Tag Archives: brand
Visa or MasterCard: Which Credit Card Should You Apply For? (Page 1 of 2)
Should you get Visa or MasterCard? Is one of them better than the other? Will one of them help your credit rating more than the other? Many people ask themselves these types of questions when they think about getting their first credit card or additional ones. The fact is, few differences exist between the two credit card brands today, but you can benefit by having a better understanding of the two companies and using their competition to your advantage.
Just Who Are Visa and MasterCard
First, you should know that neither Visa nor MasterCard actually issue credit cards themselves. Neither company deals with consumers or merchants directly. Instead, they create and run the worldwide computer networks that process the billions of transactions that occur each day from people who use their credit cards at millions of merchants and ATMs. Both companies make their money from financial institutions to whom they license the ability to market the MasterCard or Visa system to consumers and merchants.
MasterCard and Visa have been fierce competitors for years, each vying to be faster and more global than the other, just like Hertz and Avis, and McDonalds and Burger King. Each time one brand creates a new twist on their credit cards, the other soon follows to match it. Both companies now offer nearly identical benefits, such as travel insurance, car rental insurance, product warranty extensions, and so on.
Furthermore, both cards are accepted worldwide by nearly the same number of merchants. MasterCard says its cards can be used at more than 23 million locations around the globe, including 1 million ATMs and other locations where cash can be obtained. Visa says its cards are accepted at more than twenty million locations in more than 150 countries.
In general, most merchants throughout the world accept both cards, or if a merchant takes only one of the brands, another merchant down the block takes the other. The point is, your chances of being locked out of eating or buying a gift or getting a hotel room because you have only one brand of credit card are usually minimal — other than at a few noted events where one card or the other may have negotiated to be the sole credit card to be accepted. But such instances are far and few between.
Which Card is Right for You?
Given the above, is one card better or more right for you? The best answer depends on whether its your first, second, or additional card, as follows:
If Youre Applying for Your FIRST Credit Card
In this situation, you can make a choice based simply on selecting which issuing bank you prefer to work with, or which promotional offer you like the most, without regard to the brand on the card. Perhaps you like Chase or Citibank or HSBC, or perhaps you like the 0% APR with no-annual-fee offer you found online. It’s six of one, a half-dozen of the other.
If Youre Applying for Your SECOND Card
In this situation, it is strategically smart to select the opposite brand card from your first card AND to choose a different issuing bank. The rationale for this is that when you have two different cards, you will find that the two banks will compete for your business (assuming you maintain good credit). You will get offers for 0% balance transfers, higher credit limits, and other perks as the two banks vie for your increased use of their card. And just in case you find a merchant who only takes one brand of card, you can now be assured of having all your bases covered.
Apply for Gas Credit Cards and Cut your Gasoline Expenses
Buying gas is getting more expensive, but you can find gas cards for most gas stations where you will earn a rebate on every gas purchase. Oil companies typically have a link to the gas card application on their website or you can pick up a credit card application at a lot of the gas stations.
Major credit card providers also offer a gas card of their own and the advantage of submitting an application for one of those cards is that cash back is being earned at any gas station around the country, which ensures you are getting the lowest price instead of selecting a specific brand of gas that may carry a higher price tag. An example of a gas card not limited to a specific brand is the Discover Open Road credit card that gives you 5% cash back on all gasoline purchases and even includes auto maintenance purchases, but only up to a combined total of $100 per month.
If your goal is to apply for gas cards that will save you the most amount of money you should not only read the terms and conditions for each card, but also carefully evaluate how much gas you expect to use every month. Let’s say you normally spend around $80 on gas on a monthly basis. The best solution in this case is to always have the Discover Open Road card in your wallet, because you always earn 5% and you can pick and choose between any gas station. The oil companies normally do not have restrictions and you could elevate the savings significantly if your usage ends up costing you more than $100 per month, but remember that the oil company needs to have a good coverage of gas stations or you could end up spending more money driving around finding a place to fill up your vehicle.
Paying the credit card bill in full each month is vital, because gas cards can be associated with higher interest rates than regular cards to make up for the generous rebate, which also means that it will end up costing you more if you are subject to finance charges due to the fact that you carry a balance.
The intention of having a gas card is to cut down on gas expenses and if used correctly this is precisely what you will end up doing, but remember to never pay late or exceed the credit line otherwise you will end up giving the credit card company all the savings you gained from the card in the first place.