“We have tried out the possibility of using those cards, but it didn’t succeed, so we've decided to give up on them,” said VR’s Communications Manager Mika Heijari.
Visa Electron and MasterCard Maestro transactions require an online connection as they check the availability of funds in accounts in real time. Problems have arisen because network connections on trains are too weak to support this system.
Officially, the cards will no longer be accepted on trains from March onwards, though they have not been in use for some time already.
“It would be better for everyone if we could use them, but since it’s not technically possible, this is the solution,” Heijari explained.
