difference between Maestro & Visa Debit?

nickbaker66

ive heard that if you but currency from a travel agents you will be charged by your bank.....

also if you but from Amazon or Microsoft as they are not based in the UK you will be charged £1.25 per transaction if its true i feel this is out of order being forced to use another card then being told thanks now we are gonna charge you as well now :mad:

hippey

paulmcerlean wrote: »

Maestro works very well in the US in cash machines at main banks - not so much in stores as a debit card facility.

Visa debit however is accepted everywhere you see the visa sign including the US.

I did mean at stores, I have never seen Maestro accepted anywhere other than ATMs, and even then I can't remember the last time I saw the symbol on the machine.

Although thinking of it you could use Maestro in the POS in some stores that accept ATM cards. I will look next time I'm at Publix

Toe-Jam

nickbaker66 wrote: »

ive heard that if you but currency from a travel agents you will be charged by your bank.....

also if you but from Amazon or Microsoft as they are not based in the UK you will be charged £1.25 per transaction if its true i feel this is out of order being forced to use another card then being told thanks now we are gonna charge you as well now :mad:

This is the case or RBS/Natwest cards. Its a mistake in the computer system they are using it can't tell the difference between Sterling and Other currencies when the transactions are processed outside of the UK. I don't know if they have fixed it yet, can anyone confirm if your still charged £1.25 for using paypal ? with Natwest or RBS.

My visa debit card doesn't charge that, its with coventry bs.

bring_back_maestro

I also have just had my card changed from Maestro to Visa debit.

I have just tried to purchase some foriegn currency I was told I would be charged £4.50 by Visa. This would not have happened with Maestro.

When I checked my other two debit cards they are also Visa. Where can I get a card that doesn't charge?

rb10

It is the bank that chooses whether to charge you or not, rather than Visa.

You can get a Visa debit card from Halifax that does not charge you for purchasing foreign currency.

However, it's generally better value to get foreign currency when you are abroad or use a credit card to pay for items. You'll need a card that doesn't charge for foreign transactions, like Nationwide credit/debit cards, the Santander Zero card or (from next month) a Halifax credit card.

peteuk

The bonus for me having had one card changed to Visa debit card is the spead at which is shows on your account.

I have two accounts with Nat West one has a switch/mastero and the other has just been changed to a visa debit. My online account will automatically show all visa debit transactions, whilst the mastero will show the amount coming off but not the transaction.

I have often contacted my bank because of pending transactions appeaing more than I have spent. So for me its a step forward.

Fiddlestick

hippey wrote: »

I did mean at stores, I have never seen Maestro accepted anywhere other than ATMs, and even then I can't remember the last time I saw the symbol on the machine.

Although thinking of it you could use Maestro in the POS in some stores that accept ATM cards. I will look next time I'm at Publix

As much as I hate casting up an old thread, I used my RBS Maestro card as a debit card in the US without any problems whatsoever.

jamespir

visa debit is what used to be delta

PhylPho

Time and time again there are threads on MSE about consumers being ripped off for this, that and the other. And time and again it's been apparent that too many have little idea about how they're protected.

Several examples come to mind but one of the most notable was the crazy "Lapland New Forest" debacle in December 2008, when hundreds of people were ripped off by a bunch of scumbags and the forum was full of posts about it.

Those who had paid using a credit card were able to get a charge-back (refund.) Those who had paid with a debit card were not, because a debit card doesn't, for obvious reasons, enjoy consumer credit protection. However. . .

Those fortunate enough to have used a Visa debit card did, in fact, get their money back -- because Visa voluntarioy offered to extend to its debit card a similar level of protection to that statutorily enjoyed by a credit card.

Maestro (the old 'Switch') was owned / operated -- and operated badly -- by MasterCard. MasterCard's attitude to its 'Maestro' debit card holders was a disgrace: when we contacted our bank about a transaction that had gone pear-shaped, it said no charge-back (equivalent of) procedure could be instituted because it had to abide by Mastercard's terms and conditions -- T&Cs which excluded charge-back where Maestro debit cards were involved.

When we pointed out that Visa Corporation was voluntarily offering that protection, the response was, in effect, hard luck.

Today, my Visa Debit card has arrived from RBS. Like many thousands of other recipients, the new card instantly replaces Mastercard's Maestro, even though the Maestro card still has a year to run.

I don't for one moment believe that RBS (which UK taxpayers actually own) has kicked Maestro into touch because it's sensitive to the needs of its customers (fat chance), more like it's sensitive to its own needs and the hassle MasterCard has caused with its compulsory verification system.

But either way, it's a good day for UK consumers.

Goodbye, Mastercard Maestro, and good riddance.

equado

I put a note in the credit card forum (sorry guys) about the new charge on RBS for foreign currency on their Visa Debit card.

When I queried this I was told that Visa charged for currency but Maestro did not - so it seems that Visa are taking our money from us.

When I suggested that I'd be better taking out sterling from my Visa Debit and then using this to purchase currency he had to agree!