In message , at 19:43:41 on Mon,
19 Mar 2012, Clive remarked:
My debit card has a hologram on the back with an amount on it which
the bank will honour, funds or no.
That's from the time when debit cards doubled as cheque guarantee
cards - before the cheque guarantee scheme was abolished.
And the amount was relevant to the cheque guarantee, not its use as
debit card.
As different shops have different "floor limits" this can only apply to
the amount of guarantee by the bank, otherwise all cards would need to
be authorised.

The figure printed on the card is only relevant when used as a cheque
guarantee card (RIP).
--
Roland Perry