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Romanians Are More Interested In Bank Card Design Than Security – MasterCard

Romania’s bank card market has a high development potential as only half the country’s population has cards, but Romanians are more interested in what their card looks like than how safe it is, said Wednesday Denisa Mateescu, head of MasterCard Europe Romania.
Romanians Are More Interested In Bank Card Design Than Security - MasterCard
04 nov. 2009, 13:46, English

A monthly poll by MasterCard, which interviews 200 people over 18, revealed Romanians are more interested in their card’s design rather than its security features.

„I don’t think many consumers know the difference between cards with magnetic strips and cards with chips. We need to educate consumers to allow them to make an informed choice,” Mateescu said during a seminar.

According to the poll, people’s main selection criteria when choosing a credit or debit card are administration fees, interest rates and bonuses.

Mateescu said 33% of the respondents said they look at fees and commissions when choosing a debit card, 16% said they look into the current account’s interest rate, 11% said bonuses, 9% said attached insurance, 7% said overdraft, 6% said card design and only 3% said they want their card to have a chip.

She added only 51% of Romanians own bank cards and most, or 89%, are debit cards.

The poll also revealed that Romanians continue to prefer paying cash, as 52% said they always pay cash, 17% said they prefer paying by card or cash equally an only 2% said they always use their card to make payments.