Laser cards will cease to operate from this Friday, February 28th following the completion of the transition to Visa and MasterCard debit cards.

According to the Irish Payment Services Organisation (IPSO), all Laser cards have now been replaced, and the operation of Laser card transactions will cease at midnight on Friday.

“After that time, retailers that attempt to present a charge to a Laser card will receive an error message only,” the payments organisation said.

Retailers that currently accept Laser cards for subscriptions, ongoing payments for policies or recurring transactions should make arrangements with their customers to obtain an alternative payment method, IPSO advised, adding that retail owners and managers will need to alert staff members that Laser cards cannot be accepted in stores or businesses as and from midnight this Friday.

The very first Laser transaction occurred 18 years ago in 1996. Laser reached its highest number in 2011 when there were more than 3 million active Laser debit cards in the market. The highest value spent on goods and services was €11.1 billion in one single year (2010).