Any difference in network besides acceptance

[Anonymous]

I have seen a lot of recent posts asking about carrying a Visa only, Mastercard only, etc.  Most of the discussion appears to focus only on the acceptance of each network as a differentiator.

Is there anything else between the big four networks in the USA (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Amex) that is a significant advantage or disadvantage for a credit card user besides the acceptance of a network or lack thereof?  Are there any unique features one has over another that someone would care about?

Bonus question/thought:  Assuming the answer is no, which I suspect, could or should there be?  Or should we always only care only about the card issuer (Chase, Citi, CapitalOne etc.) and what they do or don't offer?  Could a network one day do something I care about when I use my card?

[Anonymous]

For the average consumer, i believe the only thing that matters is acceptance. There are some network differences like digital wallets(visa checkout, masterpass etc) by i personally don't know if they are relevant enough to sway anyone to a certain network. 

[Anonymous]

I personally focus more on the benefits that the actual bank CC. Sure AMEX and Disco are not as widely accepted as Visa and MC, but they're getting up there.

I guess it depends on preference. I read some articles where the WEMC benefits are not as great or a least as close to the Visa Signature benefits.

If i need to meet a spending, it usually takes me longer using an AMEX and Disco, as some of the bills do not take them. When i traveled to Spain, AMEX was not taken almost everywhere, so i had to pull out my CSP.

If i was given a choice to just pick one, i would pick VISA.

[Schwartzinator]

Well, Discover and AmEx both issue cards as well as handle the network which could be considered a bonus. Visa and MasterCard from what I know, are pretty similar in all but naming in terms of acceptance, tiers and benefits but do occasionally offer special treatment at different establishments. If I had to pick one, I’d likely go with Visa since they support more cards I’m interested in.

[Anonymous]

There is sometimes a difference in exchange rates when outside the US (or, more generally, outside of the country of issue).   M/C is frequently cited as offering the slightly better rates but it varies with region and over time.    But it's a fairly small difference and unless you spend a lot it probably isn't significant enough to drive the choice of network (the card is much more important)

[UpperNwGuy]

A number of members of this forum seemingly want there to be a difference between Visa and MasterCard, and take pride in always having at least one of each in their wallet.  They always push back when the rest of us tell us that there is no appreciable difference.  I am amazed at how many threads appear on this topic.