Towards the end of the quarter, many banks are revising the terms of service for debit cards — adjusting to the level of rates, the economic situation, and their own profitability. Alexey Lossan, an analyst at the financial marketplace "Sravni," told the Prime agency how this will affect customers.
According to him, even a simple debit card generates costs: for payment infrastructure, transfers, account maintenance, bonus programs, IT systems, and anti-fraud. If income from placing client funds falls or operating expenses grow, the previous conditions cease to pay off. In such a situation, banks either reduce the yield on balances or tighten the requirements for customer activity.
At the same time, there is a gradual abandonment of the card as a savings tool. Banks are increasingly separating the functions of products: a card is for payments, savings accounts and deposits are for savings. This is more profitable for a financial organization: money on a card can be withdrawn at any time, while funds in a deposit are more predictable in management.
The third vector of change is increased control over operations. The growth of remote transfers and fraudulent schemes forces banks to more closely monitor atypical transactions and more often request confirmation. For the client, this looks like a tightening of the rules, but in fact it is about fulfilling the requirements of financial monitoring.
According to Lossan, the revision of card terms is not a one-time decision of individual players, but a reflection of the systemic transformation of the market: payments are separated from savings, bonuses are tied to activity, and products become economically more accurate.
