Only a few weeks left, then the end of the bank card with the blue and red Maestro logo has come. But what is actually changing for users now?
As of July 1, the credit card provider Mastercard will discontinue the Maestro function. Since the logo can be found on thousands of bank cards, this change affects many citizens. But what exactly does the Maestro end mean?
After the end of Maestro – what will change for bank customers
From 1 July: We will probably have to say goodbye to the Maestro logo on the giro card in the future. © Viewing angles/Imago
The Maestro function made it possible for travellers to withdraw or pay money abroad with their debit card. This option will no longer apply from July and shops could refuse to pay. But that doesn't mean that bank customers are now stranded when traveling. As a rule, banks have other options so that their customers abroad can continue to pay by card. This includes, for example, so-called co-badging (the activation of another payment method on the Girocard):
- Mastercard Debit
- Visa Debit
- V-Pay
As long as the card is still valid, you can continue to use it without any problems, according to Stiftung Warentest: "You can continue to use the Maestro function of your Girocard until the expiry date. This also applies to cards issued using the Maestro procedure by the end of June." According to EURO Kartensysteme GmbH, a joint venture of German banks and savings banks, hardly anything will change for all bank customers who receive a new card from 1 July onwards – only the logo. Instead of the Maestro sign, the V-Pay sign can be seen on the card.
Still possible – pay abroad by card
EURO Kartensysteme GmbH can reassure bank customers. "So everyone can continue to pay or withdraw money as usual with the Girocard on vacation or on business trips," the company promises.
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In Germany itself, the Maestro exit has no effect. This is confirmed, for example, by a spokesman for Aldi Süd: "Even if the Maestro function will be discontinued from July, customers will continue to be able to pay with their debit card at Aldi Süd in the future." And at Lidl, too, customers have nothing to fear: "Our customers can pay with cash, the Girocard and credit or debit cards, among other things."
