One of the most recognized brands around the globe, Maestro is a worldwide debit card service introduced by MasterCard in 1992. It is available in more than 13 million outlets in over 100 countries and is among the most preferred methods for depositing at online casinos.
Along with its popular debit cards, Maestro also offers a product line of prepaid cards, which can be used by teenagers or as gift vouchers, as well. Whether you choose the debit or prepaid solutions from Maestro, your deposit into online casinos would be instantaneous and safe. In addition, you do not need to worry about generating debt as it is with the traditional credit cards. With Maestro, casino enthusiasts can indulge in playing their favourite games while remaining responsible gamblers.
Licensed Casinos Accepting Maestro in Kenya
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How Maestro Works
As mentioned above, Maestro offers mostly debit cards available in a large number of countries worldwide. They function as typical debit cards – they are issued by banks and similar financial institutions and each card issuer has different fees, conditions, and reward programs. While all these cards from different parts of the world may differ significantly in their looks, they all bear the universal Maestro logo – two intermingled circles, one blue and the other red.
Debit cards, including the Maestro-branded ones, are linked with the customers’ bank accounts and allow them to make payments directly from them. Although they look like credit cards, they function like electronic checks. Your bank or other card issuing institution can verify that the funds are available in your account and then, it approves the transaction. Still, purchases and deposits into web-based casinos are incredibly fast.
Applying for Maestro Card
The main payment product by Maestro is its debit card, which comes with only basic requirements for issuing. In order to apply for this type of card, customers need to have an account at a local bank – most banks around the world offer at least two or three Maestro debit cards. Casino enthusiasts who wish to get one will need to apply, providing personal information such as name, email, physical address, and phone number. If they have no bank or checking account, they will need to open one to receive a Maestro debit card.
The credit card institution does not check customers’ credit status, which is a great advantage compared to the application process for credit cards. Once customers receive their debit cards, they can start making payments both online and in land-based stores. Getting a prepaid Maestro card is even easier – you do not need to provide any personal details and you can purchase such a card online, from your bank, or at thousands of partner retailers.
However, when applying for a Maestro debit card, you may need to specify that you will need to use it via the Internet. Your bank will then provide you with a 4-6 PIN number you will use to authorize every single transaction.
Maestro Debit Cards
As an international debit card brand, Maestro can be used at online and land-based retail stores, restaurants and gas stations, ATMs and online casinos all over the world. This includes the Kenya, although MasterCard is a much more popular option in the country. Casino patrons should know, however, that in most cases, they will not be able to use Maestro at online casinos due to the current legal restrictions in the Kenya.
Once your Maestro debit card is cleared for online payments, you will use its number and PIN to shop or gamble over the Internet. For transactions in land-based outlets, you will be required either a PIN or a signature to authorize a payment. With some contactless Maestro cards, no authorization is required. In each case, the transaction needs to be verified by the card issuer as your bank account cannot be overdrawn (when customers are allowed to withdraw from a negative account). In the occasion that you try to transfer more funds than you currently have in your bank account, the transaction will be rejected.
Maestro Prepaid Cards
Maestro prepaid cards are payment cards loaded with a fixed amount of funds. They are often used as gift cards or shopping vouchers at a large number of stores. They have a card number and an expiration date, but they usually do not display the name of the cardholder. These cards are very similar to debit and credit cards but work very differently – they do not provide you with a line of credit as credit cards and they do not link with your bank account like debit cards. In fact, you do not need a bank account to purchase a Maestro prepaid card.
You can buy them from various land-based and online retailers, banks or other financial institutions. Depending on the specific issuer, they come in denominations and you do not pay any additional fees above that fixed value, except for small processing fees you might be charged during making a transaction. While some of these cards are usable only while there are funds in them, others can be reloaded after the initial money in them is depleted. In this case, you can use them multiple times.
Depositing at Online Casinos Using Maestro Cards
Making a deposit at an online casino via Maestro is extremely simple. Hundreds of web-based casinos accept these cards as players find them convenient and safe. In order to make a deposit, casino patrons need to open the Cashier or Banking section of the gaming platform they have chosen. From the list of deposit options, they need to pick Maestro (or MasterCard) and specify the amount of money they wish to top up their gaming account with.
Similarly to depositing via credit cards, deposits through Maestro require filling several empty fields – the card number (16-digit number) and the expiration date, while the CVV or security code may not be necessary. Unlike many other card brands, Maestro uses 100% cardholder verification – while the MasterCard SecureCode is validated online, the PIN is validated offline. PIN stands for personal identification number and the bank gives it to customers along with the plastic debit card. The PIN and the CVV code are never stored by retailers or card issuers, which guarantees higher levels of security.
Withdrawing Your Winnings via Maestro Cards
Unfortunately, withdrawals to Maestro cards are not possible in most online casinos. Due to MasterCard International’s restrictive policy against using their cards for gambling purposes, their brands, including Maestro, are not available for cashing out your winnings. Casino players would need to find another way to retrieve funds from their gaming accounts.
However, some casinos would still allow withdrawals to be made to Maestro debit cards. Before deciding to play at one casino or another, players are advised to consult the Banking page of each website. It is also a good idea to contact support representatives in order to receive more detailed information about the deposit and withdrawal methods on offer.
Security
One of the greatest benefits of using Maestro for casino deposits is that these cards are extremely safe. Most casino players would opt for this brand of debit cards for one major reason – the low security risk when using Maestro online. When authorizing a payment, customers need to write down the exact card number (a 16-digit number), the CVV code, as well as the correct expiry date. In addition, MasterCard’s SecureCode gives yet another layer of protection.
Conclusion
Maestro is owned by MasterCard, a respectable global leader in payment services which operates in almost every country and on all continents. You can use this debit card whenever you see a MasterCard logo. This makes Maestro an exceptionally convenient, versatile and accessible option for casino players who want to use any of its debit or prepaid cards online. This payment method is easy to use and customers do not need to pass credit checks when applying for Maestro.