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I disagree completely. Visa sponsored the event - why would they want competitors there? When the average person sees that his or her Mastercard is not accepted

I disagree completely. Visa sponsored the event - why would they want competitors there? When the average person sees that his or her Mastercard is not accepted, I don't think the first response is "damn you, Visa!" Just like, when I see an AMEX card isn't accepted, I don't say "Damn you Visa and Mastercard for offering lower rates!" The image that Visa is trying to promote is that they're the most commonly accepted card. Because consumer perks vary only slightly (if at all) in home countries, for most consumers, the question becomes permeation. If they see lots of places accepting Visa and not Mastercard then they're more likely to get a Mastercard. To give you a closer-to-home example: In Canada, we have Tim Hortons - which is a cheaper version of Starbucks (and it's very popular). They take Mastercard, but not Visa. There have been several situations where I've been unable to purchase food because I use Visa and I hate cash. At no point have I said "damn you, Mastercard! I hate you!" In fact, if I actually drank coffee, I'd probably have gotten a MC already.

jiggy2011 14y ago
"damn you, Visa!" is exactly what my first response would be, either that or damning the Olympic committee. This is particularly jarring , because in the UK we are just used to the fact that everywhere that accepts VISA will also accept Mastercard. I can't think of a single situation I have been in where that hasn't been the case. AMEX is a little different , since most banks that offer AMEX will also give you a Mastercard/VISA on the basis that it's less ubiquitous but offers better perks.
pavel_lishin 14y ago
Were there ATMs at the Olympics that would dispense cash from a non-Visa card? You can always walk out of Tim Hortons and get cash out of an ATM, or go to another coffee shop. When your options are either "have no money" or "waste ticket by exiting venue to get cash I can not use at that venue because I can't come back in", it's a bit different.
- simonw 14y ago
  "Were there ATMs at the Olympics that would dispense cash from a non-Visa card?" Actually, no there weren't! Visa insisted that any ATMs that accepted other cards were removed from the venues. This lead to a marvellous screw-up when all of the Visa card machines at one venue went down and there were only 8 freshly installed Visa ATMs to handle the crowds (which replaced 27 that had been removed): http://news.sky.com/story/966545/olympics-anger-as-visa-cards-crash-at-wembley http://news.sky.com/story/966545/olympics-anger-as-visa-card...
el_cuadrado 14y ago
When MasterCard sponsors an event, you get additional 10% off when you use a Mastercard. WOW! It is totally not offensive, positive and good for MC public image. They must be some marketing wizards or something! Either that, or Visa people are morons. * Edit: misprint
forwardslash 14y ago
Actually, Tim Hortons just recently started accepting Visa (at least out here in BC).
- goatforce5 14y ago
  I think it's dependent on the individual Tim Hortons. I don't go in them very often, but the ones near me are Mastercard only. My local No Frills supermarket is debit or Mastercard only - no Visa credit. Makes me think that Mastercard Canada must give good rates for low-value high-volume transactions.

jiggy2011 14y ago

"damn you, Visa!" is exactly what my first response would be, either that or damning the Olympic committee. This is particularly jarring , because in the UK we are just used to the fact that everywhere that accepts VISA will also accept Mastercard. I can't think of a single situation I have been in where that hasn't been the case. AMEX is a little different , since most banks that offer AMEX will also give you a Mastercard/VISA on the basis that it's less ubiquitous but offers better perks.

pavel_lishin 14y ago

Were there ATMs at the Olympics that would dispense cash from a non-Visa card? You can always walk out of Tim Hortons and get cash out of an ATM, or go to another coffee shop. When your options are either "have no money" or "waste ticket by exiting venue to get cash I can not use at that venue because I can't come back in", it's a bit different.

simonw 14y ago
"Were there ATMs at the Olympics that would dispense cash from a non-Visa card?" Actually, no there weren't! Visa insisted that any ATMs that accepted other cards were removed from the venues. This lead to a marvellous screw-up when all of the Visa card machines at one venue went down and there were only 8 freshly installed Visa ATMs to handle the crowds (which replaced 27 that had been removed): http://news.sky.com/story/966545/olympics-anger-as-visa-cards-crash-at-wembley http://news.sky.com/story/966545/olympics-anger-as-visa-card...

el_cuadrado 14y ago

When MasterCard sponsors an event, you get additional 10% off when you use a Mastercard. WOW! It is totally not offensive, positive and good for MC public image. They must be some marketing wizards or something! Either that, or Visa people are morons. * Edit: misprint

forwardslash 14y ago

Actually, Tim Hortons just recently started accepting Visa (at least out here in BC).

goatforce5 14y ago
I think it's dependent on the individual Tim Hortons. I don't go in them very often, but the ones near me are Mastercard only. My local No Frills supermarket is debit or Mastercard only - no Visa credit. Makes me think that Mastercard Canada must give good rates for low-value high-volume transactions.