topic Re: USAA changing to Visa in Credit Cards

USAA changing to Visa

Anonymous — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 13:41:44 GMT

Received email that in 2016 USAA is converting all of their MasterCard credit and debit cards to Visa. No biggie to me but I know some others love their Mastercards. Email does say that all of their card will be FTF free.

Re: USAA changing to Visa

Anonymous — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 13:46:18 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Received email that in 2016 USAA is converting all of their MasterCard credit and debit cards to Visa. No biggie to me but I know some others love their Mastercards. Email does say that all of their card will be FTF free.

Time to send the messenger home (Irish80). Thanks ... I don't need another Visa! ;(

Re: USAA changing to Visa

Anonymous — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 13:56:23 GMT

This is crazy. First, my best buy card switched from mastercard to visa, now this. This was the last of my mastercards . I guess im not meant to carry a mastercard.

Makes my amex card a little more valuable now that I can use it at sams club. Before they accepted amex I had to use mastercard. I wonder if sams changed the policy to accept visa now?

I like mastercard and visa equally as long I can use what I have at the places I got to im happy.

Re: USAA changing to Visa

UncleB — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 18:15:14 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Received email that in 2016 USAA is converting all of their MasterCard credit and debit cards to Visa. No biggie to me but I know some others love their Mastercards. Email does say that all of their card will be FTF free.

Wow... this is unexpected.

If anything, I always figured it would be the other way around. My USAA Visa card shows up as a MasterCard account on my credit reports (they replace the first six digits of my account number with the BIN of a USAA MasterCard on all three reports, with the rest of the number being accurate). I always thought this was a 'hint' that someday they would switch my card to MasterCard, but I guess that's out the window!

I'm still waiting for my email notification, but there's already comments about the transition on the USAA website. I guess if nothing else at least they're removing the FTF fee; that has been a long-time complaint of many folks.

Re: USAA changing to Visa

Anonymous — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 18:18:29 GMT

I guess I'll have to app for another Mastercard next year.

Re: USAA changing to Visa

Anonymous — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 19:40:27 GMT

I only got my first Mastcard last year: DC and SM. I don't think I'd particularly care if they became Visas.

Re: USAA changing to Visa

pizza1 — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 01:45:29 GMT

what a surprise...another Visa! LOL..Doesnt affect me now, because I can't have them back for 5 1/2 yrs anyway. LOL

Re: USAA changing to Visa

creditguy — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 01:55:23 GMT

It seems all their MasterCards already have a Visa equivalent anyway so it's not like anything really changes except the network logo. I have a USAA Amex so it doesn't affect me, but I could care less if the logo changes as long as everything else remains the same. is there any advantage to your card saying MC instead of Visa?

Re: USAA changing to Visa

UncleB — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 02:08:32 GMT

@creditguy wrote:
It seems all theirMasterCards already have a Visa equivalent anyway so it's not like anything really changes except the network logo. I have aUSAAAmex so it doesn't affect me, but I could care less if the logo changes as long as everything else remains the same. is there any advantage to your card saying MC instead of Visa?

I agree. The only exception is their 'Preferred Cash Rewards' MasterCard (1.5% cash back) that only comes as a MasterCard.

Other than this, I think all their other MasterCards already have a Visa equivalent.

It does make one wonder, though, just how the 'deals' are made with MasterCard and Visa anyway. For a bank (any bank) to change over existing card holders there must be a lucrative financial incentive... especially since all USAA debit cards are currently MasterCard, meaning everyone with a checking account will be getting a new card.

As long as it works when I swipe/insert, I really don't care too much either way, though.

Re: USAA changing to Visa

MASTERNC — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 02:22:11 GMT

No e-mail yet and I can't find anything on the website.

I did see they are converting all their Mastercards to World MC. Hopefully mine stays as is through next April since I have one of the original PIN priority chip cards.

Re: USAA changing to Visa

Gmood1 — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 03:18:21 GMT

@creditguy wrote:
It seems all their MasterCards already have a Visa equivalent anyway so it's not like anything really changes except the network logo. I have a USAA Amex so it doesn't affect me, but I could care less if the logo changes as long as everything else remains the same. is there any advantage to your card saying MC instead of Visa?

It did make a difference today in a Sam's Club. Their system wouldn't accept my Venture Visa Signature card. I had to use a Mastercard, Amex or standard Visa to check out..ridiculous! It wasn't until October they would take Amex. It makes sense to have a selection of cards as some of these stores find a way not to accept all CC's. I just don't get it.

