The Lemon Fool

I have a relatively new debit card - supplied by my bank. I have a feeling that my bank has recently changed their card issuer. Two names spring to mind - Visa and Mastercard - but which one it now is, I don't know. And looking at the card - it has a pretty picture of a Beach Hut - but no textual help on the front or the back. Apparently the pair of intersecting coloured circles should inform me. Is this a new sign language that has been introduced - without informing us oldies?
But maybe it doesn't matter - the 16 + 3 (decimal) digits should surely be a unique identifier for all debit cards issued in our universe. But no - when I attempted to pay my vehicle tax online, it still insisted on knowing my issuer. Fortunately my 50:50 guess seemed to work.

Does anyone know why Mastercard in the UK believes that a little picture on their debit card is more appropriate than their name?

scotia wrote: Apparently the pair of intersecting coloured circles should inform me.

That's the Mastercard logo. Checking through my credit cards, some also have the word Mastercard beneath the logo, others don't.

Alaric wrote:

scotia wrote: Apparently the pair of intersecting coloured circles should inform me.

That's the Mastercard logo. Checking through my credit cards, some also have the word Mastercard beneath the logo, others don't.

Yes, that logo has been around forever, but the dropping of the name is fairly new - the policy change dates from 2019:

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/1/7/ ... e-no-words

Interesting. It is a recognisable logo, by virtue of being so ubiquitous, when it comes to payment cards, but it does seem a bit of a usability fail not to have the actual name mentioned on the card anywhere when, as the OP says, you do have to specify the card type when making an online payment (This surely ought to be unnecessary, as there are defined number ranges for each of the payment card systems (albeit not always with the easiest differentiation rules), but I suppose it makes it easier for websites to connect to the back-end for the appropriate payment system to authorise payment if that is definitely known up-front, assuming that an intermediate payment processor doesn't do the routing bit?).

dave559 wrote:Interesting. It is a recognisable logo, by virtue of being so ubiquitous, when it comes to payment cards,

Up to a point, Lord Copper.

But it might also be confusable with the remarkably similar Maestro logo. Especially in countries where Maestro is more prevalent than Mastercard.

Hmm, OK, Dr Google tells me Maestro is owned by Mastercard. Never knew that when I lived in Italy, and Maestro was the prevalent brand.

I never thought about it but my current credit card has got no name on it but simply the two circles, a red one and a yellow one, meaning Mastercard.
It never occurred to me that it was different from the previous ones which would suggest that the logo, such as it is is pretty good.

Dod

I'm absolutely furious with you guys. No I really am!

This isn't funny you know!

I've got a new debit card too. The front looks like an advert for the toilet seats in the local pub on a Friday night. Do you have any idea how much we paid for that? I bet it wasn't £200.

But it doesn't stop there does it!

The bloody stupid banks (sorry but they really are numb nuts) have claimed on the back of my card that it is made from 86% recycled plastic. I swear blind someone in Vietnam or Laos has told them that. And the people working in the bank have a £60K student debt to qualify them to read that shyte.

But can I have the last laugh ... because banks have no development process. A gazillion years ago Swan Vesta managed to work out that they only needed the striking material on one side of their box of matches. Why do banks need two sides to a debit or credit card?

AiY(D)

AsleepInYorkshire wrote:

But can I have the last laugh ... because banks have no development process. A gazillion years ago Swan Vesta managed to work out that they only needed the striking material on one side of their box of matches. Why do banks need two sides to a debit or credit card?

Relax, I hear that the signature strip is being phased out, and Mastercard will also be getting rid of the magnetic strip from next year, "in tune with changing consumer preferences". In future, the back of the card will carry a holographic representation of your nose, which will be transmitted electronically to a network of police and customs computers so that they'll know you're not Carlos from the drugs syndicate. Can't be too careful.

As for reducing the amount of striking material on the sides of matchboxes, they didn't used to need any of that stuff at all. It was far cooler to strike your match against a handy brick wall, Maigret style. Yes, it was true that the old matches could accidentally ignite in your pocket, but that was nothing that couldn't be remedied by a pair of asbestos underpants. What a lot of namby-pamby snowflakes there are around today.

BJ

My 22 year old grand daughter does not have any bank cards, well she does but not in physical form. She carries them on her phone and apparently that is what all her friends do. And they go off on an overseas trip at the drop of a hat. I would not be happy doing that but it solves the problem of logos and so on it would seem.

