There are several signs that can be used to classify the huge variety of debit cards currently issued:
- By belonging to the international payment system: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, MIR
- In terms of prestige: electronic (entry-level), standard, gold and platinum.
In addition, debit cards may vary in the functionality they provide, technical capabilities, the number of issuers and the payment scheme used. This is true for the onevanilla balance also.
Visa
The Visa payment system along with MasterCard is deservedly considered the most famous and widespread not only in Russia but also in the world. Almost all domestic banks provide the opportunity to apply for a Visa card, and the presence of an extremely wide range of existing offers allows any potential client to find a financial product that suits his needs. The entire line of Visa cards is represented on the Russian market, from the simplest Electron to premium Gold or Platinum.
MasterCard
MasterCard payment system almost always and everywhere adjoins the Visa described above. This is quite logical and easily explainable they are clear leaders in comparison with other existing systems. A client can order a MasterCard card in any domestic bank, and the product line is similar to that issued by Visa. The main difference is that the US dollar is recognized as the settlement currency in Visa, and the euro issued by the European Union in MasterCard. Such a difference is absolutely invisible if the client opens a ruble account. The remaining conditions offered by both systems are almost identical.
American express
Payment system American Express is much less popular in Russia. However, recently it has become more active in the domestic financial market. And the most prominent role in this is played by the two main banks that are its partners in Standard and state bank. Given such serious support, it is easy to assume that American Express debit cards, focused mainly on the premium segment, will occupy a worthy place in the banking services market.
World
MIR is a national payment card system. It was developed during 2015. The reason for the emergence of the domestic NSPK was the introduction of financial sanctions, as a result of which the activity of world payment systems in Russia was significantly limited. Based on the results of the competition for the best NSPK, the World map was selected. The system is currently undergoing active testing at various banks. Debit cards were issued by Bank and several other credit organizations. With favorable results, it is possible to transfer budget costs for maintenance in this system.
Chip Debit Cards
One of the important developments of recent years has been the invention of a special chip for use in various bank cards. It gradually replaces the magnetic track, which supplied previously issued bank plastics. The micro-chip greatly improves the security of using the card for a wide variety of operations. Reading data from a magnetic tape is quite simple, but it is almost impossible to do this if the card has a chip. Therefore, it is obvious that in the near future almost all bank cards will be issued in this form until another even more reliable way of protection is invented.