Re: USAA changing to Visa

creditguy — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 03:40:29 GMT

Your saying SAMs won't accept a visa signature but would accept a standard visa? I was under the impression Sam's does not accept visa regardless of what class it's in. I get having a selection of cards but with the exception of SAMs and Costco it's rare to find a store that takes only visa and not MC and vice versa. I

Re: USAA changing to Visa

Gmood1 — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 03:44:23 GMT

@creditguy wrote:
Your saying SAMs won't accept a visa signature but would accept a standard visa? I was under the impression accepts no visa regardless of what class it's in. I get having a selection of cards but with the exception of SAMs and Costco it's rare to find a store that takes only visa and not MC and vice versa. I

You may be correct about that credit guy. The cashier was rattling off all the cards they would accept. She may have threw that one in by mistake. lol

I don't frequent Sam's often. My GF dragged me in there today. I knew they didn't accept Amex until recently. I was shocked about Visa/signature though.

Re: USAA changing to Visa

creditguy — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 03:49:38 GMT

Good old cashiers they are usually such a wealth of knowledge, ha ha. I shop there here and there and have every card they take so I'm not really paying attention myself. but I think it's ridiculous to limit people's payment method, seems kinda juvenile, But hey if they want to limit themselves and alienate people, be my guest.

Re: USAA changing to Visa

UncleB — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 04:06:41 GMT

@creditguy wrote:
Good old cashiers they are usually such a wealth of knowledge, ha ha. I shop there here and there and have every card they take so I'm not really paying attention myself. but I think it's ridiculous to limit people's payment method, seems kinda juvenile, But hey if they want to limit themselves and alienate people, be my guest.

I'll say this about cashiers... they are either fantastic, and really know their stuff, or pretty much the opposite; there's not much in-between.

Sam's Club will take pretty much everything in-store (including Wal-Mart PLCC) other than Visa credit... they will take Visa debit if you use your PIN. Online they take everything (including Visa credit) but they won't take Wal-Mart credit. It's a bit confusing for the casual shopper, because it's not consistent across sales channels.

It could be just me, but it seems like many banks (at least the ones local to me) seem to market their Visa products more than their MasterCard products, if they offer MasterCard at all.

Even NFCU (who I'm 'flirting' with at the moment) has several Visa offerings, but only a single MasterCard offering. I don't know if MasterCard is becoming passé, or if they just aren't as competative as Visa anymore.

Re: USAA changing to Visa

creditguy — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 04:30:28 GMT

I think the problem with cashiers I've had depends on the store, but yeah just like CC CSR's they are hit and miss. Can't believe SAMs doesn't accept Wal-Mart credit online, geez.

You are right though I have noticed a lot more Visa offerings, I know they are the largest but MC is no small fry, somethings up. But hey it spends the same. I did notice that one MC at NFCU as well when my DW applied and it looked like a red headed step child and is nothing special. On a side note I would say if your flirting with NFCU get on with it and just propose, they are awesome and very generous, no regrets here.

Re: USAA changing to Visa

Anonymous — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 05:39:59 GMT

Thanks for the update

Re: USAA changing to Visa

takeshi74 — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 13:28:20 GMT

@UncleB wrote:
I guess if nothing else at least they're removing the FTF fee; that has been a long-time complaint of many folks.

They had a foreign transaction fee fee? That would be terrible.

@creditguy wrote:
It seems all their MasterCards already have a Visa equivalent anyway so it's not like anything really changes except the network logo. I have a USAA Amex so it doesn't affect me, but I could care less if the logo changes as long as everything else remains the same. is there any advantage to your card saying MC instead of Visa?

While I'm picking nits -- could or couldn't?

The payment network matters if acceptance is an issue at a retailer that one uses. I've never run into any retailer that only accepted MasterCard but that doesn't mean that they do not exist.

Re: USAA changing to Visa

Anonymous — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 14:58:57 GMT

Side note: their Amex remains. Praise Odin! No emails.

Re: USAA changing to Visa

MASTERNC — Wed, 21 Oct 2015 15:36:51 GMT

Now it's official - they just posted a website on the change (complete with FAQs):

https://www.usaa.com/inet/pages/bk_CC_conversion_landing_mkt?adID=VURL_VISA&akredirect=true