March 10, 2010 at 15:13Are you my credit card or not a credit card ?.
While browsing through various forums, I came across several heated discussions about what a “credit card” is and in what cases it is actually “credit” or “debit”. I will try, whenever possible, to reveal this question to the habrasociety.
So, a payment card is, in fact, an account management tool. That is - paying in the store with a card, you thereby give your bank an order - "transfer, buddy, to the account of such and such a store such and such an amount." Where to list? Of course, from your account.
In the bank that issued the card, one or more SCS - specialized card accounts are opened and tied to the card. When are there several? Well, for example, in the case of multicurrency cards, when several accounts are opened in different currencies and the rules are established - "if you receive a request to be debited in the currency in which there is an account - to be debited from it, and if there is not enough money, then from others." Sometimes the cardholder is given the opportunity to set these rules himself, sometimes not, this is determined by the bank’s internal rules.
Consider the most popular options:
By the way, “go into the red” can also be by debit card itself. This situation is called a “technical overdraft” and may occur when there is a lack of funds to pay any commission or pay a payment claim. Such cases are always provided for by the bank in the card agreement and are usually punishable by interest pulled up to heaven.
A set of opened accounts, rules for working with them are determined by each specific bank for each specific product at its discretion. Thus, from the side of the card holder it is far from always possible to determine with whose money - a client or a bank - this specific calculation is made. Accordingly, it is difficult to talk about whether a loan was granted.
But what about the level of the card - the habrayuzer will ask me? How are all these "classics", "golds", "platinum"? What is determined by them?
The answer will be very simple - they determine the level of trust. In cases where authorization is not possible (for example, you pay by card in duty-free on board an airplane, or on a ship on a cruise in the middle of the Atlantic) - the limit is determined at the discretion of the seller (or his bank). It is clear that in this case the level of trust in the owner of the "platinum" and, accordingly, the limitation of the amount will be higher than for the owner of the "classic". For cardholders of Electron / Maestro level cards, offline operations are not possible at all.
But at the same time - inside the bank, “electron” can easily be tied to a credit account with a credit line of a million bucks, and “platinum” - to a debit account with a zero overdraft, on which there are two hundred rubles.
Thus, talking about the "credit" of a particular abstract card is incorrect. A credit may or may not be a specific product of a particular bank.
So, a payment card is, in fact, an account management tool. That is - paying in the store with a card, you thereby give your bank an order - "transfer, buddy, to the account of such and such a store such and such an amount." Where to list? Of course, from your account.
In the bank that issued the card, one or more SCS - specialized card accounts are opened and tied to the card. When are there several? Well, for example, in the case of multicurrency cards, when several accounts are opened in different currencies and the rules are established - "if you receive a request to be debited in the currency in which there is an account - to be debited from it, and if there is not enough money, then from others." Sometimes the cardholder is given the opportunity to set these rules himself, sometimes not, this is determined by the bank’s internal rules.
Consider the most popular options:
- Debit card. The simplest option is that the card holder can only manage the amount previously set on his account and he does not have the right to go beyond this limit.
- Overdraft debit card. This is a slightly more complicated option, with such a card the holder is allowed to “go negative” as part of the credit line. At the same time, in this case, a separate credit account can be opened on the bank’s side, and a regular customer account can be used - it depends on the accounting technologies in a particular bank.
- "Real" credit card. Such a card is tied directly to a credit account and all funds spent on this card will always be bank money. Even if you block the amount of debt by the next loan repayment, the excess will simply fall into a separate account, from which then the next debt will be repaid.
By the way, “go into the red” can also be by debit card itself. This situation is called a “technical overdraft” and may occur when there is a lack of funds to pay any commission or pay a payment claim. Such cases are always provided for by the bank in the card agreement and are usually punishable by interest pulled up to heaven.
A set of opened accounts, rules for working with them are determined by each specific bank for each specific product at its discretion. Thus, from the side of the card holder it is far from always possible to determine with whose money - a client or a bank - this specific calculation is made. Accordingly, it is difficult to talk about whether a loan was granted.
But what about the level of the card - the habrayuzer will ask me? How are all these "classics", "golds", "platinum"? What is determined by them?
The answer will be very simple - they determine the level of trust. In cases where authorization is not possible (for example, you pay by card in duty-free on board an airplane, or on a ship on a cruise in the middle of the Atlantic) - the limit is determined at the discretion of the seller (or his bank). It is clear that in this case the level of trust in the owner of the "platinum" and, accordingly, the limitation of the amount will be higher than for the owner of the "classic". For cardholders of Electron / Maestro level cards, offline operations are not possible at all.
But at the same time - inside the bank, “electron” can easily be tied to a credit account with a credit line of a million bucks, and “platinum” - to a debit account with a zero overdraft, on which there are two hundred rubles.
Thus, talking about the "credit" of a particular abstract card is incorrect. A credit may or may not be a specific product of a particular bank.