What is the difference between a Visa Signature and a plain Visa?

[Anonymous]

What really is the difference between a Visa Signature and a plain Visa?  I was looking at the papers I had for the Chase AARP Visa and the card they show is a Visa Signature.  The best we can figure is, I won't get the signature because I was only approved for a $1,300 SL.  The email they sent just says I was approved for a Chase credit card and I would be receiving my new card in 7 to 10 days.  

I didn't realize they had 2 different cards so I was just curious if the Visa I will get will have different terms.  Has anyone received the plain Visa version of the AARP card?

[K-in-Boston]

https://usa.visa.com/pay-with-visa/cards/visa-credit-cards/visa-signature-credit-cards.html

[pipeguy]

This is a common subject for discussion on these forums Visa vs Signature and MasterCard vs MC World vs MC World Elite. In general, the elevated status cards come with additional benefits which most people don't use such as price protection, various captive travel services, cell phone insurance, etc - it varies by issuer and one size does not fit all. 

Perceived status tends to come at a cost usually in the form of an annual fee or a higher APR. Most of my cards are Signature or World/MCWE, but frankly, I have never used a signal "perk-benefit" from any of them. I do have the AARP card with a $15.5k limit and "Signature" logo, its a good basic cash back card, who knows maybe they give extra discounts on bifocals or buy one get one free tickets for the local buffet, no idea - no interest .  

[SweetCreditObsession]

Lol. That's an interesting theory. 😋

[Anonymous]

My Capital One Quicksilver Visa is a Signature card ($10K SL, $16K since I combined a QS MC into it a couple of months back). The main benefit I've derived so far is a little ego-boost on seeing the "Signature" under the Visa logo, but that's not so negligible for someone who's still rebuilding their credit (though, of course, well along into the process by now). I wonder if I could get my Penfed Power Cash Rewards upgraded to a Signature since it's $7K...

[UpperNwGuy]

There is no real difference.  Your Visa card will do everything that the Visa Signature card will do.

[UpperNwGuy]

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@K-in-Boston wrote:

https://usa.visa.com/pay-with-visa/cards/visa-credit-cards/visa-signature-credit-cards.html

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This Visa website is incredibly misleading.  Most of these benefits don't appear on most Visa Signature cards.  Notice how they keep mentioning "your bank."  What they are really saying is that this is a menu of benefits that Visa offers to the bank when the bank wants to create a new Visa credit card.  The bank has to pay Visa for each of the benefits that they select from the menu, so they select very few.  (Also notice that some of the benefits are actually benefits that all credit cards offer.)