5 ms·

>But this Visa deal, what on earth are people without Visa supposed to do? I just don't see how anyone sane could think this was a good plan, either from an Oly

by klausa 14y ago

>But this Visa deal, what on earth are people without Visa supposed to do? I just don't see how anyone sane could think this was a good plan, either from an Olympic organiser's point of view, or Visa's. I think both OP and you (or me, for that matter) don't have access to important data - specifically, what's the percentage of people that have BOTH Visa and MasterCard (and what percentage of those that do not, are likely to buy ticket for games). If it's low - then it probably was a stupid move, although I don't really feel qualified to say that. If, on the other hand, it's very high (like 90% (which I think it is)), then it's very smart move.

jiggy2011 14y ago
I suppose it depends on the demographic, if the olympics is mainly attended by relatively affluent people with multiple credit cards. I know plenty of people who don't even have a credit card beyond a bank issued Maestro debit card.
Wilya 14y ago
I agree, though I would think the ratio is the opposite. The thing is, having multiple cards might be a sign of wealth, but it's also a consequence of local culture. In some countries, everyone has a gazillion of cards. In some countries, having two cards is sort of an exception. In some countries, half the shops usually don't take VISA (Belgium is like that iirc, but I might be mistaken). So, by taking a decision like that, you're alienating quite a few people, based on non-relevant criteria (not wealth related ones).
makomk 14y ago
Well, anyone who was British and bought their tickets through the official UK process for buying Olympic tickets had to use Visa to pay for them anyway. I think lot of people bought their tickets through travel agents, though.
pbreit 14y ago
Even if the percentage overlap approaches 90%, I don't think it's a smart move. It's very anti-customer and will cause a decent percentage of people a great deal of angst and a much larger percentage of people will be quite disappointed. And don't forget that high-spending corporate travelers use Amex almost exclusively. The problem with a payment provider striking an exclusive deal like this is that it creates very real problems for people unlike, say, and exclusive beer deal. And it creates a great deal of negative feelings towards both Visa and the Olympics. I'm sure Visa is able to show that it is a good deal for them. But I suspect it is just as easy to show the opposite. Not smart at all.

by klausa 14y ago

jiggy2011 14y ago

I suppose it depends on the demographic, if the olympics is mainly attended by relatively affluent people with multiple credit cards. I know plenty of people who don't even have a credit card beyond a bank issued Maestro debit card.

Wilya 14y ago

I agree, though I would think the ratio is the opposite. The thing is, having multiple cards might be a sign of wealth, but it's also a consequence of local culture. In some countries, everyone has a gazillion of cards. In some countries, having two cards is sort of an exception. In some countries, half the shops usually don't take VISA (Belgium is like that iirc, but I might be mistaken). So, by taking a decision like that, you're alienating quite a few people, based on non-relevant criteria (not wealth related ones).

makomk 14y ago

Well, anyone who was British and bought their tickets through the official UK process for buying Olympic tickets had to use Visa to pay for them anyway. I think lot of people bought their tickets through travel agents, though.

pbreit 14y ago

Even if the percentage overlap approaches 90%, I don't think it's a smart move. It's very anti-customer and will cause a decent percentage of people a great deal of angst and a much larger percentage of people will be quite disappointed. And don't forget that high-spending corporate travelers use Amex almost exclusively. The problem with a payment provider striking an exclusive deal like this is that it creates very real problems for people unlike, say, and exclusive beer deal. And it creates a great deal of negative feelings towards both Visa and the Olympics. I'm sure Visa is able to show that it is a good deal for them. But I suspect it is just as easy to show the opposite. Not smart at all.