Launch of Sparkassen-Card with Visa debit card as co-badge

The new Sparkasse card was already presented in October 2020, but is still not represented in many savings banks – this will probably remain the biggest problem with the Visa counterpart for the time being. The special feature: The Sparkasse card combines the functionality of a girocard and the debit MasterCard. It is therefore the most accepted card in Germany and, unlike a Maestro co-badge, it can also be used outside the EU or for online purchases. As we know, Maestro will be discontinued next year.

Everything that I explained at the beginning with the Debit MasterCard now also begins in cooperation with Visa. Here too, the advantages of accepting a Girocard when shopping in Germany are combined with the advantages of a Visa debit card: shopping online and also abroad. We were able to announce the whole thing in August. In this context, the savings banks also announced the digital launch of the “combined card with both payment systems”. The new Sparkasse card and its co-badge can also be stored in Apple Pay or in the “Mobile Payments” Android application. For me, it really is the pinnacle when it comes to paying cashless and without much hassle when it comes to acceptance. With the digital card, you can even withdraw cash from ATMs, contactless via NFC.

This should also happen for the visa co-badge debit, but only in the first quarter of 2023, so it will be a bit later – just like with the launch of the card itself.

The “hermaphrodite card” itself then looks like this:

In addition to the IBAN, as previously known from the Sparkasse girocard, the debit card number, expiry date and 3-digit check digit can also be found on the card. The card can also be used to pay on the Internet where payment with a Visa card is possible. In terms of acceptance, there should be nothing with the MasterCard counterpart in this country, in some countries abroad there might be regional differences.

Since you have both payment service providers on board with MasterCard and Visa, the spread might now go a bit faster. Several local savings banks already have the new savings card with the MasterCard or Visa co-badge in their programme. More will likely be added next year at the latest when Maestro is gone.

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