Maestro (debit card)
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Maestro is an international debit card service; a joint venture by Mastercard and Europay International. Maestro cards are obtained from associate banks and linked to the cardholder's current account. The cardholder presents the card at the Point of sale and this is swiped through the terminal by the assistant or dipped into a PINpad. The payment is authorised by the card issuer to ensure that the cardholder has sufficient funds in their account to make the purchase and the cardholder confirms the payment by either signing the sales receipt or enters their 4-digit PIN.
In Europe, Maestro is the successor to the Eurocheque and Eurocard systems. In the United Kingdom all Switch and Solo debit cards have Maestro capability in order to allow card holders to make payments outside of the UK. As of 2004 Switch is being gradually rebranded as Maestro however only the brand is being adopted, the system will still be managed by the Switch Card Scheme.
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