Maestro debit card - can't be used for international internet transactions.

M

moneyblues

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I tried to buy books from amazon with Maestro but needed issue no. Phoned AIB customer service and was told the card could only be used internet transactions within Ireland. It can't be used for international internet transactions.

I also contacted Amazon customer care who told me they had this problem with all irish customers who want to use Maestro! Apparently they don't have this problem with any other country because their Maestro cards have an issue number. Anyone know what's the reason for this? Are AIB trying to keep us in debt by forcing us to use credit cards only?
 
Debit card for international internet

Since Maestro doesn't permit international internet transactions from Ireland, does anyone know what other debit cards are available in Ireland and with which banking services. As someone with frequent mobility issues I'm pretty dependent on internet shopping, especially for books, software etc.
 
Re: Maestro debit card- No Irish please?

moneyblues said:
Are AIB trying to keep us in debt by forcing us to use credit cards only?
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If you pay off your credit card bill in time, you won't be in debt-it's not as cut and dried as you are making out.

I am not aware of any card providers that allow you to use Irish issued debit cards on non-Irish sites-I'd imagine the problems you are having with the AIB card are common to all providers, but can't confirm that.
 
Re: Maestro debit card- No Irish please?

Fair point about paying of credit card- however we are not all perfect, which is why I'm not using my visa untill its paid of.

Don't you think it's odd that Ireland seems to be the only country that can't carry out internet transactions using Maestro
 
Re: Maestro debit card- No Irish please?

moneyblues said:
Don't you think it's odd that Ireland seems to be the only country that can't carry out internet transactions using Maestro
Click to expand...


Is that necessarily the case? If you have a UK issued Maestro card, can it be used on an Irish website etc.?
 
Re: Maestro debit card- No Irish please?

According to Amazon customer support, (an Irish woman- very helpful) this is not a problem elsewhere because Maestro cards have an issue number in other countries but we don't.

Besides why would visa credit cards be acceptable all over the world but not a specfic debit card? That doesn't make sense from a financial marketing viewpoint marketing. What about globalisation?

I guess I could pay by visa and then transfer funds online form my current account to the visa - but thats a lot of hassle. I just think it's all rather mysterious and a bit "irish".
 
Re: Maestro debit card- No Irish please?

Everything in Ireland is a bit 'Irish'-that's life.

If you have AIB Visa and bank with AIB, transferring money to your credit card from your current account via the internet is no more hassle than shopping on Amazon.
 
Re: Maestro debit card- No Irish please?

Is it that our Maestro cards are technically crippled (somehow) and maybe not real or proper Maestro cards in the International sense.

Should they be advertised as such ???

Are all Maestro cards in Ireland missing the "issue number" , I had a Natwest Switch card (cirrus not maestro then) with an issue number in the late 1980's lest anybody try to go there :p ??

What about Cirrus cards in Ireland, are they crippled too or available at all ??? Cirrus and Maestro were two initially competing alliances that basically do the same thing with debit cards....both formed in the 1980s

What does the IFSRA think of these 'crippled' products being sold here instead of 'proper' ones .....one wonders ??

What is the role of the IFSRA in ensuring that Irish consumers have standard international banking products ???

AIB visa works perfectly and in a standard manner. Thats why I have no debit card :D
 
Re: Maestro debit card- No Irish please?

My Ulster Bank Cirrus card has no issue number that I can see.

You can still make point of sale purchases abroad with Irish issued debit cards.
 
Re: Maestro debit card- No Irish please?

It would if issued in NI by Ulster but then they are in the BACS clearing system or a local variant of it in NI and not in our clearing system.
 
Re: Maestro debit card- No Irish please?

On a side issue - has anyone experienced problems using Maestro in the UK? I have tried to use my Maestro in UK a few times in last few months and it gets accepted about half of the time. The rest of the time the retailer gets a message 'card not compatible'.....I've been told by a banker friend of mine that there is a problem with some retailers in the UK. My card is issued by AIB. For example, could not use it at a shell garage to pay for petrol and could not use it in a marks and spencer but okay in Sainsbury's and Threshers off licence.
 
Re: Maestro debit card- No Irish please?

I've heard of people using Irish Maestro cards online, when asked for the issue code, apparently 01 is accepted. not sure if this true but might be worth a try.
 
Re: Maestro debit card- No Irish please?

