VISA ElectronCard

Visa Electron is a debit or credit card available across most of the world, with the exception of Canada, Australia, and the United States. The card was introduced by VISA in the 1980s and is a sister card to the Visa Debit card.

The difference between Visa Electron and Visa Debit is that payments with Visa Electron require that all the funds be available at the time of the transfer (i.e., Visa Electron card accounts cannot be overdrawn).

As a comparison, Visa Debit cards allow transfers of unavailable funds below a certain limit. As a result, some online stores and all offline terminals (e.g., onboard trains or planes) do not support Visa Electron because their systems cannot check for the availability of funds.

In different regions, the card is issued with different specifications. For example, one bank may issue it as a debit card, while another may issue it as a credit card. It is most commonly issued as a debit card. In this case applying for a credit card requires the applicant to present some proof of regular income (such as an employment certificate) or financial assets invested elsewhere.

In addition to debit facilities, the card also allows the holder to withdraw cash from ATMs even outside the holder's country of residence unlike normal ATM cards issued in some countries. This is because Visa Electron cards are also linked to the PLUS interbank network. While one may not be able to purchase the card in the United States, it can be used to transfer funds from other countries, for example Lebanon.

In the United Kingdom, the card is not as widely accepted as the brother Visa Debit card, but is often issued by banks as a debit card for children's accounts. In some countries, like Australia, retailers are required to accept the card as part of VISA's Accept All Cards Policy, which also applies to the normal Visa Debit card, although the card is not available locally.[citation needed]

In countries that have stricter criteria for issuing credit cards, Visa Electron has become popular with younger people and students alike. As each transaction requires funds to be checked, there is no chance of accounts going overdrawn. Therefore banks will issue a Visa Electron card to customers who may not qualify for another type of card.

As Visa Electron cards lack embossed details, they cannot be used with older card "imprinters" that transfer payment information to a paper slip, unless the card details are manually entered.

As the card carries a low interchange fee, airlines and other businesses which apply a surcharge for credit and debit card payments generally do not apply one for Visa Electron payments.