# Laser abroad?



## alert (9 Aug 2007)

Hi guys,

we're off to France in September and were wondering, as we've long since destroyed our credit cards, whether our Laser card will work abroad? 

I do recall that France have, long since, had "carte Blue" debit cards in operation there, can anyone confirm that the Irish Laser card will function just the same? Also, if this is the case is there a charge per transaction?

Thanks,

ALERT.


----------



## Happy Girl (9 Aug 2007)

alert said:


> Hi guys, we're off to France in September and were wondering, as we've long since destroyed our credit cards, whether our Laser card will work abroad?
> 
> I do recall that France have, long since, had "carte Blue" debit cards in operation there, can anyone confirm that the Irish Laser card will function just the same? Also, if this is the case is there a charge per transaction?
> Thanks, ALERT.


 
Once your laser has the Cirrus logo on the back you can use it to withdraw money from ATMs abroad. Have used mine in Spain this year and France last year, no probs. Don't know what "carte Blue" debit cards are so cannot tell you if Laser functions the same way. Needless to say with Laser you would be better off transferring money into the account prior to your departure so that you are not paying unnecessary interest on withdrawals you make when abroad.


----------



## alert (9 Aug 2007)

Thanks for the rsponse HappyGirl.

Our Laser has Cirrus and Link logos at the rear.

Do you recall whether or not there was a charge per "foreign" transaction?

Thanks,

ALERT.


----------



## Happy Girl (9 Aug 2007)

No charges. Works the same as making withdrawals at home. As I mentioned I had lodged sufficient funds to the account prior to departure to ensure that I did not run into debit after making withdrawals abroad thus not incurring interest on overdraft facility.


----------



## ClubMan (9 Aug 2007)

Happy Girl said:


> No charges. Works the same as making withdrawals at home.


This is not necessarily true. When withdrawing cash or by debit card it is the _Cirrus/Maestro/Plus+ _facility that works and not the _Laser _facility which is specific to _Ireland_. Within the euro zone the same charges as at home. Outside the euro zone additional charges normally apply. In all situations _Laser _itself is irrelevant since it is an _Ireland _only debit card facility (i.e. does not work anywhere other than _Ireland_).


----------



## Happy Girl (9 Aug 2007)

All I know is that I had no charges for withdrawing money in either Spain or France.


----------



## ClubMan (9 Aug 2007)

Yes - because they're eurozone countries. If you had used your _Cirrus _card in the _UK, Sweden, Denmark _or other non eurozone countries then you would probably have faced charges. My main point was that in spite of what people keep saying or implying _Laser _is totally irrelevant abroad and it's always some other card facility that allows you to get cash or pay for things.


----------



## solair (10 Aug 2007)

If it's a Chip and Pin Maestro card, it can be accepted by any retailer that displays the Maestro logo [broken link removed]

AIB cards work in any Plus/Visa branded ATM
BOI cards work in any Cirrus/MasterCard branded ATM

If your card has a Maestro facility, it should work over the counter in france. Worth trying anyway!
Your Maestro card will also allow you to take cash out at any Maestro branded ATM, most accept it.


----------



## Sn@kebite (10 Aug 2007)

solair said:


> If it's a Chip and Pin Maestro card, it can be accepted by any retailer that displays the Maestro logo [broken link removed]
> 
> AIB cards work in any Plus/Visa branded ATM
> BOI cards work in any Cirrus/MasterCard branded ATM
> ...


There are two Maesto Cards, a British and an Irish. Just thought i might say that.
And i thought Irish Maestro cards only work in ireland? Or is that only on online irish stores?


----------



## solair (11 Aug 2007)

There are umpteen different implementation of Maestro in Europe, the UK and Rep. of Ireland are just two of many. None, or at least very few, can be accepted over the internet outside their country of issue at present.

The Maestro facility is basically an add-on that allows the cards to be physically processed by a card terminal in a shop, or at an ATM when abroad.

I'm guessing that Maestro will get standardised at some point in the future as a debit card sollution that works across the EU properly.

Right now, most Laser cards in Ireland carry Maestro co-branding. When used online or over the phone, they're still Laser cards. Only when they're used physically in a chip and PIN machine outside Ireland does Maestro come into play.

Laser and Maestro actually sit as two seperate applications on the chip, the card reader will even sometimes ask Laser? Maestro?... and the card can process using either.

The UK Maestro debit cards are basically just rebranded Switch (the UK's equivilant of Laser). MasterCard international took over the UK's Switch brand and relabled it Maestro, but from a technical point of view their cards are still just Switch with a Maestro co-brand.

Maestro's also used in Germany, France, Spain etc etc. It's quite commonly issued but almost always as an add on service.

What's causing confusion is that the UK's switch cards were fully rebranded as Maestro, but remain technically restricted to being Switch cards i.e. they can only be accepted online / on the phone in the UK, and UK online merchants accepting Maestro can only accept UK maestro as it's really switch!
(Confusing or what?!)

UK Maestro cards can't be accepted online by say German Maestro retailers, nor French ones etc.
But, they can be accepted physically in a chip and pin terminal
Same goes for Laser.

Basically, the only debit cards that work fully internationally online are Visa Debit (Issued only by Halifax in Ireland at present)
MasterCard debit also exists, but no Irish banks issue it.
Visa Electron is also widely accepted, but again none of the Irish banks use it.

Basically, our banks seem to be wedded to Laser which is quite restricted in terms of what it can do.
I'd say though, given that Halifax launched Visa Debit, someone else will too before long. There's nothing stopping them from doing it as it uses the Visa credit card infrastructure.


----------



## Havana (11 Aug 2007)

I have used my laser card over the counter in both the US and Greece. Has the Maestro sign on the back


----------



## Raskolnikov (12 Aug 2007)

solair said:


> I'd say though, given that Halifax launched Visa Debit, someone else will too before long. There's nothing stopping them from doing it as it uses the Visa credit card infrastructure.


After having problems with the cripplied AIB Maestro debit card, I switched over to Halifax and got the aforementioned Visa debit card.

Can't recommend it enough.


----------



## solair (12 Aug 2007)

I assume that the logic behind the Irish bank's reluctance to adopt Visa Debit or MasterCard debit cards is that they currently control the Laser system as a joint-venture type operation. This means they're not paying fees for an international brand and solution. 

From an end user's perspective, MasterCard or Visa debit is obviously far preferable.

Also, I personally think that the security provisions on a MasterCard or Visa card are likely to be better than those on a Laser. E.g. there's no CCV code on most Lasers.

More recently, Laser Card Services joined the "Berlin Group" which is basically a group of European debit card schemes who are looking at rolling out interoperability and a pan European brand.

The EU and European Central bank has made directives that these systems must be interoperable by a particular date under the SEPA (Single European Payment Area) directives.

It also covers things like direct bank transfers within the Eurozone.


----------

