The introduction of (online) debit cards in Switzerland

Online payments in Switzerland have an add-on. The Debit Mastercard / Visa Debit is a debit card that uses the same systems as the standard Mastercard credit card, except that the amount is charged directly to the account. With the introduction of the new debit cards, Omni Channel has just become more of a reality - find out more about why. Our systems are prepared to process debit cards. However, there are some best-practice considerations on how to design your checkout. Learn more here on the blog.

Advantages for traders and consumers

The debit products of the major card schemes offer some advantages for customers:

• The new debit products can be used online → Maestro / VPAY cannot be used online on the entire acceptance network of Visa / Mastercard
• All debit products are contactless
• Direct debit to the client's account
• There are no costs for the user

Debit Mastercard works at all points of sale where Mastercard is accepted. Visa is a card that is co-badged in Switzerland. As a rule, with VPAY. This means that they also work at all terminals that only accept VPAY. Alternatively, a mobile banking app can be used for these debit payments.

One step closer to omnichannel

We welcome the introduction of the new card products. They expand and enable many use cases that are unthinkable today with debit cards, as the Maestro and VPAY debit cards in Switzerland do not have e-commerce capability. This brings new use cases into our everyday lives that have not really reached the necessary masses due to the area of application of credit cards. Some examples below:

• Currently, many omnichannel use cases could only be implemented with credit products from the large schemes, as Maestro / VPay cards could not be used in the Card not Present market in Switzerland.
• With the introduction of Debit Mastercard / Visa, many omnichannel use cases can now also be realised with debit cards.

Examples:

• Tokenisation of the card at the terminal and then use in the webshop.
• Parking: Check in at the car park - link with debit card and simply drive out. Payment takes place in the background.
• Tokenisation of the card for the subsequent settlement of VAT in the case of Tax Free.
• And much more, which we do not even think about today.

Best practice tips for traders

So what does this mean for you as a trader? The good news first. The acceptance of the new cards in your webshop is already ensured, as long as the customer has not blocked the online use of his card. However, there are still a few things you should check so that it is clear to the customer that he can use his debit card in your webshop.

• Since cards can now also be used online, we recommend that customers always refer to debit/credit cards on websites.
• Wallee automatically recognises the cards as debit cards and ensures processing.
• It is important to show the end customer that debit cards can also be used in your shop, so you should use an appropriate name.

You candownload the logos free of charge from the MasterCard websitehere.Below you will also find examples of how the icons can and cannot be displayed on your website.

Recommended display of payment method and logo and clear indication that debit cards are also accepted.

Not optimal - We also recommend talking about debit cards here.

Support

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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