connection just the same. I'll have to look into that!
> So I assume that even though QR codes are available where you live, you use your debit card with an NFC chip because it is quicker than using QR codes...
Yes, I generally use my card rather than than QR unless the shop doesn't take cards, doesn't have a paywave/etc-enabled card reader, the card reader is broken, the sales person doesn't know how to use it, or the sales person insists I give them my card and PIN to pay (none of those are hypotheticals, I've experienced all of those first hand, some of them quite repeatedly).
> Now I wonder why a QR code couldn't work without an internet connection just the same.
Because a QR code is just a short piece of information to tell your banking app who to send funds to - it's like putting a mailto: link on a website rather than asking people to re-type your email address to contact you.
Oh right, of course the phone has to send information back to the terminal, which NFC does but not the QR code. Hence the internet connection.