Mastercard vs Visa Card: Key Differences Explained

You might wonder why are some cards Visa and some are Mastercard. These are nothing but a payment gateway. They support the payment facility to banks across the world. Except for the gateway network, the functionality of these cards are same. Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, commonly known as Amex, are American companies. However, India has its own payment gateway- Rupay. It is a native payment network working within Indian boundaries.

Using the insights gained via the article below, you can make a more concious decision on whether a Visa credit card or Mastercard credit card is the one for you.

What Is a Visa Credit Card?

A Visa card is a payment card that operates through the Visa network. In the global payments industry, Visa is ranked as the largest payment network, with a market share accounting for approximately 60%.

Cards offered by Visa:

1. Visa Classic
2. Visa Gold
3. Visa Platinum
4. Visa Signature
5. Visa Infinite

ALSO READ: What Is a Credit Card and How Does It Work?

What Is a Master Credit Card?

Like Visa, Mastercard is also a global organisation that was created to facilitate transactions between the banks of the card issuer and the banks of the merchants. Ranked as the second largest payment network, Mastercard has a market share of approximately 30%.

Credit cards offered by Mastercard:

1. Standard Mastercard
2. Platinum Mastercard
3. World Mastercard
4. World Elite Mastercard

Difference Between Visa and Mastercard

With a basic understanding of these cards, let us now dive in and understand the Visa vs Mastercard credit cards comparison.

Attributes	Visa	Mastercard
Payment Mode for Contactless Transactions	Visa pay Wave is used to execute these transactions	Pay Pass is used to make these transactions
Cards and Purchase Volume	The number of Visa cards that are in circulation is higher, and the purchase volume of the users of Visa cards is also higher.	The number of cards in circulation and the purchase volume are less than Visa cards.

Below, you can find a few more scenarios and situations and outlined the benefits* of both cards.

1. Emergency Services

Emergency Service	Visa Card	Mastercard
Roadside Dispatch	Offered	Not Offered
Reporting Lost, and Stolen Cards	Offered	Offered
Travel and Emergency Assistance	Offered	Offered
Emergency Card Replacement and Cash Advance	Offered	Offered

2. Emergency Services

Visa Card	Mastercard
1. Zero liability protection 2. Cell phone and hotel theft protection 3. Lost luggage and trip delay reimbursement 4. Trip cancellation reimbursement 5. Emergency medical or dental reimbursement 6. Baggage delay reimbursement 7. Extended warranty protection 8. Travel accident insurance and airline incidental fees.	1. Zero liability protection 2. Cell phone protection 3. ID theft protection

Conclusion

It is worth noting that sometimes, the benefits and reward points offered by each card differ based on the issuer. Therefore, your choice should also depend on the company that is issuing the card.

Again, the service fees and interest rates vary as they too are set by the card issuer. The mentioned features can help you understand the functioning of these two cards. You can choose one that suits you best.

ALSO READ: Difference Between Credit Card and Debit Card

FAQs

Is Visa more accepted than Mastercard?

When it comes to acceptance, both Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted everywhere, and there is no bias against either. One thing worth noting is that sometimes banks might engage in exclusive partnerships with either of these.

Is Visa more accepted than Mastercard?

It is important to note that Visa and Mastercard do not directly issue credit cards. In fact, these cards are issued through their partner financial institutions. So, whether you can get yourself a Visa or Mastercard credit card entirely depends on your card provider!

Is Visa a debit card or a credit card?

Visa has both debit card and credit card options.

Disclaimer: The article is only for informational purposes. Please contact your card issuer for exact details on the benefits and facilities available on your selected credit card.