Visa Electron

Last updated

Visa Electron
Visa Electron.svg
The Visa Electron acceptance logo since 2015
Product type Debit card
Owner Visa Inc.
Introduced1985;39 years ago (1985)
DiscontinuedApril 13, 2024 (2024-04-13)
Related brands Visa Debit
MarketsWorldwide
Tagline"Always on"
Website www.visa.com

Visa Electron was a debit card product that uses the Visa payment system. It is offered by issuing banks in every country with the exception of Canada, Australia, Argentina, Ireland and the United States. [1] The difference between Visa Electron and Visa Debit, a similar product, is that payments with Visa Electron always require on-line electronic authorisation, and typically require that all the funds be available at the time of transfer, i.e., Visa Electron card accounts may not normally be overdrawn. Most Visa Debit cards, on the other hand, may be processed offline, without online authorisation, and may allow transfers exceeding available funds up to a certain limit. For that reason, Visa Electron cards are more commonly issued to younger customers or customers that have poor credit. [2] [3] Some online stores and all offline terminals do not support Visa Electron because their systems cannot check for the availability of funds. In addition to point of sale debit payments, the card also allows the holder to withdraw cash from automated teller machines (ATMs) using the Plus interbank network.

In 2001, Banque Misr began offering the cards. [4]

Many banks have migrated away from Visa Electron and instead issue Visa Debit cards; as such, Visa Electron issuance is declining. [5] [6] [7]

Visa Electron has been discontinued globally in 2024. It has been replaced with Visa Debit. [8]

Design

Visa Electron card with hologram Kuala Lumpur, Digital River ePassporte bank card, Malaysia.jpg
Visa Electron card with hologram
Visa Electron card without hologram and the logo used between 2005 - 2014 Visa Electron.PNG
Visa Electron card without hologram and the logo used between 2005 - 2014

A Visa Electron logo, usually on the bottom right. Most Visa Electron cards do not have the dove hologram as on Visa credit and debit cards, but a few banks do include it.

The card number and validity as well as cardholder name are printed rather than embossed, thus the card cannot be used in a card imprinter – for card-present transactions the card requires a reader of magnetic stripe cards, EMV reader or contactless payment terminal.

Related Research Articles

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A debit card, also known as a check card or bank card, is a payment card that can be used in place of cash to make purchases. The card usually consists of the bank's name, a card number, the cardholder's name, and an expiration date, on either the front or the back. Many of the new cards now have a chip on them, which allows people to use their card by touch (contactless), or by inserting the card and keying in a PIN as with swiping the magnetic stripe. These are similar to a credit card, but unlike a credit card, the money for the purchase must be in the cardholder's bank account at the time of the purchase and is immediately transferred directly from that account to the merchant's account to pay for the purchase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EFTPOS</span> Type of electronic payment system

Electronic funds transfer at point of sale is an electronic payment system involving electronic funds transfers based on the use of payment cards, such as debit cards or credit cards, at payment terminals located at points of sale. EFTPOS technology was developed during the 1980s.

Electronic cash was, until 2007, the debit card system of the German Banking Industry Committee, the association that represents the top German financial interest groups. Usually paired with a transaction account or current account, cards with an Electronic Cash logo were only handed out by proper credit institutions. An electronic card payment was generally made by the card owner entering their PIN at a so-called EFT-POS-terminal (Electronic-Funds-Transfer-Terminal). The name "EC" originally comes from the unified European checking system Eurocheque. Comparable debit card systems are Maestro and Visa Electron. Banks and credit institutions who issued these cards often paired EC debit cards with Maestro functionality. These combined cards, recognizable by an additional Maestro logo, were referred to as "EC/Maestro cards".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMV</span> Smart payment card standard

EMV is a payment method based on a technical standard for smart payment cards and for payment terminals and automated teller machines which can accept them. EMV stands for "Europay, Mastercard, and Visa", the three companies that created the standard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solo (debit card)</span> Debit card in the United Kingdom

Solo was a debit card in the United Kingdom introduced as a sister to the then existing Switch. Launched on 1 July 1997, by the Switch Card Scheme, it was designed for use on deposit accounts, as well as by customers who did not qualify for a Switch card on current accounts, such as teenagers. The Solo card scheme was decommissioned permanently on 31 March 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laser (debit card)</span> Irish debit card scheme, 1996–2014

Laser was a debit card scheme in Ireland between 1996 and 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maestro (debit card)</span> Debit card from Mastercard

Mastercard Maestro is a brand of debit cards and prepaid cards owned by Mastercard that was introduced in 1991. Maestro is accepted at around fifteen million point of sale outlets in 93 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visa Debit</span> Debit card

Visa Debit is a major brand of debit card issued by Visa in many countries around the world. Numerous banks and financial institutions issue Visa Debit cards to their customers for access to their bank accounts. In many countries the Visa Debit functionality is often incorporated on the same plastic card that allows access to ATM and any domestic networks like EFTPOS or Interac.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Payment card</span> Card issued by a financial institution that can be used to make a payment

Payment cards are part of a payment system issued by financial institutions, such as a bank, to a customer that enables its owner to access the funds in the customer's designated bank accounts, or through a credit account and make payments by electronic transfer with a payment terminal and access automated teller machines (ATMs). Such cards are known by a variety of names, including bank cards, ATM cards, client cards, key cards or cash cards.

