The end of the Maestro card in 2023 means a major change in shopping.
But what changes at all?
Kaufland has commented on the consequences.
For many, it's a completely normal scene when shopping for the week: the contents of the shopping cart are placed on the belt at the checkout, and the purchase is then paid for - often with an EC card.
But that could soon change.
Because: The Maestro function will no longer be available for new giro cards from July 2023.
The problem: In some shops, the EC card is the only accepted cashless payment method.
Most recently, the savings bank presented its planned successor to the popular card - the new savings bank card.
But what about the switch to retailers such as Kaufland, Lidl and Co.?
End of the Maestro function when shopping: retailers have to change
According to the
Handelsblatt
, the reports about the end of the Maestro function of the giro card had "startled" many traders.
For some of them, the change means a conversion of the payment system - and thus possibly additional costs.
Company: | Kaufland |
|---|---|
Head office: | Neckarsulm |
Founding: | 1984 in Neckarsulm |
Sales: \t | 21 billion euros (2019) |
According to the report:
“Anyone who already has a card reader simply has to activate it to accept credit cards.
This usually requires an additional contract (supplement), since credit card payments are often processed via a different service provider (acquirer) than EC payments
”.
This will incur additional costs for some retailers.
But what about the large grocers in the Schwarz Group?
What is in store for Kaufland and Lidl?
Off for Maestro card: This is how Kaufland deals with the changeover
Kaufland spoke to echo24.de
about
the changeover and possible consequences for customers and the company.
Accordingly, over time, the
“offer has been expanded in line with technical developments and consumer expectations”
.
According to their own statements, Kaufland customers can pay in the branches with Girocard, Visa, Mastercard, American Express as well as Maestro, Vpay, GooglePay and ApplePay –
“provided the cards or devices are contactless”
.
Kaufland is well prepared for the switch to the Maestro system
According to Kaufland, there should not be any major problems with the abolition of the Maestro system.
The food giant from Neckarsulm explains that no conversion is necessary: "The planned abolition of the Maestro function for new giro cards will not lead to any restrictions on card payments for customers in our branches and will also have no effect on our card terminals."
The food giant recently commented on a possible reduction in opening times.
But here you can see that the decision lies with the customer, as the company revealed when asked.
List of rubrics: © Fabian Sommer/dpa
