Switching to the EC 2023 card – customers are already complaining

Card payments are increasingly replacing cash. However, much to the chagrin of consumers, the function of the EC card will soon change.

Dortmund – The Maestro debit card has been a popular payment method in Germany for many years. But consumers will soon need to prepare for big changes. The Maestro feature should disappear. And this is already creating problems for customers who just want to pay or withdraw money.

Popular feature disappears from EC card – customers complain about the end of Maestro

The feature is scheduled to end in early July as Chip.de informed. The Maestro function was developed by the American company Mastercard. Now it has become indispensable for many consumers for the ability to pay in everyday life (more service news on RUHR24).

The feature makes it easy to pay, especially while on vacation abroad. Thanks to Maestro, German EC cards can also be used abroad, like these Consumer Center explained. The cancellation of the function will not only make it more difficult to pay abroad. Even withdrawing simple money causes problems for customers.

Banks hand out new debit cards – customers complain of difficulties

Many banks, such as Sparkasse, have already given customers new debit cards without the Maestro feature Chip.de. Therefore, there are already some complaints from users. Withdrawing money from new cards abroad will always entail additional commissions. Issuing banks would effectively eliminate such problems.

But the termination of the function of maestro seems to cause difficulties not only abroad. The use of alternative gyrocards in Germany does not seem to be going smoothly either. Above all, the problem is the “lack of recognition” in retail.

The Maestro feature will be phased out – new debit cards are often declined

Retailers will also charge higher fees for new debit cards. For customers, this means that reception is often refused, and payment is even impossible. Even the official authorities have these problems, he reports Chip.de.

The new debit cards are not yet the promised equivalent replacement for the Maestro-enabled EC card. There is still good news for consumers: in supermarkets such as Rewe, Lidl or Aldi, gyro cards without the popular function have long been accepted.

In everyday life, it has become extremely important that restaurants, workshops and supermarkets accept any form of card payment. Card payments are on the rise. Nevertheless, there are situations when the consumer is forced to pay in cash.

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