Visa Electron
 The Visa Electron acceptance logo since 2015 | |
| Product type | Debit card |
|---|---|
| Owner | Visa Inc. |
| Introduced | 1985 |
| Discontinued | April 13, 2024 |
| Related brands | Visa Debit |
| Markets | Worldwide |
| Tagline | "Always on" |
| Website | www |
Visa Electron was a debit card product that used the Visa payment system. It was offered by issuing banks in every country with the exception of Canada, Australia, Argentina, Ireland and the United States.[1] The difference between Visa Electron and Visa Debit, a similar product, is that payments with Visa Electron always require on-line electronic authorisation, and typically require that all the funds be available at the time of transfer, i.e., Visa Electron card accounts may not normally be overdrawn. Most Visa Debit cards, on the other hand, may be processed offline, without online authorisation, and may allow transfers exceeding available funds up to a certain limit. For that reason, Visa Electron cards are more commonly issued to younger customers or customers that have poor credit.[2] Online stores and all offline terminals do not support Visa Electron because their systems cannot check for the availability of funds. In addition to point of sale debit payments, the card also allows the holder to withdraw cash from automated teller machines (ATMs) using the Plus interbank network.
In 2001, Banque Misr began offering the cards.[3]
Many banks have migrated away from Visa Electron and instead issue Visa Debit cards; as such, Visa Electron issuance is declining.[4][5][6]
Visa Electron has been discontinued globally in 2024. It has been replaced with Visa Debit.[7]
Design
[edit]
A Visa Electron logo, usually on the bottom right. Most Visa Electron cards do not have the dove hologram as on Visa credit and debit cards, but a few banks do include it.
The card number and validity as well as cardholder name are printed rather than embossed, thus the card cannot be used in a card imprinter – for card-present transactions the card requires a reader of magnetic stripe cards, EMV reader or contactless payment terminal.
References
[edit]- ^ "Payment methods per country" (PDF). Computop. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ "Visa Electron Card: The ideal card to manage your budget, with no risk of exceeding your balance". HSBC. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ "Misr Bank Steps to issue Visa Electron debit card". Al Bawaba. 3 October 2001. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ Howard, Bob (15 May 2004). "Visa Electron cards to be phased out". BBC News. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ "Maestro, Electron give way to MasterCard, Visa in Europe". ATM Marketplace. 10 November 2017. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ ROLFE, ALEX (10 November 2017). "Card issuers upgrade from Maestro and Electron to Mastercard and Visa". Payments Cards & Mobile. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ "Visa Electron will be discontinued globally" Archived 8 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine — Visa U.S.A. Inc. via AIB Merchant Services