Places That Accept Mastercard
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Places That Don't Accept Mastercard
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The Discover credit card isn't as widely accepted as Visa and Mastercard, here in the U.S. or in other countries worldwide—but it has closed its historic acceptance gap considerably. And its cash back rewards and lack of annual fees make it an attractive choice as a first credit card, or as a supplement to the more widely accepted cards.
With the new Synchrony HOME Credit Card, you can earn 2% cash back rewards on purchases 2 under $299 automatically credited to your billing statement at cycle. Purchases of $299 or more will receive 6 months promotional financing, everywhere the card is accepted 1 in stores and online.
Where Can You Use the Discover Credit Card?
In comparison with the other three top credit card brands (Visa, Mastercard and American Express), Discover lags behind Mastercard and Visa in terms of user numbers and acceptance in the U.S. and worldwide. But it beats American Express on both measures, and you can use it at the vast majority of U.S. businesses that accept credit cards. It's also available in many overseas markets, in part thanks to affiliate partnerships with the Diners Club and JCB networks, which have greater global reach.
As to practical, everyday usefulness, Discover cites credit card industry analyst The Nilson Report to claim its cards are 'accepted nationwide by at least 97% of the merchants that take credit cards.' That's very high market penetration and, indeed, major national retailers such as Walmart and Target accept Discover in-store and online, as do Amazon.com, electronic payment services PayPal and Venmo, and ride share services such as Uber and Lyft.
The fees Discover charges businesses that accept its cards are likely responsible for the resistance among merchants who refuse it but accept other cards. All card networks charge members fees on each card transaction, but Discover sets its fees somewhat higher than its competitors, in part to help pay for its cash back program.
Where the Discover Card Isn't Accepted
The exact numbers of businesses, domestically and worldwide, that accept any specific credit cards are ever-moving targets. But even just 3 percent of card-accepting companies that don't take Discover in the U.S. could constitute tens of thousands businesses, if not more.
Many of these are likely small, independent merchants who find Discover's transaction fees too steep to handle, but they may also include franchised outlets of national brands such as fast-food restaurants, convenience stores, hardware stores and car repair services, for which individual owner-operators are free to choose which card networks to join (and avoid).
One major national chain outlet that doesn't accept Discover at any outlets is Costco, which only honors one credit card brand at its members-only warehouse stores, tire centers and gas stations. In 2016, Costco ended a 16-year partnership with American Express, and it currently accepts only Visa cards.
Places That Accept Virtual Mastercard
Note that with any credit card, you could be charged a convenience fee by merchants who prefer not to accept credit cards—but your Discover card will be treated the same as other cards in this situation.
Backup for the Card That Pays You Back
While there are long odds against finding a U.S. business that accepts other credit cards but not Discover, those businesses do exist. If you find yourself at one with only a Discover card (and a shortage of cash) in your wallet, you may be forced to take your business elsewhere. That may not be a big deal if you're seeking dinner in a busy town, but it could be a hassle in a remote area, or under emergency circumstances when shopping around is impractical—or impossible.
If you're attracted to Discover's lack of annual fees and cash back premiums (or the miles rewards on its travel card), you'll no doubt find it broadly useful. But adding a more universally accepted Mastercard or Visa to your wallet, at least as backup, might be good idea when you're considering broadening your credit card portfolio.
So you’ve received a virtual credit card, either as a gift or as a cashback reward, or maybe as payment for completing surveys. That’s great, but how do you use it all up when you’ve got an odd amount on there, or a tiny amount left over?
Here’s what we do.
What is a virtual Mastercard / virtual Visa card / virtual American Express card, anyway?
A virtual card is exactly what it sounds like – a payment card issued by a major payment processing company like Mastercard, American Express or Visa. The have the same features, such as the long card number, expiration date and CVV number.
What they don’t have, of course, is a physical card that you can put into a card machine.
You might get a virtual card from completing surveys, or, as I have, from getting my TopCashback payments made that way.
The good thing about virtual cards…
They’re actual, real money! Getting a virtual Visa or Mastercard is the same as getting real money that you can spend anywhere.
You’re not tied in to shopping at any particular store, as you would be with a store gift card.
The problem with virtual cards…
Without a plastic card to wield, you can’t just turn up at the shops and start spending. That means you’re restricted to shopping online.
Besides that, you may have an odd amount on your card, and it might be less than the item you want to buy – what then? Online merchants won’t let you split transactions like you can often do in shops.
Or what if you’re left with a few pence after making a purchase online – is that lost for good?
Sending money via PayPal from one of these cards incurs a charge, so that’s no good for saving money. Does that mean it’s a lost cause? Of course not!
Here’s how I’ve made the most out of virtual payment cards myself.
Tips to use up virtual payment cards:
1: Use them to pay your utility bills and council tax
You can usually pay down a small, odd amount on your utility bills and council tax online using a credit or debit card, even if you have a direct debit in place!
Our water bill is paid by direct debit, for example, but I am still able to make payments with a card to chip away at it. The annual amount due will be adjusted to take my card payments into account.
Our council tax doesn’t give us any financial incentive for paying by direct debit, so we use a card for that. We can make tiny top-up payments with any virtual cards we get and round out the rest on our regular card.
By using the virtual cards in this way, nothing is wasted and it all goes to essential services. The money on the card spares you using the money in your bank account, so it’s as good as trading it in for cash.
2: Use them to top up your Amazon gift card balance
What Countries Accept Mastercard
This may split opinions, but if you already shop at Amazon regularly, or if you know that you have planned purchases coming up, you can use your virtual card to top up your Amazon gift card balance.
The great thing about this is that you can accumulate several tiny amounts (that you might have struggled to use in a single transaction) into one big pot, with no fees.
One problem with this is that you may have a £1 authorisation charge made on your card (think of it as a test made by Amazon) and if you’re, say, trying to buy a £5 book with a £5 card, you may find yourself short of funds and unable to use your entire balance anywhere until the transactions are refunded.
3: Use them to buy other gift cards
It may seem as though you’re going around in circles, but consider this: while you may not be able to use a virtual card in a store, many stores accept their own virtual gift cards.
Primark, for example, allows you to send an e-gift card for an odd amount. Let’s say, you’ve got £5.51 on a virtual card and you send an e-gift card for that amount. Once your friend is in store, they want to buy a top for £10, so they can use up the £5.51 on the Primark e-gift card and pay the additional £4.49 in cash.
Stores That Accept Mastercard
Look out for e-gift card retailers that don’t charge fees, though. It’s because of the fees that buying physical gift cards doesn’t make much financial sense. However, if that’s what you want, and are happy to absorb the fees, you can also buy physical gift cards.
Over to you…
Hopefully this gave you some helpful ideas on how to use up all of the cash on your virtual payment card! Leave your own ideas in the comments below.