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  1. #1
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    Visa Electron vs Visa

    Can I use a Visa Electron card anywhere Visa is accepted?

    Or can I only shop at places that have the Visa Electron logo.
    --

  2. #2
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    They're two separate systems.

    Places can accept either or both, check at the register for the logo first, or ask.

  3. #3
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    Both are practically accepted everywhere, web or not. I've tried it on the web and did some groceries using Visa Electron, although i have not used a credit card before.
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  4. #4
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    No, you have to look for the Electron logo specifically. I have however heard that Visa Delta is accepted by systems as a normal Visa credit card though
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  5. #5
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    whats the difference between the two? I'm in AUS.....so i haven't heard of the Electron before....

  6. #6
    Visa Electron is the Debit card version of Visa; world over. Might be different down under, though.

    I have used Visa Electron in shops with only the Visa logo... And it has worked everytime. I have heard that the case in USA is different with the existence of Visa Delta and Visa Plus.

    Esentially, they are the same thing with two different forms of payment from the cardholder.

  7. #7
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    Visa Electron requires an online connection, and your account is instantly debited - if you don't have funds in the account, the transaction won't go through. In other words, there's (virtually) no credit loss risk for the bank when this system is being used.

    The "normal" VISA version, however, includes a VISA card number that allows for offline charging of your account. This type of card can function either a debit card (where you do not have a credit and should have funds in your account, as transactions will be debited as they come) and as a real credit card (where you'll typically have a set credit limit, and your accumulated purchases are invoiced once a month).

    At least this is how it works here in Norway; the "electron" version is mainly directed at the youth market (since the banks consider credit risk to be higher in this segment). This means that you'll need a regular type VISA (not electron) to use online payment systems etc., as you'll need a VISA card number and expiration date and so on.

  8. #8
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    The stupid thing about Visa Electron is (or at least it used to) work as a "normal" visa anywhere out of your own country.

    Visa electron is *supposed* to only be accepted if the card holder is present, ie, cant be used on the net. Or thats how it worked in the UK. Since switch and Solo have come out though, it seems the rule has been overturned as people who I know that have them seem to have no problems buying stuff with it online.
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  9. #9
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    First of all, Switch was out before Visa Electron. Secondly, Visa Electron is not the same as Visa Delta. Thirdly, yes Visa Electron used to require the cardholder to be present, however Visa ammended this last year in response to both bank and user complaints at lack of online acceptance.

    Visa Electron is now in the Solo league whereas Visa Delta is in the Switch league. Delta and Switch are guaranteed transactions, which means if you buy something for say £50, and you have £23.44 in your account, the shop will still get the payment however you will go overdrawn. And you do not need an arranged overdraft to do this, however you will incur charges from the bank if the unarranged overdraft is not cleared within 3 days. If the overdraft is unnaranged and its under £10 its usually a percentage however if it exceeds £10 you usually get a £10 - £30 charge.

    With Solo and Electron, you cannot even have an arranged overdraft fee and if you try to go overdrawn then the transaction will be declined.

    HTH
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  10. #10
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    What is all this complex credit card jargon you speak of? Is this Electron / Delta visa a new thing? I just have my visa platinum....should i switch? ...
    Benoît Brookens III
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  11. #11
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    Originally posted by benoitb
    What is all this complex credit card jargon you speak of? Is this Electron / Delta visa a new thing? I just have my visa platinum....should i switch? ...
    Neither Visa Delta or Visa Electron are credit cards. They are debit cards. Debit cards are nothing new (at least not here in the UK anyway)
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  12. #12
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    sounds very confusing. In AUS we can get a Visa debit card, but it is only called VISA with no extra words, and they work everywhere VISA is excepted. Same with MasterCard. Our way of doing things sounds a lot less confusing

  13. #13
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    Originally posted by Bub Host
    sounds very confusing. In AUS we can get a Visa debit card, but it is only called VISA with no extra words, and they work everywhere VISA is excepted. Same with MasterCard. Our way of doing things sounds a lot less confusing
    we have a more advanced economy

    No, I think Visa is such a big brand in the UK that to distinguish between cards, they just give them a different logo/brand.

    I thought you had Maestro (which is Switch/Solo) in AUS? Thats a MasterCard debit card
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  14. #14
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    What's the difference between Visa Solo, Visa Delta, and Visa Switch?
    Have you Floble'd today?

  15. #15
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    Originally posted by Knogle
    What's the difference between Visa Solo, Visa Delta, and Visa Switch?
    Switch and Solo are both the same company, with the parent company Maestro, being a sub company of MasterCard. They are nothing to do with Visa.

    Visa Delta is a debit card from Visa. I have outlined the differences 6 posts ago, just look there
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  16. #16
    Originally posted by Sash!
    First of all, Switch was out before Visa Electron.
    Wrong!

