[2] The merger was also intended to increase the acceptance of foreign Maestro cards in the United Kingdom.

[citation needed] This change also led to the discontinuation of Solo debit cards.

[4] In January 2009, First Direct and HSBC discontinued the use of Maestro card, issuing Visa Debit cards to new customers, and a gradual roll out throughout 2009 to existing customers.

That September, Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank, both owned by National Australia Bank, started the process of replacing the Maestro card with a Debit Mastercard for their current accounts, except for the Readycash and Student accounts, for which the Maestro card continued to be issued.

In the same month the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (Europe's largest debit card issuer which included the Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest, Coutts and Ulster Bank) switched from Maestro to Visa Debit, a process that took two years to complete.