Laser to Visa debit - reinstate existing direct debits?

A friend of mine told me today that she got a new Visa Debit card to replace her laser card. But that she had to change the direct debits as the expiry date had changed on her card.

This doesn't sound right to me. My expiry date changes every few years, and my direct debits are not affected. Did she understand it correctly?

Brendan

I just got this from aib website re their change over from laser to debit cards.

3. If you have any regular payments set up on your existing Laser/Maestro card (such as utility or phone bills, toll roads, health insurance, membership fees or annual subscriptions) you will need to update the service provider with your new card details.

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So it would seem the advice is correct, perhaps this is necessary as its the first time introduction of the debit card.



Any renewal of debit cards does not effect any existing direct debits.

Thanks pudds

My friend seemed to think that it was only the expiry date which had changed. Does this make any sense?

Do they issue you with a new card number or do they retain the old number?

Come to thnk of it, when I set up a direct debit on my AIB account, I don't give them any card details. Just the bank account number and the sort code.

Brendan Burgess said:

Thanks pudds

My friend seemed to think that it was only the expiry date which had changed. Does this make any sense?

Do they issue you with a new card number or do they retain the old number?

Come to thnk of it, when I set up a direct debit on my AIB account, I don't give them any card details. Just the bank account number and the sort code.

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Had to renew mine only last week and you get a new card number, in my case only the first four digits remained the same.

Something not right here Brendan, all you need to set up a Direct Debit is your bank account details, no need for bank card details.

Perhaps they have issued new account numbers along with the debit card introduction.

Perhaps a little OT, but when MBNA switched to Avant, vodafone stopped taking their DD.

After a couple of months (to allow for teething errors) we contacted vodafone who said that the DD MBNA had been honoring had been on a card which expired in 2008!

We of course gave them the current card number but they still haven't taken a payment.

Wondering how large they let a bill get before doing something

Brendan Burgess said:

A friend of mine told me today that she got a new Visa Debit card to replace her laser card. But that she had to change the direct debits as the expiry date had changed on her card.

This doesn't sound right to me. My expiry date changes every few years, and my direct debits are not affected. Did she understand it correctly?

Brendan

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It will only affect payments that are set up specifically with the laser card details, e.g. I pay my toll charges this way, and when I got my new card, I had to update the card details with the toll company.
For all other direct debits such as my utility bills etc, the only details given when the direct debits were being set up, were my account number and sort code, so the change of card details made no difference for those.

AgathaC said:

It will only affect payments that are set up specifically with the laser card details, e.g. I pay my toll charges this way, and when I got my new card, I had to update the card details with the toll company.
.

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Hi Agatha

I hadn't realised that you could set up a direct debit with a laser card. I don't think I ever did that.

Hi Brendan
It is not a direct debit, as I understand it.
When I was setting up the toll payment, the payment options were from a card OR by direct debit. I chose the card option. I have seen it also as an option for renewal of professional membership fees etc.
The toll payment is the only payment I have that necessitated update when I got the visa debit card, as the laser card was then obsolete.
So your friend does not have to reinstate direct debits, for which she would have provided her normal account details, sort code etc, on foot of receiving a new card. If she has used a card payment option, for example re toll payments, she will need to update the relevant company with the new card details. Hope that helps.

I thin 2 different things are being confused here:

1. a monthly direct debit is taken direct from your bank account, no card is involved
2. A repeating payment made using a payment card (VISA, Laser, whatever) which is in turn taken from an underlying bank account. this may seem like a direct debit, but it's not really.

In #1, expiry dates of cards are irrelevant. In #2 naturally they will matter and need to be renewed/amended when the card expires or is changed.

Thanks Agatha and Inigo

That clears it up. I had not realised that you could make a "repeating payment" with a laser card.

Brendan Burgess said:

Thanks Agatha and Inigo

That clears it up. I had not realised that you could make a "repeating payment" with a laser card.

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No problem, Brendan, glad to help.

These debit card "direct debits" are a BAD idea. Direct Debits are much safer.

Google "Continuous Payment Authority" to see the uproar they are causing in the UK (would post some links but I'm a newbie so not allowed to post links yet - which is fair enough stops scammers).