    Switch was a joint effort initially from Midland Bank and NatWest.

    Barclays bank developed the VISA Debit card in the UK. No-one else had done it before. The connect card was a Visa Classic card (it carried the old Visa Classic C logo) which debited your bank account directly. On the reverse was the old Visa Electron e logo. This was before 1990. Back then there was no other kind of Visa debit card, and Switch did not yet exist.

    Secondly, Visa Electron is not the same as Visa Delta. Thirdly, yes Visa Electron used to require the cardholder to be present, however Visa ammended this last year in response to both bank and user complaints at lack of online acceptance.
    Delta as a brand does not exist outside of the UK. The brand is being wound down in the UK. The brand is now "Visa Debit Card".

    The company originally founded by NatWest and Midland that operates switch is now owned by Mastercard International.

    Electron is a kind of visa card. Solo and switch are both kinds of Maestro card.

    Electron and Solo have an automatic zero floor limit, so all transactions using these cards need to be authorised. Switch and Visa debit cards do not (although there originally was a preference for this on switch cards).

  17. #17
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    Originally posted by mkh2
    Wrong!

    Switch was a joint effort initially from Midland Bank and NatWest.

    Barclays bank developed the VISA Debit card in the UK. No-one else had done it before. The connect card was a Visa Classic card (it carried the old Visa Classic C logo) which debited your bank account directly. On the reverse was the old Visa Electron e logo. This was before 1990. Back then there was no other kind of Visa debit card, and Switch did not yet exist.
    Wrong

    Switch was launched by The Midland Bank (HSBC), Natwest and RBS. It was launched in October 1988. So Switch did exist before 1990.

    Solo was launched in 1997 as a sister card to Switch which prevents the cardholder from going overdrawn and does not allow an overdraft facility. The Solo card has to be authorised by the banks computers to ensure there is enough funds in the account for the transaction before the transaction will be successful.

    Switch is now becoming Maestro, which is a more recognised and widely accepted brand worldwide, to ensure that users of the card can use it in as many destinations as possible.

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  18. #18
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    Originally posted by Sash!
    I thought you had Maestro (which is Switch/Solo) in AUS? Thats a MasterCard debit card
    Yep, we've got Maestro and Cirrus. I've got one of these cards (among others).

    Australia also has Visa Debit cards, but they look and act like a standard Visa credit card. I've got one from St George, and most credit unions have them (the banks usually don't - at least the "big four" as they're called here don't).

    I've also got a Visa credit card, but don't owe much on it as I hardly ever use it (I prefer EFTPOS, or my Debit card).

    I've never seen Visa Electron here in Aus.

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  19. #19
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    This seems all so unecessarily complex.
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  20. #20
    Originally posted by Sash!
    Wrong


    Nope!

    Switch was launched by The Midland Bank (HSBC), Natwest and RBS. It was launched in October 1988. So Switch did exist before 1990.
    Ah, but I didn't say anything to the contrary. All I said was that Barclays Connect was the UK's first debit card, and that Switch and Connect both arrived before 1990.

    Connect was launched in 1987, switch in 1998.

    The difference is that Switch was the UK's first debit card network, it required a dedicated funds transfer system to be developed to support it and merchants/retailers had to sign up to this system separately to processing visa/mastercard.

    These days it makes no difference as all banks are acquirers for visa/mastercard and switch.

    The Barclays Connect card came first, it was different to switch in that it operated using the existing Visa payment network, so anywhere that accepted Visa credit cards could accept Connect. It was also compatible with Visa Electron, so anywhere outside the UK that accepted Visa Electron could also accept Connect, even if they didn't accept Visa credit cards

    Connect has had massive worldwide acceptance since 1987. It is only recently that switch, with the inclusion of the maestro logo and now the rebrand, is enjoying anything like similar levels of acceptance worldwide.

  21. #21
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    I whenever I saw Visa, I saw Visa Electron as well. So usually, both are accepted together.

    Well, that's how it happened to me.

  22. #22
    Originally posted by someuser
    I whenever I saw Visa, I saw Visa Electron as well. So usually, both are accepted together.

    Well, that's how it happened to me.
    There are many places in the UK and elsewhere that only accept debit cards, not credit cards.

    At one time even big retailers such as Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and Waitrose only accepted debit cards. Retailers such as Aldi and Lidl still do not accept credit cards, only debit cards.

    The reason is cost. To process a credit card transaction, the retailer is charged a percentage (between 1 and 4 percent) of the value of the transaction as a handling fee. To process a debit card transaction the retailer is charged a fixed fee (in the UK this is between £0.40 and £1.00) regardless of the value of the transaction.

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