Maestro is a debit card service that is owned by MasterCard and is responsible for millions of debit cards held by customers all over the world. It was founded fairly recently (when compared to other card companies at least) in 1992, and issues both standard debit cards and prepaid cards.
Maestro is one of the many payment options offered by Canadian online cards, both as a deposit option and a withdrawal option. It uses any of the same advanced security methods that other cards employ and it can be found in dozens of countries all over the world.
In this guide to Maestro and online gambling we’ll look at the best Maestro casinos in Canada, while also covering the pros and cons of using this card as your main payment method.
How Common is Maestro?
Maestro is either very common or very rare, depending on where you live. In Canada, its status is much closer to the latter as it is dominated by more common card networks. The same can be said for the US and the UK, where it is known, but only just. You also have countries like Belgium and Greece, which have all but phased it out of use, replacing it with MasterCard.
But there are countries were Maestro is the card of choice. In Venezuela, for instance, more Maestro cards are issued than any other type, while the Bank of China uses Maestro as its international debit card. As far as the number of card holders is concerned, Maestro barely comes close to other major card types, but in terms of how many retailers and online casinos have embraced it, it’s just as common as MasterCard.
Pros of Using Maestro
- Safe: Maestro is a very safe payment option, providing all the benefits that other debit cards offer, including the latest security and encryption technology.
- Large: Maestro is accepted at over 15 million locations worldwide, and can also be found in a huge number of online casinos.
- Fees: There should be no fees to use Maestro on Canadian online casinos.
- Speed: The Maestro card works just as quickly as other popular debit cards. It processes withdrawals with the same fluidity and speed that it processes deposits, although you will need to wait until the casino’s pending time has passed.
Cons of Using Maestro
- Size: This is both a pro and a con, because while Maestro is accepted in millions of locations and hundreds of online casinos, it’s not quite as widespread as MasterCard or Visa. However, our research suggests that there are more locations (offline and online) that accept Maestro debit cards than there are ones that accept American Express credit cards.
- Phasing Out: Even a card that is accepted in 15 million locations is not safe from the metaphorical axe. Maestro has already been phased out of use in a number of countries, and it could be a matter of time before the same happens in Canada. However, if this does happen your bank should simply replace the card.
Is Maestro Safe to Use Online?
As mentioned above, Maestro is very safe to use online. However, there are a few things to bear in mind when using a debit card to gamble. These are true regardless of which card you use:
- Fraud: Debit cards do not have as much fraud protection as credit cards do. If your card and the money on it is stolen then you may struggle to get it back. The card can be cancelled and most banks will return the cash that has been taken from you, but there could be exceptional circumstances that see them refuse to do this.
- Chargebacks: If you accidentally signup for a spam casino then you can simply initiate a chargeback with a credit card, but with a debit card this is nowhere near as easy or as hassle-free. It can still be done, but you may encounter some resistance from the bank and if the casino disputes it then there may be little you can do.
- Bank Details: A credit card is connected to the bank’s money, not yours. It’s credit that you have yet to use, giving you more recourse for action if anything happens to that money. But if anything happens to the money on a debit card then you could lose out as a debit card points directly to your bank account. In simple terms, a debit card is a key that connects you, and potentially a fraudster, to all of the money you own.
Can I Use Maestro to Gamble in Canada?
If you have a Maestro card then you can use it to gamble online. There are many casinos that accept it, and you should be able to initiate a speedy deposit and withdrawal. It does not cause issues for the casinos that offer it so Maestro deposits should not be exempt from casino bonuses like so many other payment options are, and you should also be asked to wait no long than 48 hours when your withdrawal is pending (although the actual payment may not show in your bank account for up to 5 days).
So yes, you can use it, and there is no reason why you shouldn’t. It might not be the most popular or the most accessible debit card, but if it’s the one that you were given then it’s the only one you can use. It would make no sense to go to the trouble of trying to get another card when you could simply use one of the many Maestro card casinos out there.
Speaking of which…
What are the Best Maestro Casinos?
There are a huge number of Maestro casinos in Canada. You can find the best of these by searching though our casino top lists and checking the graphic at the top of this page. The former contains a selection of the very best casinos in any given category, all of which are geared toward Canadian players and most of which accept Maestro. The latter contains our pick of the bunch—the best online casino for Canadian players, and one that offers a huge number of payment options.