4 ms·

That's the whole point, in the Netherlands we use debit cards (known as 'PIN cards' to the locals) instead of credit cards. Usually these are Maestro cards. I d

by LeonM 11y ago

That's the whole point, in the Netherlands we use debit cards (known as 'PIN cards' to the locals) instead of credit cards. Usually these are Maestro cards. I don't know the exact number, but as a Dutch resident I guess that >99% of all POS transactions are done using such card, not a credit card. Cashiers in most common shops probably don't even know how to accept a payment by credit card, so the'll just refuse. Meastro cards are usually protected by a PIN and require a POS system to be used. This was a problem for e-commerce, so the Dutch banks participated in iDEAL. It's basically a redirect from the merchants website to the bank site of the customer, where they use their own cardreader and debit card to validate the transaction before being redirected back to the site of the merchant.

kalleboo 11y ago
In many countries (such as where I'm from, Sweden, or where I live now, Japan), debit cards and credit cards are interchangeable, and you can't even tell by looking at the card if it's debit or credit. They're both VISA or MasterCard branded, and what's backing it is only the business of the cardholder, not the merchant. I remember Maestro cards in Sweden as being for under-18's, and then when you become an adult you get a VISA/MasterCard debit card instead, but I don't know if that's true anymore.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- acveilleux 11y ago
  In Canada, a distinction is made because the fees on debit are much lower (comparable to cash handling costs) and the banks have put tremendous marketing efforts in pushing for debit cards and branding them "Interac." That said, the cards themselves use exactly the same technology, look the same and debit cards are usually Maestro/Cirrus or Visa/Plus compatible so we can do debit transactions in europe. The online version of debit however has yet to catch on.
  - jandrese 11y ago
    Yeah, I have a debit card that works as a Visa card if you choose to use it that way. I never use it though because if someone steals the number it is way harder to deal with fraud on a Debit card than on a Credit card. The consumer protection laws on Debit cards are much weaker than the ones for Credit cards. We probably have old misbehaving banks to thank for our relatively consumer friendly credit card laws. In countries where the banks weren't quite so abusive the laws could be much weaker and give Debit cards an advantage.
  - kohanz 11y ago
    Canadian here, and I find that most of my peers (30s) use their credit cards for almost everything and their debit cards collect dust. The reasons are several: 1) CCs offer rewards (travel, cash back), usually in the range of 2% of purchases 2) CCs offer insurance and extended warranties on some purchases. 3) CCs help you build a good credit rating, which is important for someone who intends to apply for a mortgage at some point. 4) CC offer superior protection to debit cards. Yes, CC fraud may be easy, but as the card holder you will almost never be on the hook. I've had my CC compromised, the bank detected it immediately and issued me a new one. Never was there any question who would bear the cost of the 5-figures that the fraudster spent. My brother had his debit card compromised once and the story was completely different. The bank wanted him to prove that the fraudulent transactions were not his and he had to go to great lengths to do so. My personal preferred order of payment is: CC Cash Debit (last resort)
    - scrabble 11y ago
      On the other side of the fence, also Canadian, my debit card has been compromised many times. Bank always shuts it down immediately and lets me know, then returns the money. I have never been asked to prove anything. Usually they ask me to double check and see if any other charges than the ones they caught were fraudulent. This has been as simple as someone using a copy of my card to buy candy and video games, something I could have done but didn't in this case. Really impressed with the services of my banks when it's come to debit fraud.
      - 11y ago
sspiff 11y ago
Same is true for Belgium, though the Belgian infrastructure is a little more up to date (most terminals can accept credit cards, if the shop has payed for the quite expensive creditcard processing service with the company issuing the terminals): debit cards are the norm, credit cards are much less common.

by LeonM 11y ago

kalleboo 11y ago

In many countries (such as where I'm from, Sweden, or where I live now, Japan), debit cards and credit cards are interchangeable, and you can't even tell by looking at the card if it's debit or credit. They're both VISA or MasterCard branded, and what's backing it is only the business of the cardholder, not the merchant. I remember Maestro cards in Sweden as being for under-18's, and then when you become an adult you get a VISA/MasterCard debit card instead, but I don't know if that's true anymore.

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
acveilleux 11y ago
In Canada, a distinction is made because the fees on debit are much lower (comparable to cash handling costs) and the banks have put tremendous marketing efforts in pushing for debit cards and branding them "Interac." That said, the cards themselves use exactly the same technology, look the same and debit cards are usually Maestro/Cirrus or Visa/Plus compatible so we can do debit transactions in europe. The online version of debit however has yet to catch on.
- jandrese 11y ago
  Yeah, I have a debit card that works as a Visa card if you choose to use it that way. I never use it though because if someone steals the number it is way harder to deal with fraud on a Debit card than on a Credit card. The consumer protection laws on Debit cards are much weaker than the ones for Credit cards. We probably have old misbehaving banks to thank for our relatively consumer friendly credit card laws. In countries where the banks weren't quite so abusive the laws could be much weaker and give Debit cards an advantage.
- kohanz 11y ago
  Canadian here, and I find that most of my peers (30s) use their credit cards for almost everything and their debit cards collect dust. The reasons are several: 1) CCs offer rewards (travel, cash back), usually in the range of 2% of purchases 2) CCs offer insurance and extended warranties on some purchases. 3) CCs help you build a good credit rating, which is important for someone who intends to apply for a mortgage at some point. 4) CC offer superior protection to debit cards. Yes, CC fraud may be easy, but as the card holder you will almost never be on the hook. I've had my CC compromised, the bank detected it immediately and issued me a new one. Never was there any question who would bear the cost of the 5-figures that the fraudster spent. My brother had his debit card compromised once and the story was completely different. The bank wanted him to prove that the fraudulent transactions were not his and he had to go to great lengths to do so. My personal preferred order of payment is: CC Cash Debit (last resort)
  - scrabble 11y ago
    On the other side of the fence, also Canadian, my debit card has been compromised many times. Bank always shuts it down immediately and lets me know, then returns the money. I have never been asked to prove anything. Usually they ask me to double check and see if any other charges than the ones they caught were fraudulent. This has been as simple as someone using a copy of my card to buy candy and video games, something I could have done but didn't in this case. Really impressed with the services of my banks when it's come to debit fraud.
    - 11y ago

sspiff 11y ago

Same is true for Belgium, though the Belgian infrastructure is a little more up to date (most terminals can accept credit cards, if the shop has payed for the quite expensive creditcard processing service with the company issuing the terminals): debit cards are the norm, credit cards are much less common.