When shopping online or offline we have heard a lot about the MasterCard and also the maestro card sometimes. But there’s secret, do you know that the MasterCard is the parent company of Maestro.
It’s weird to differentiate among these two Card giants – Maestro Vs MasterCard.
Common misconceptions include that Maestro is a debit and a Credit card but is an only debit card. While MasterCard being the largest, issues only Credit Card is also false, but also provides debit cards.
However, being second in the financial transaction industry after Visa, MasterCard launched the Maestro Card for the large user base outside the USA.
The difference between these is not as valuable for the users but they have some distinguishing features to separate themselves.
Difference between Maestro and MasterCard:
| Features | Maestro Card | MasterCard |
|---|---|---|
| Product type | Debit Card | Debit, Credit Card |
| POS merchants | 15 million | 28 million |
| Countries | Argentina, Chile, Colombia, USA, Venezuela, Hong Kong, India, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Serbia, UK | Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Côte d’Ivoire, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greenland, Hungary, Lithuania, Malawi, Moldova, Nigeria, Norway, Rwanda, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Zimbabwe |
| Security type | Maestro is pin type with a modern transaction feature to make easy for any store to accept. | MasterCard has a traditional as well as modern security like the signature type and pin-based too. |
| Availability | As per need maestro is accepted internationally. | MasterCard is more readily available than a maestro card. |
| Establishment | It was established in 1991. | In 1979, MasterCard was established. |
| Number length | Maestro ranges from 12 to 19 in length | In MasterCard 16 digits is the length |
So, now after the difference, you should know even if they are almost similar but have definitions in broad to be explained. First starting with Maestro card.
Definition: Maestro
Maestro is among the most popular debit card brand internationally. MasterCard is the parent company of this brand. Maestro has replaced 5 brands in over 17 countries. Maestro Cards are especially for Debit Cards which can be used for online shopping, ATM transactions, offline stores, and the other POS terminals.
Maestro Cards are attached to the existing current or savings account and can be issued from the associate bank. Maestro was introduced in 1991 and the visa electron debit card was launched in 1985 which means this brand was started to compete with visa.
In Latin america, maestro is also known as MasterCard Maestro.[source: Wiki]
A Maestro card limits the transactions only in EMV chips to limit the user. This is another way that would reduce fraudulent transactions. The sender must send the data to the issuing bank to pre-process and for a successful transaction, an authorized PIN is required.
Definition: MasterCard
MasterCard was known as “Interbank” and later named as “Master Charge“. It is a multinational financial service which serves bank or credit union customers a medium to transact securely, in this case, it uses Mastercard SecureCode to secure its users.
MasterCard as a brand stands second after Visa. As issues Credit Card which can be used for online shopping, and other relevant stores just like debit cards.
MasterCard’s are accepted worldwide. It has around 13,400 employees as per the 2013 reports. It introduced PayPass a contactless payment system.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Maestro vs MasterCard is not a difference but comes under the parent company. For a regular user with a few transactions done in a month and who doesn’t use internet banking in short, a debit card is enough, a Maestro card.
For an experienced and advanced shopping user, a credit card would be suitable for him. So, MasterCard would be a great fit.
Q. Can Maestro cards be used internationally ?
Ans – Yes, Maestro cards are available worldwide over the 17 countries.
Q. Why is Maestro card not accepted ?
Ans – Maestro cards are not accepted everywhere means it can only be used in the specific store where they have partnerships.
Q. Can I use Maestro card for online payments ?
Ans – Absolutely, the Maestro Card can be used for online transactions as well as for international usage.
Q. Can you use Maestro instead of MasterCard ?
Ans – Both come under the same company i.e MasterCard. So there is no question on alternative, simply Maestro is used for Debit card and Mastercard is used for a Credit card.
