not always accepted
Debit cards cause problems for bank customers
9/2/2023 1:36 p.m
Since July, banks and savings banks have been issuing more and more debit cards. They should be both debit and credit cards. In everyday life, however, it still bumps, shows a media report.
More and more bank customers receive a so-called debit card from their institute, which is often intended to serve as a replacement for the Girocard. But the cards of the US groups Visa and Mastercard are causing problems in many places, according to a “Spiegel” report. The Federal Association of Consumers (vzbv) received 1745 problem reports from debit card owners after a call, as the magazine reported. They complained, for example, that some shops and hotels did not accept the new cards.
There were also problems with authorities, hospitals, at parking ticket machines or when withdrawing cash at supermarket checkouts. Even some banks are apparently struggling with debit cards. Customers reported that they were denied access to their bank’s self-service area with their debit card.
The descriptions are “in absolute contradiction to the sometimes flowery promises of the banks, according to which the debit cards from Visa or Mastercard would combine the functions of a giro and credit card,” vzbv boss Ramona Pop told the “Spiegel”. The consumer advocates criticize the information policy of the banks, which would have aroused exaggerated expectations of the capabilities of the cards.
According to the report, Visa points out that acceptance “has increased significantly in Germany”. It is on par with national payment systems. At Mastercard, it is said that the “acceptance gaps” cannot be understood. Work is being done to ensure that the cards “are also accepted by the few remaining small and micro dealers in Germany,” the “Spiegel” quoted the company as saying. Since July 1, banks and savings banks have stopped issuing giro cards with the former Maestro function. These are often replaced by debit cards.