Use of Debit Cards in france/uk

M

Myrtle

Guest
Can you use laser/maestro card in the UK and France either to withdraw cash or to make purchases. Does this attract bank charges.
 
Laser only works in Ireland. Maestro can be used abroad but charges do apply. Many cards are dual Laser/Maestro, Laser/Cirrus or Laser/Plus+ cards but the Laser facility only works in Ireland (and possibly for some online purchases).
 
You could go for a Halifax Visa Debit card - that should work without charges AFAIK
 
laser can be used to withdraw cash from most machines in eurpope. I have used mine in France & Spain.
It cannot be used for purchasing in shops however as lase is a uniquely Irish system.
 
laser can be used to withdraw cash from most machines in eurpope. I have used mine in France & Spain.
That's presumably becasuse your card also has Cirrus/Maestro/Plus+ and almost certainly not because it's a Laser card.
 
If your Laser Card has the Maestro symbol on it. You can use it for Chip and Pin transactions over the counter in most retail outlets that display the Maestro logo.

It cannot however, be used on the phone / on the web where the Maestro symbol is displayed i.e. 'card holder not present' transactions. Nor can you use it in machines where the card is swiped and no pin is entered e.g. some ticket machines for railways etc that accept local debit cards.

Also, be aware of the fact that in some countries merchants may not be familiar with the fact that they CAN accept non-locally issued maestro cards and may treat your card with suspicion or completely refuse to accept it.

In general, I have had no major issue physically using an AIB maestro card in the UK. It was accepted begrudgingly in France.

If the card has Cirrus or Plus symbols on the back you can use it internationally in ATMs that display those symbols (i.e. most ATMs) Cirrus - mastercard's international ATM clearing system and Plus is Visa's.

Also, AIB cards display the LINK logo. Link = the UK's ATM transaction network. So, you can use any standard banklink card without any big fuss in the UK at any ATM.

Also it's worth noting that sometimes (particularly with AIB) the foreign ATM will display your uptodate balance on the receipt or even on screen. Be ware of the fact that it DOES NOT translate the currency even though it may display the local currency symbol.

E.g. if you withdraw cash from a UK ATM and it prints out that you have £4000 in your account, you have €4000, not £.
Obviously, this is not an issue in the Eurozone countries.

I've used an AIB Banklink Card in the USA and the balance also displayed no problem! Again, it was displayed in US$ even though the numeric value was actually the € balance !!