I was wondering about the same thing. Is this one more example of Finnish over-compliance with European regulation?
Re:Walmart Canada stops accepting Visa cards
by reitanqild on Sunday June 12, 2016 @05:47PM
(#11890431)
Think Norway still has Bankaxxept (or something like that)
BankAxept, and yes, my debit cards still has the logo, but it's been demoted from the front to the back of the card in recent years.
In the same timeframe, VISA and Mastercard have seen a surge in merchants participating in the system, like grocery stores that used to accept BankAxept cards only. This might have something to do with people changing their preference to credit cards with benefits like airline miles, but also to allow travelers access to what's more and more becoming like a cashless society.
In Finland our local national system was shutdown (due to sepa) and now all the cards issued are either visa or mastercard (debit / credit cards).
Interestingly it also seems that credit card theft has risen to a whole new level.