Often, those who are going to get a new card have the question of choosing a payment system. Which is better to choose - Visa or Maestro (MasterCard) and what are their differences?
What is Visa and Maestro
Visa is an international payment system headquartered in the United States. The company offers its customers various services, such as cashless payments for purchases, linking a card to an account, etc.
The corporation's key competitor is MasterCard. Maestro is one of the varieties, a payment service from MasterCard, presented in the form of debit cards.
Similarities between Visa and Maestro
Only Visa Electron can be considered an analogue of the Maestro card. Since, for example, Visa Classic has wider functionality and can only be compared with MasterCard Standart.
In Russia, these cards are often issued to transfer salaries, pensions, scholarships. As a rule, their service is free for the consumer.
Common to the two cards Maestro and Visa Electron is limited functionality - they both allow you to pay in stores, as well as withdraw cash from ATMs. However, they will not be able to pay on the Internet using them. Cards only allow transactions at locations that provide online authorization. Thus, the number of points where you can pay with them is less compared to classic and standard counterparts.
They are also similar in design - they do not have an embossed inscription (embossed print) of the cardholder's details. Cards also cannot be linked to an electronic payment system (for example, PayPal or WebMoney). Both are often unnamed and are essentially prepaid cards. They set the minimum limits on transactions.
Differences between Visa and Maestro
The Visa card is an international payment system, while Maestro is just one of the types of cards from the MasterCard system. There are differences between them in the degree of prevalence on the territory of Russia. Visa Electron cards are more popular and are issued by a large number of banks.
Visa cards are used for converting dollars. Whereas MasterCard, including Maestro, is euro. It should be noted that Maestro Momentum cards are widespread in Russia, which can only be used for payment in Russia, so the issue of conversion is not worth it in this case.
Sometimes with Visa Electron cards it is possible to pay for purchases on the Internet, this option is set by the bank. Whereas Maestro does not have a security code (CVC2), which makes online purchases impossible.
Another difference is that when paying for purchases in a store with Maestro cards, you need to enter a PIN code, but with Visa Electron cards, this is not required.
