Visa Credit & Prepaid Cards
Looking for a Visa credit or debit card? You'll find a great selection below. These cards are among the most widely accepted in the world and this is why: Visa International is the backbone behind the largest payment processing system in the world. As a matter of fact, the Visa network connects customers, banks, businesses and government agencies in 200 countries around the globe and counting. Although Visa does not issue or service credit card accounts, the Visa network enables its 21,000 plus members to issue and maintain credit card or financial accounts for millions of cardholders. With the increased reliance upon electronic currency, it’s no wonder why Visa is one of the largest companies in the world.
VISA vs. MasterCard: What's The Difference?
It’s been a long standing debate: Which card is better? Visa or MasterCard? Is there a difference between the two brands? Is it just a name or is there something more? Is this really one company with two different brands? The truth of the matter is that while Visa is a separate company from MasterCard, both companies work much the same way. For instance:
- Both Visa and MasterCard offer a global payment processing platform. Both Visa and MasterCard have worked very hard to offer a technologically advanced network that connects businesses, consumers and financial institutions in a safe and efficient manner. Both companies boast a transaction network that can process in excess of 10,000 electronic payments per second, reliably and securely.
- Neither Visa nor MasterCard issue credit or prepaid cards directly. While the Visa and MasterCard brands are synonymous with the financial card industry, neither company issues credit to individuals, businesses or any other agency, nor do they set payment terms, interest rates, or other fees. Visa and MasterCard are both made up of member financial institutions that issue the financial products and are the think tanks behind the innovative card products that are ultimately offered to consumers and businesses.
- Both Visa and MasterCard set the standards by which credit or debit cards can be accepted. While these two companies are removed from issuing or maintaining individual card accounts, they do have a say so in how the industry itself is regulated. The regulations set forth by Visa and MasterCard with regards to how card transactions are handled, generally affect the merchant acquiring business, or the businesses that facilitate the transfer of funds from a cardholder to a business after a purchase has been made.
- Where one is accepted, the other is accepted. Merchants who agree to accept either Visa or MasterCard in their business will accept both brands at the point of sale.
- It’s a matter of preference. Most cardholders will agree that it’s not about the brand that is emblazoned across the lower right hand corner of the card, but rather, it’s about the card product itself. Choosing a card is based on a variety of factors including interest rate, fees, credit limit, rewards opportunities and qualification criteria. Brand identity should only come into play when deciding between two equally beneficial card products.
No matter how you look at it, a Visa card is as powerful a financial tool as a MasterCard. Take comfort in knowing that both brands are secure and accepted in more locations than any other card product on the market today.
{ 0 comments… add one now }