A floor limit is the amount of money above which debit card or credit card transactions must be authorized online by their Issuing banks. The limit can vary from store to store. Floor limits have become less significant as credit cards & most of the debit cards started being processed electronically, and all transactions are typically authorized online by sending the Authorization request to their issuing banks.

An interbank network, also known as an ATM consortium or ATM network, is a computer network that enables ATM cards issued by a financial institution that is a member of the network to be used to perform ATM transactions through ATMs that belong to another member of the network.

Debit card cashback is a service offered to retail customers whereby an amount is added to the total purchase price of a transaction paid by debit card and the customer receives that amount in cash along with the purchase. For example, a customer purchasing $18.99 worth of goods at a supermarket might ask for twenty dollars cashback. The customer would approve a debit payment of $38.99 to the store, and the cashier would then give the customer $20 in cash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NETS (company)</span> Singaporean electronic payment service provider

Network for Electronic Transfers, colloquially known as NETS, is a Singaporean electronic payment service provider. Founded in 1986 by a consortium of local banks, it aims to establish the debit network and drive the adoption of electronic payments in Singapore. It is owned by DBS Bank, OCBC Bank and United Overseas Bank (UOB).

ATM usage fees are the fees that many banks and interbank networks charge for the use of their automated teller machines (ATMs). In some cases, these fees are assessed solely for non-members of the bank; in other cases, they apply to all users. There is usually a higher fee for use of White-label ATMs rather than bank owned ATMs.

The BancNet (BN) Point-Of-Sale System is a local PIN-based electronic funds transfer (EFTPOS) payments solution operated by BancNet on behalf of the member banks and China UnionPay (CUP). The BN point of sale (POS) System allows merchants to accept the automated teller machine (ATM) cards of any active BancNet member bank as payment for goods or services and obliges BN to settle the transaction as early as the following banking day through a direct deposit to a settlement account with any member bank. Acceptance of CUP cards is limited to SM Prime Holdings, Inc.'s Department Store, Supermarket, Hypermarket, Super Sale, Watson's, Sports Central, SM Appliance, Toy Kingdom, and select Surplus Stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Credit card</span> Card for financial transactions from a line of credit

A credit card is a payment card, usually issued by a bank, allowing its users to purchase goods or services or withdraw cash on credit. Using the card thus accrues debt that has to be repaid later. Credit cards are one of the most widely used forms of payment across the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Girocard</span> Interbank network and debit card service

girocard is an interbank network and debit card service connecting virtually all automated teller machines (ATMs) and banks. It is based on standards and agreements developed by the German Banking Industry Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debit Mastercard</span> Debit card

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multicaixa</span>

Multicaixa (MCX) is currently the only brand name for debit cards issued in Angola, and also the only interbank network of automated teller machines and point of sales terminals for electronic payments. While the ATMs and the POS terminals are owned by the supporting bank, the network is operated by EMIS, and the Multicaixa cards of any bank are accepted at the same terms at any Multicaixa ATM or POS terminal. This is regulated by the national law on Angolan payment systems, the BNA directive No. 9/2011 of 13 October on the regulation of bank payment cards, and various other laws and directives regulating the Angolan financial system.

Apple Pay is a mobile payment service by Apple Inc. that allows users to make payments in person, in iOS apps, and on the web. It is supported on iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro. It digitizes and can replace a credit or debit card chip and PIN transaction at a contactless-capable point-of-sale terminal. It does not require Apple Pay–specific contactless payment terminals; it can work with any merchant that accepts contactless payments. It adds two-factor authentication via Touch ID, Face ID, Optic ID, PIN, or passcode. Devices wirelessly communicate with point of sale systems using near field communication (NFC), with an embedded secure element (eSE) to securely store payment data and perform cryptographic functions, and Apple's Touch ID and Face ID for biometric authentication.

References

  1. "Payment methods per country" (PDF). Computop. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  2. "Visa Electron Card: The ideal card to manage your budget, with no risk of exceeding your balance". HSBC. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  3. Leonard, Tim (12 March 2018). "Cash cards and debit cards explained". MoneyFacts. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  4. "Misr Bank Steps to issue Visa Electron debit card". Al Bawaba . 3 October 2001. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  5. Howard, Bob (15 May 2004). "Visa Electron cards to be phased out". BBC News . Archived from the original on 30 December 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  6. "Maestro, Electron give way to MasterCard, Visa in Europe". ATM Marketplace. 10 November 2017. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  7. ROLFE, ALEX (10 November 2017). "Card issuers upgrade from Maestro and Electron to Mastercard and Visa". Payments Cards & Mobile. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  8. "Visa Electron will be discontinued globally" Archived 8 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine Visa U.S.A. Inc. via AIB Merchant Services