I have a UK Maestro card and as far as I understand these are pretty much the same as the Cirrus cards in Ireland (even has the Cirrus logo on the back). The UK version does however have the issue number on the card.

I have experienced difficulties using the card online particularly with regard to booking flights with aer lingus/ryanair. For instance I can only book Dublin-London-Dublin using an 'Irish' debit card and for London-Dublin-London using the UK debit card (even though maestro/cirrus are supposedly combatible) Therefore making it impossible if I wanted to book flights for friends/family from Ireland to visit me in the UK.
 
Re: Maestro debit card- No Irish please?

ShaneMc said:
I've heard of people using Irish Maestro cards online, when asked for the issue code, apparently 01 is accepted. not sure if this true but might be worth a try.
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Coincidentially, I have just had an "Irish Maestro" experience with online book-seller The Book Depository.

All seemed OK, even gave me number "111" to input if my Maestro card had no Security Code:
Note: We request customers to use 111, if they do not have a security code
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Also, when setting up your card, they allow for :

My card does not have a start date
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and

My card does not have an issue number
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Yet, when all was processed, and payment was to preceed, they cancelled the transaction, saying they could not get funds from the card.

It's enuff to p*** you off big-time.

I had to go and change my card details to a CC, which does'nt please me at all.

I have contacted AIB, via their web-contact form, asking for an explanation as to why customers with Maestro Cards cannot use them on UK sites.

If I don't get a satisfactory answer, I think I will escalate to IFSRA, or the Financial Ombudsman.

BTW,

the above site is a good place to buy books, no postage/delivery to pay, and good prices, better than Play.com for the book i was buying, and def better than Amazon, or Easons.
 
Re: Maestro debit card- No Irish please?

there was a similar issue with AIB Visas ( I think Irish ones in general) not being accepted by sites during most of the summer, I _think_ it was to do with the lack of postcodes here .

You would sometimes get thru with a 0000 or 00000 postcode. That issue appears to be resolved for the moment.....until the next one :(
 
Re: Maestro debit card- No Irish please?

When I moved back from the UK, I immediately opened up a bank account and asked the bank official for a debit card.

conversation went something like this

"can i have a debit card with that"
"a credit card sir?"
"nope, a debit card"
" a whatnow"
"a debit card, it's like a credit card except money is taken from your account immediately if you are in credit"
"ah, a laser card"
"fair enough if that's what it's called"

So off I went with this laser card in my pocket, all went well until I encountered the same problems purchasing flights online so I queried this with my bank and discovered (acc. to the bank) that the reason that we do not have debit cards is apparently because our clearing banks are not electronically connected to the clearing banks of the UK/Rest of World. Hence they cannot tell immediately whether there are sufficent funds in your account to cover the transaction.

So to answer the question there is no proper debit card available in Ireland (well at that time anyway)

Similar to 2Pack I use my VISA credit card as a debit card which is a bit perverse in itself but it works. The €40 government tax also grates!
 
Re: Maestro debit card- No Irish please?

AFAIK...

The Cirrus and Maestro are the ATM and debit card systems run by Mastercard. So, if an ATM in France supports the Mastercard system then cards with cirrus will work in them, similiarly, if a shopkeeper uses the mastercard system then mastercard CC and DC will work, if you get me.

In Ireland, the banks chose/invented the Laser standard for the debit card system. Which is different to e.g. the UK which is Switch/Solo. Because we have Laser we have a longer card number and an exp date rather than a shorter number and an issue number etc. However, you should be able to physically pay for goods abroad if they use the Mastercard system.

The Visa equivilent is Visa Electron which is not available in Ireland. However, even if it was it would still be part of the Laser standard, but run on the Visa system if you get me.

AFAIK...
 
Re: Maestro debit card - no Irish please?

boards.ie list of sites that accept Irish Maestro cards -- don't know how accurate this is.

the reason that we do not have debit cards is apparently because our clearing banks are not electronically connected to the clearing banks of the UK/Rest of World. Hence they cannot tell immediately whether there are sufficent funds in your account to cover the transaction.
Click to expand...

This is a half-truth. AIB are connected to international networks. The problem is that not all UK retailers are connected to transaction processors that deal with AIB. This will change over time.
 
Re: Maestro debit card - no Irish please?

I was surprised to be able to use my NIB LAser/Maestro card in Austria this summer. But they would not accept it in Germany. I have not tried it elsewhere.

Slim
 
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