Pay online with your Maestro debit card

Two-factor authentication is increasingly used for online payments. This is driven by the European Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2). This legislation mandates Strong Customer Authentication (SCA). It means that transactions are authenticated using two or more of the following elements: 

1. Knowledge: something only the user knows (e.g., password, pin, ID number) 
2. Ownership: something only the user possesses (e.g., mobile device, token, smart card) 
3. Inherence: something only the user is (e.g., fingerprint, face, or voice recognition).

All SimpledCard cards are now equipped with 3D Secure. Users that only have a Maestro card from SimpledCard, can now do secure online payments as well. 

If you make an online payment with your Maestro card, you approve the order in the SimpledCard app or Card Management System. This happens as soon as you do an online purchase above €35. Hence, you will receive a push notification and the verification process will start. 

With Maestro you can pay online with your debit card in the same way as with a credit card. This is called eMaestro and it is a service that belongs to Mastercard. Alongside Maestro and Mastercard payments there are a variety of other online payments methods. Let’s take a look at the most common method used. And how you make sure online payments happen safely.

❯ Online payment methods

❯ How to make sure you pay safely online?

❯ What is 3D Secure?

❯ What’s new for SC Maestro cards?

❯ How do you pay with Maestro online?

❯ Top 10 of shops that support Maestro online payments

Online payment methods

Internet banking and other online payment methods come in shapes and sizes. If you are ordering something online, you are directed to the checkout page of the webshop. There you can choose from various payment methods.

(NL/EN) The most common online payment methods are credit card, PayPal and iDEAL. In the Netherlands, 60% of all purchases on the internet are made using iDEAL (source: eCommerce Payment Monitor 2019).

(DE) The most common online payment methods are credit card and PayPal. In Germany, 52% of all purchases on the internet are made using PayPal (source: eMerchantpay).

There is also the option of deferred payment. You only need to transfer money after you have received your purchase. The webshop can offer this directly or integrate a service such as Afterpay.

How to make sure you pay safely online?

(NL/EN) In 2019, almost 258 million online purchases were made in the Netherlands. An increase of 4% compared to 2018. This also makes the internet an increasingly attractive market for fraud. 

(DE) In 2019, almost 69 billion online purchases were made in Germany. Equivalent to nearly 9% of total sales in the country. This makes the internet an increasingly attractive market for fraud. 

Make sure you have a well-protected computer and internet connection when you go online. Double-check that the operating system of your computer or phone is up-to-date. Download the latest version of your web browser. Your software will then have the most recent security patches. In this way, your device is less likely to be targeted by viruses and spyware. 

As soon as you want to pay online in a webshop, make sure you have a secure connection to the web page. You will recognise this by the green lock in the browser bar. The web address should start with ‘https://’.

It is also good practice to check if the webshop carries a quality mark. Examples are Thuiswinkel Waarborg of Webshop Keurmerk. The Consumentenbond provides more information on these. 

Besides these basic tips for secure internet surfing,  there is a new layer of security for transactions since January 2021. In Europe, strong customer authentication is now mandatory in e-commerce. This requirement is defined in the PSD2 regulation.

What is 3D Secure?

3D Secure is an anti-fraud security check that buyers have to complete for certain card payments. Depending on the type of card, this security check is called “Mastercard SecureCode” or “Verified by Visa”. All SimpledCard cards are using SecureCode.

The name 3D comes from the three-domain model. This is used to provide an additional layer of secure authentication between the financial authorization process and the online authentication process. The three domains are the acquirer, the issuer and the interoperability domain. That latter is the service provided by Mastercard. 

In essence, SecureCode is a secret code for your payment card that provides added online shopping security. Only you and your bank know the code. This code remains invisible to merchants. SecureCode works with your existing Maestro and Mastercard. 

More than one million webshops in 122 countries support transactions with SecureCode. And it’s easy to activate and use.

What’s new for SimpledCard Maestro cards?

We have now implemented 3D Secure for all our cards. This makes online payments with our cards even more secure. Initially, this was fully rolled out for our Mastercard cards. Now, 3D Secure is also enabled for our Maestro cards. If you make an online purchase using any of our cards, you will have to confirm the payment in the mobile app or CMS. 

As a Maestro cardholder working remotely, you may want to be able to do online purchases from your budget at trusted websites. So you can ensure your work gets done irrespective of the location.

Most websites ask for a credit card, iDEAL or Paypal payment, which previously couldn’t be completed with your SimpledCard Maestro card. Now you can simply use your Maestro card to do online payments with SimpledCard.

How do you pay with Maestro online?

To use your Maestro card in a webshop, you follow the regular steps of a credit card payment. One of the unique features of SimpledCard Maestro cards is the 16-digit number. This primary account number (PAN) allows you to complete an online order.

You place an order, just like you are used to at a webshop. You indicate that you want to pay with eMaestro, or select the ‘Pay with credit card’ as your preferred option. You then enter the card number, expiry date and CVC code in the payment screen. 

After you enter these credentials, you go through the 3D Secure process as explained below.  

If the balance is sufficient, the amount due is debited from your SimpledCardcard account. The webshop is then informed that the order has been paid for.

3D Secure – How it works:

1. When you complete an online payment a push notification is sent to your mobile device;
2. Open the SimpledCard app and go to tasks;
3. Click on the payment in process and check if the mentioned website and the amount is correct; 
4. Once checked, click on approve. The payment is now completed. If you think the payment is not correct, click on reject.

Top 10 webshops that support Maestro online payments

Maestro payments are accepted by all the major webshops via the credit card payment procedure. SimpledCard customers have already successfully completed eMaestro payments at popular webshops. Here are the top 10 of the most visited webshops by our customers that support eMaestro:

1. Thuisbezorgd
2. Greetz
3. Topbloemen.nl
4. Uber
5. AliExpress
6. HEMA
7. Praxis
8. Kaartje2Go
9. Blokker
10. Domino’s Pizza

Do you have further questions about online payments with Maestro or 3DSecure? Please feel free to contact our team of experts.

By Christel Heije