There are many aspects to consider when determining what credit cards to accept on your website. Do consumers prefer one type of credit card to another? Will you save money on credit card processing fees by only accepting one brand? For US-based businesses, Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted in stores. However, here are a few statistics that will show you which of the two are most popular.
| Visa | MasterCard | |
|---|---|---|
| # of U.S. Issued Credit Cards | 269 Million (As of Sept. 2011) | 176 Million (For year 2011-2012) |
| # of U.S. Issued Debit Cards | 389 Million (As of Sept. 2011) | 129 Million (For year 2011-2012) |
| Size of Company | $98 Billion (As of Dec. 2012) | $59 Billion (As of Dec. 2012) |
| # of Accepting Countries | 170 | 210 |
| # of Accepting Merchants | 30 Million | 28 Million |
Source: http://creditcardforum.com/blog/visa-vs-mastercard/
Visa and MasterCard Merchant Accounts with Instabill
As the most popular and more important payment network, Visa processes 80% of all credit card transactions. However, MasterCard reaches more countries worldwide. Although Visa credit card processing services are much easier to find than MasterCard credit card processing services, Instabill can help businesses establish merchant accounts for both brands—oftentimes at the same acquiring bank.
A MasterCard merchant account may be slightly more difficult to find, but it will not cost you more in fees than a Visa merchant account will. Even if you process both Visa and MasterCard transactions through the same merchant account, your Instabill merchant account fees will remain the same.
Here at Instabill, we understand that a Visa only merchant account may be a deal breaker for you. After all, you would miss nearly 20% of your potential sales. However, if your Instabill account manager can help you establish a Visa merchant account, then that credit card processing history will greatly increase your chances of getting an approval for a MasterCard merchant account once we find an acquiring bank that can provide one to you.
What about American Express, Discover, and UnionPay?
It is safe to say that you have a higher sales volume when you accept a larger variety of credit cards. Instabill works with trusted acquiring banks that provide solutions for many networks. We provide credit card processing solutions to qualifying merchants for the credit card brands listed below.
- Visa
- Visa Electron
- American Express
- MasterCard
- Maestro
- China UnionPay
- Diners Club
- Discover
- JCB International
Instabill Merchant Account Services
If you would like to apply for a Visa or MasterCard merchant account with Instabill, call 1-800-318-2713 or contact us online today. Our expert merchant account managers will match you with the best acquiring bank that fits all of your credit card processing needs.
