Maestro card

grumbler

AFAIK, the rule is that they can't charge more than it actually costs them.

annhan

ill shoot off an email and ask the question

BigBelly

I recently opened an account with the Post Office, solely because they give you a Maestro card and their foreign transaction fees are not as high as with Clydesdale.

I wanted a Maestro card because Visa and Mastercard are not widely accepted in the Netherlands, with almost everywhere accepting Maestro. However, when I tried to use my Maestro card in the Netherlands last month it wasn't accepted for card purchases, only cash withdrawals.

When I phoned them up, they said the card should work in the Netherlands.

grumbler

BigBelly wrote: »

...their foreign transaction fees are not as high as with Clydesdale.

Don't know about Clydesdale, but for PO I see typical 2.75% (plus £1.50 for ATMs): full guide to fees and charges (PDF 1.45Mb)

ETA: 2.75% (min. £1.50) +1% (min. £1.50) for Clydesdale: Your Card's Overseas Charges

BigBelly

Yes, the only difference is there is a minimum fee with Clydesdale. However, I intend to use the Maestro card mainly for small transactions, typically €1 to €10, so Clydesdale would be a lot more expensive.

I have a Metrobank debit card so it is cheaper to withdraw cash and not use the Maestro card in shops. However it would be nice to be able to use a debit card and not spend cash all the time. Dutch Railways don't accept Euro notes at its ticket machines.

grumbler

BigBelly wrote: »

I have a Metrobank debit card so it is cheaper to withdraw cash and not use the Maestro card in shops. However it would be nice to be able to use a debit card and not spend cash all the time. Dutch Railways don't accept Euro notes at its ticket machines.

Why can't you pay by Metro card in shops and for tickets?

BigBelly

grumbler wrote: »

Why can't you pay by Metro card in shops and for tickets?

Because most shops in the Netherlands don't accept MasterCard. Only selected railway stations accept Visa/MasterCard and if they do there is a surcharge.

reclusive46

BigBelly wrote: »

I recently opened an account with the Post Office, solely because they give you a Maestro card and their foreign transaction fees are not as high as with Clydesdale.

I wanted a Maestro card because Visa and Mastercard are not widely accepted in the Netherlands, with almost everywhere accepting Maestro. However, when I tried to use my Maestro card in the Netherlands last month it wasn't accepted for card purchases, only cash withdrawals.

When I phoned them up, they said the card should work in the Netherlands.

Maestro in the Netherlands and Germany isn't actually Maestro as far as I remember. They use their own domestic debit network and their cards work on the Maestro network abroad.

juliazaman

A credit card allows you to pay via installments and/or a revolving line of credit, with the limit set by the issuer. Your monthly payment can range from a minimum amount, set by your bank, to your entire outstanding balance. Generally, if you pay the entire bill at the end of the month, no interest is charged. If a balance is outstanding, you will be charged interest at a predetermined annual percentage rate (APR), which differs from issuer to issuer.

Anthorn

Maestro is a Mastercard Debit Card not to be confused with the Debit Mastercard. More accurately referred to as a network than a card in the sense that cards using the VISA network have the VISA logo on them but not so with cards using the Maestro network. It wasn't liked in the U.K. because it was electronic only and so could only be used in on-line terminals and that made it inferior. Consumers also regarded it as a European network rather than a worldwide network although that wasn't true. Replaced these days with on-line VISA debit cards so the difference is largely in name only.