Another random addition:

Just as Visa once was BankAmericard - if I recall correctly Mastercard started out as Mastercharge. How many of you have been around long enough to remember those?

I've tried that too. I wish they did accept crecit cards for money orders, that would be amazing to run up miles. You could purchase a few $700 money orders and pay that small fee, and make those money orders payable to you, deposit in your acct and pay off AMEX. And earn the miles for the charge(s).I wish!!!!

I wasn't around those days, but my mother has her original MasterCharge card and even a Visa with the old logo.

This may not apply across the board but for Visa and MC cards issued by one large company, there was a difference, a big one, on rental car insurance.

One of the cards did not provide automatic collision damage waiver if the underlying rental was free (eg. with a certificate). However, the other card provided primary coverage on overseas rentals, meaning you did not have to file a claim with your insurance company and risk a rate increase.

I'd suggest FTalk readers check these matters out and choose carefully.

Are you aware of the ability to buy US Savings Bonds with a credit card? There are many threads on this - it is a great way to get miles for nothing, and help the country at the same time.

In my view, MC and Visa have about the same acceptance rate, and this is probably because the fee to the merchant is the same or nearly the same. Discover and Amex likely charge the merchant more, and therefore are less widely accepted.

My Sam's accepts MC and Discover, but not Visa or Amex. Go figure.

Also, regarding rental cars, these days it generally depends on the level of your card, not on the bank. For example, whether its a gold card, etc. Of course the programs differ from Visa to MC to Amex, and even within a program from issuing banks--for example, Citibank Visa to Bank One Visa. In my experience, its rare for a gold or above card to not include rental car coverage, and it is rare for a card below gold to include this benefit.

[This message has been edited by LemonThrower (edited 05-16-2002).]

I was at the Tokyo Hilton and needed a cash advance on my credit card. They said they could do it only with a Visa Gold card.

In Brazil and other countries outside the US, VISA and MasterCard are entirely separate. Often a merchant will accept one, but not the other, and this is even more common with banks and ATM’s. In Brazil Diners Club and MasterCard are identical in terms of acceptance at both merchants and banks; VISA and American Express often, but not always, are interchangeable.

I remember when it was possible to get AMEX travelers checks on VISA & MC. They were regarded as purchases and there was no limit. It was discontinued due to abuse of FF miles.

[This message has been edited by flowerchild (edited 08-14-2002).]

In Japan, many ATMs with Visa logos on them won't accept Visa cards. The rules that work everywhere else in the world simply don't apply to Japan. (Personally, I believe the Visa bureaucracy should deny all Japanese banks the right to use their logo at all until they can provide the services which its use is supposed to indicate.)

Do the ATMs still close at 7pm (or other time too early) in Japan? That was the thing I couldn't deal with when I was there several years ago. Even the ATMs that could take a standard Plus or Cirrus banking card were few and far between. Later I ended up getting a cash advance on credit card at a bank because it was easier, despite the evil extra charges for that. The ATM thing I just couldn't grasp, especially with the ATM locators wrongly saying that they were available 24 hours. Then again, in most parts of Japan there's not a big safety issue in carrying around lots of cash.

In Japan, Citibank ATM's always work. The others do sometimes, but not always.

Here's a kicker.

Neiman Marcus (Northeast-US) only takes
Diners, American Express, JCB, and Carte Blanche. Good thing I got Amex, last time I was there.


I also know that some chi-chi shops in London don't take Visa or MC. Too common for commnon folk.

Chi-chi? Try good ol' Marks & Spencer. I found this out after selecting US$300 of suits. They didn't even take Amex. Luckily I was able to get 200 UK Pounds out of the ATM down the street...

Northeast-US? Nice try at trying to steal yet another Southern institution, but Neiman Marcus is headquartered in Dallas.

Calm down there silverpie...I think he was saying in the NE Region of the US Neiman's doesn't take vs/mc (dunno if it's true or not though cause here in the midwest they do)