“Why Maestro Cards are Being Replaced by Debit Mastercard – Explained by Mastercard’s Belgian-Luxembourg Director”

The Maestro brand has existed since 1991. “It was quite revolutionary at the time because the card enabled secure payments in several European countries,” says Henri Dewaerheijd, director of Mastercard’s Belgian-Luxembourg branch.

But Maestro was developed for payments in physical stores, not for the digital age. That is why the system disappears in Europe and Mastercard replaces it with the Debit Mastercard. That card resembles a credit card, with the difference that the money is immediately taken from the account when a payment is made. According to Mastercard, the card is more widely accepted worldwide than Maestro and offers more options online.

If you have a Maestro card in your wallet, you don’t have to do anything. If the card expires, the bank will automatically send the new debit card with a different and shorter card number. The card remains linked to the current account and will work in the same way.

Mastercard is a dominant player on the Belgian market with Maestro, although market leader BNP Paribas Fortis made the switch to competitor VISA for its debit cards two years ago.