Dod

Dod101 wrote:My 22 year old grand daughter does not have any bank cards, well she does but not in physical form. She carries them on her phone and apparently that is what all her friends do. And they go off on an overseas trip at the drop of a hat. I would not be happy doing that but it solves the problem of logos and so on it would seem.

Dod

Eggs and baskets spring to mind. Does she have a spare phone, in case one should fail?

I'm loving the cashless life (especially having pockets without the holes worn in them by carrying coins), and getting rid of the wallet would also be nice in principle. But I'm not sure today's phones are quite ready for that task.

UncleEbenezer wrote:

Dod101 wrote:My 22 year old grand daughter does not have any bank cards, well she does but not in physical form. She carries them on her phone

I'm loving the cashless life ...

We had a village event over the weekend, it was amusing seeing these metropolitan types with their phones when they discovered that they needed real money to get in or buy a drink. Or, more importantly, a cake.

V8

UncleEbenezer wrote:

Dod101 wrote:My 22 year old grand daughter does not have any bank cards, well she does but not in physical form. She carries them on her phone and apparently that is what all her friends do. And they go off on an overseas trip at the drop of a hat. I would not be happy doing that but it solves the problem of logos and so on it would seem.

Dod

Eggs and baskets spring to mind. Does she have a spare phone, in case one should fail?

I'm loving the cashless life (especially having pockets without the holes worn in them by carrying coins), and getting rid of the wallet would also be nice in principle. But I'm not sure today's phones are quite ready for that task.

I agree with what you say and asked her about that very point. Young people have the confidence of youth, not to worry about that sort of thing.

Dod

88V8 wrote:

UncleEbenezer wrote:

Dod101 wrote:My 22 year old grand daughter does not have any bank cards, well she does but not in physical form. She carries them on her phone

I'm loving the cashless life ...

We had a village event over the weekend, it was amusing seeing these metropolitan types with their phones when they discovered that they needed real money to get in or buy a drink. Or, more importantly, a cake.

V8

I do not carry cash on my person, although I might for that sort of event. I do though have a debit card and a credit card, and about £100 cash in my car as back up.

Dod

Dod101 wrote:

UncleEbenezer wrote:

Dod101 wrote:My 22 year old grand daughter does not have any bank cards, well she does but not in physical form. She carries them on her phone and apparently that is what all her friends do. And they go off on an overseas trip at the drop of a hat. I would not be happy doing that but it solves the problem of logos and so on it would seem.

Dod

Eggs and baskets spring to mind. Does she have a spare phone, in case one should fail?

I'm loving the cashless life (especially having pockets without the holes worn in them by carrying coins), and getting rid of the wallet would also be nice in principle. But I'm not sure today's phones are quite ready for that task.

I agree with what you say and asked her about that very point. Young people have the confidence of youth, not to worry about that sort of thing.

Dod

More importantly young people have a parent they can lean on for funds if temporarily unable to pay.....

Dod101 wrote:My 22 year old grand daughter does not have any bank cards, well she does but not in physical form. She carries them on her phone and apparently that is what all her friends do. And they go off on an overseas trip at the drop of a hat. I would not be happy doing that but it solves the problem of logos and so on it would seem.

Dod

It seems that your grand daughter is very “on trend”:

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/sav ... et-go.html

Although Katy and Carmyn (see link) have gone just as bonkers in the other direction.

As someone wisely said (recently on this thread) eggs, baskets, etc

SDN

That grand daughter is very much 'on trend'. She would be horrified not to be. She is also smart though and is resourceful so that if anything went wrong I am sure she could sort it. Is this a grandfather speaking? Enough.

Dod

Dod101 wrote:That grand daughter is very much 'on trend'. She would be horrified not to be. She is also smart though and is resourceful so that if anything went wrong I am sure she could sort it. Is this a grandfather speaking? Enough.

Dod

Well said

UncleEbenezer wrote:But it might also be confusable with the remarkably similar Maestro logo. Especially in countries where Maestro is more prevalent than Mastercard.
Hmm, OK, Dr Google tells me Maestro is owned by Mastercard. Never knew that when I lived in Italy, and Maestro was the prevalent brand.

Maestro is to Mastercard as Visa Debit is to Visa.
I.e. It is a balance retained system rather than a credit card. Important all across Europe for legal liability and protection

Gryff