• Bring back the Mastercard Debit card

Why did the support for Mastercard Debit cards stop?

As stated in this article, https://together.bunq.com/d/55260-maestro-cards-will-be-replaced-with-debit-mastercards-from-2023, people in the Netherlands use Mastercard Debit for everyday payments.

Personally, I switched to Bunq because you offered the Mastercard Debit card. And then it dissapears 2 weeks after I create my accounts. 🥲

In the app, you are offering the Meastro Debit card specifically for the Albert Heijn because it wouldn't accept Mastercard Debit. It's true that they didn't accept it, but this changed in July 2023 because Mastercard stopped producing Meastro and V-Pay cards in the Netherlands, in favor of Debit Mastercard.

The Mastercard website confirms that Debit Mastercard will replace all Maestro debit cards in the Netherlands.

The Maestro to Mastercard Debit transition
Mastercard has made the call to transition its Maestro brand of payment cards to Debit Mastercard. This means all Maestro-branded cards will, over the next few years, be replaced with Mastercard-branded cards for all product categories: consumer debit, consumer prepaid, consumer credit, and business.

As of 1 July 2023:

  • Mastercard will no longer issue Maestro-branded cards. New cards, renewals, and replacements of all Maestro-branded cards will be replaced by Mastercard products
  • Banks and other card issuers will no longer issue Maestro cards. Instead they will need to issue Debit Mastercards
  • Debit Mastercard will be the most common choice of replacement for Maestro, as they are accepted wherever Mastercard is accepted online and offline
  • All acquirers are recommended to help ensure Mastercard product acceptance readiness by this date

New Maestro cards, renewals, and replacements issued before 1 July 2023 may remain in circulation and continue to work as usual until they reach their expiration date. This means that Maestro cards will still be functioning in the field until 2027 at the latest.

Why did the support stop? Can you bring it back?
I want a debit card that I can use for everyday payments, abroad and online. The Mastercard Debit did exactly that.

    @New-Navy-Opossum-3720245506#283914 hello Mastercard débit is still available it’s maestro that no anymore (because Mastercard will stop it).

    Bunq purpose now credit or debit Mastercard versus previously credit, debit and maestro

      Maybe it’s different for Dutch users. I can’t choose for Mastercard either, only Maestro when adding a debit card.

        ik heb de mastercrd debit om dat Albert hijn geen visa accepteert maar er zijn heel veel winkels in Nederland die geen visa accepteren. ik heb wel paar keer meegemaakt dat sommige pin automaten in winkels de kaart wel lezen als visa . dit is best vervelend . als dit blijft wellicht toch weer terug naar rabo of abn wand het als de kaart geweigerd woord moet ik bij de atm pinnen wat ook weer geld kost , dus erg vervelend. heb het nu 4x gemaakt in zes maanden

          I suppose it must be different for Dutch users, because the card screen is different for me. I also contacted the Support Center and they confirmed this.

          Albert heijn and other stores in the Netherlands indeed did not support Mastercard Debit, but this is changing as Meastro and V-Pay are being phased out. I think all Albert Heijn stores now support Mastercard Debit.

            @New-Navy-Opossum-3720245506#283928 la capture d’écran n’est pas là vôtre j’imagine ?

            Vous n’avez que l’option carte crédit ou carte métal crédit ?

              @Bogz#283935 This is my screenshot.
              I don't understand your question.
              I can get a Metal Mastercard Credit card, a normal Mastercard Credit card or a Meastro Debit card.

                I don't get why it has been removed either??? It works completely fine everywhere, including supermarkets like Albert Heijn. I am lucky I got a new MasterCard Debit Card a few days ago, but any more communication from bunq would surely have been nice regarding its removal? Surely it's temporarily, seeing they will be forced to once Maestro stops, but still.

                  @thijsoost#283940 I had seen that reply, I don't think it's an appropriate response. It doesn't clear up why they've removed them.

                  On Twitter, they said it was due to a low acceptance rate of MasterCard Debit Cards, but apart from the fact this simply isn't true, it'll only get better overtime as we fade out Maestro. I don't get how removing an option makes sense, especially for a bank like bunq where they should have eyes on the future.

                  Is this some sort of cost saving on bunq's side? So that they only have to offer 1 option, then, once they have to, they'll remove the Maestro option and replace it with MasterCard?

                    @Partydoos#283944 Why do you want the Mastercard debit instead of the Maestro, if I may ask?

                      @New-Navy-Opossum-3720245506#283937 OH ... ok I had to check to small logo to understand. Indeed it's weird and even more that they call this debit card while (outside Netherlands) it was written explicitly "Maestro".

                      It's even more weird they keep the debit outside Netherlands and keep maestro inside netherlands.

                        @thijsoost#283945 Apart from future proofing (Maestro will dissappear) it supports online payments with card through websites which don't support iDeal because Mastercard has CVC numbers.

                        Although you could use Virtual Cards, I just think it's scummy for those who are on a plan not having that feature.

                        It's not an issue for me personally. My Debit Mastercard expires in 2027 and the feature will be back by then, I just think it's scummy for those on a lower plan, because their options are either UPGRADE to have access to Virtual Cards (and be required to use a Credit Card with your phone), UPGRADE to get both a Maestro Debit and Mastercard Credit or wait until bunq returns a previously available feature.

                        It just doesn't make sense to me, it looks so anti-consumer.

                          @Bogz#283946 It makes sense since Maestro is still the most used card in the Netherlands

                            @Partydoos#283947 Ah, didn't think of the online payments! Personally I'm on the Easy Money plan so I have both a Maestro and a Mastercard credit, but indeed for people on the Easy Bank plan it's inconvenient to only have one of those, especially in the Netherlands.

                              @thijsoost#283952 Not only the online payments. Some shops in Germany only accept Mastercard Debit and Girocard. Same for Belgium, where several shops only accept Mastercard Debit and Bancontact.

                              It makes sense since Maestro is still the most used card in the Netherlands

                              I don't think it makes sense to offer Mastercard Debit all these years (In January they even stopped issuing Maestro), and now, when Mastercard Debit is finally accepted in the Nederlands, to stop issuing it.

                                @pbruins84#283955
                                I agree. It is a very weird and backward decision.

                                The Mastercard Debit card has huge international acceptance. I can use it without a problem anywhere in Europe, but also in the USA etc. This combined with the support of online payments makes it the best card.

                                Countries are making efforts to unify payment technologies and banks should support this.

                                  I agree this is very strange. Everywhere on the bunq website it’s mentioned that Maestro is being phased out, and now it’s the only option available. I think at one page it even said that bunq would stop issuing Maestro cards earlier this year already.

                                    Please upvote if you share the opinion.
                                    I understand that Bunq wants to provide the card that is most valuable to their users.
                                    So we need clear user demand for Mastercard Debit.

                                      I completely agree. I switched both my personal and business accounts to Bunq specifically to be able to have a Debit Mastercard that I can use online and internationally.

                                      Can anyone from Bunq confirm why this was actually removed? I have only seen responses that Debit Mastercard "isn't offered in the Netherlands" without even the acknowledgement that it was actively removed as a feature. I would at least like to have some peace of mind by knowing WHY this was removed?

                                      I feel like I am being gaslighted here. Even more so now that the previous post saying Bunq would switch to Debit Mastercards has been deleted (as linked in the original post).