"Necessity" of carrying a MasterCard?

[kdm31091]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@EAJuggalo wrote:

I've run into a couple times where there were some tangible benefit to having a MC with you.  I was at the MLB All-Star FanFest a few years ago and there was a seperate, shorter line for a couple experiences if you were a MC cardholder.  I seem to recall a stadium or major event that only took MC at the concession stands.

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But then there also things where you have an advantage if you have a Bank X card (e.g. Capital One at Capital One cafes) so should I attempt to carry cards from all major banks (and as many minor ones as I can)?  The question really is the potentional cost/benefit of getting/carrying another card for these (IMO exceedingly rare) situtation.

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Agreed. You can find examples of rare situations where only a certain network or bank would give you a benefit, but these aren't things that come up very often, so is it worth holding the card? I don't like keeping accounts around for a possible small benefit once in a great while but others are fine to SD the cards and just use them when it's beneficial. It's all preference. I just think these situations are so rare that it isn't worth caring about. YMMV

[SouthJamaica]

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@Anonymous wrote:

When I first started reading up on these forums, I'd notice some people that seemed to believe religiously that it was important to keep all 4 major issuers (VISA/MC/AMEX/DISCO) in the wallet.

I'm currently sorting out my wallet/cards in general, and am pretty torn on whether or not I should keep my Citi DC simply due to the fact that it's a MasterCard. I don't have any no FTF MCs, and that's fine if I get an "effective" 1% FTF while using this card should I ever need to use a MC.

However, that's where my question comes into play. For those of you that travel out of the country (heck, anybody honestly), have you ever gone somewhere that you can recall within recent 5-10 years that ONLY accepted MC, but not VISA? 

I ask this because, of my 8 card slots (2 of which are debit, so 6 available for CC) I'd have 5 VISA CCs and 1 Disco CC, along with 2 more VISA Debits. 

So, cumulatively I'd have 7 VISA and 1 Disco.... just due to the cards that I happen to be feeling more "attracted to" happen to be VISA branded. 

I'm torn on whether I should swap one out to carry the CITI DC MC, just to have a MasterCard for "worst case scenarios", but wasn't sure how common, if ever, that may become an issue.... 

FWIW, there'd be 4 different CC issuers (3 different issuers within VISA, and of course the 4th issuer would be Disco just because). So, they wouldn't all be blocked due to any unexpected fraudulent flags at the same time, I wouldn't think... just basically thinking on whether or not there'd ever be a time that I'd wish I had an MC in my wallet...

Again, this may be over-dramatic/overthinking, but figured it didn't hurt to ask for peace of mind even though I'm fairly certain I'm just being paranoid haha.

Sorry for the long-winded post, any insight others have would be much appreciated.

Short version: Have you ever been somewhere that did not accept VISA/DISCO/AMEX, and ONLY accepted MasterCard?

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Since the Citi DC has no annual fee and is a decent card, you should hang on to it. There are occasions when a Mastercard is accepted but not Visa.

[coldfusion]

Historically the only real tangible benefit of whether to carry MC vs Visa with regard to foreign travel has been that the MC tends to be a bit less aggressive with foreign currency conversion costs than Visa.  There's the odd exception but in general I wouldn't be too concerned about whether the card uses the MC or Visa network, it's more important to carry a card with 0 FSF and whenever feasible pay directly in the local currency instead of allowing the vendor to themselves perform a conversion and present you a bill in USD.

Don't hang any hopes on getting a lot of use with a Discover card outside the US unless you're traveling to a vacation/resort type destination that caters to US tourists because the acceptance rate is usually very low.  IME Amex is hit-or-miss, especially for non-business travel. 

[Anonymous]

To be honest, the likelihood of NEEDING a MC versus Visa are very slight, unless you go to Costco in Canada.

However, having said that, since you are already carrying several Visas, why not take the least rewarding Visa out of your wallet, and put in the Citi DC. It certainly has something to offer at 2% cash back. Then you're covered for that one in a zillion freak chance that MC is the only card accepted, and you are no worse off than if you carried that extra Visa. 

I also have issues with what you are going through. I have a Saddleback Leather small bifold wallet, and it seems that I only have room for two credit cards, along with DL, Health Insurance, and Library cards. So I carry Quicksilver MC and AMEX BCP. I would much prefer to carry my Chase Freedom Visa along with the Quicksilver MC (pretty much the same reasoning as yours), but the 6% on BCP for groceries is too sweet to sockdrawer the card.

Maybe if AMEX BCP raises the $95 or cuts the $6000 spending cap, or some other game . . . then I will do it.

Good luck. 

Be happy !!!

[UpperNwGuy]

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@SouthJamaica wrote:

There are occasions when a Mastercard is accepted but not Visa.

What are some examples?

[SouthJamaica]

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@UpperNwGuy wrote:

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@SouthJamaica wrote:

There are occasions when a Mastercard is accepted but not Visa.

What are some examples?

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Several utility companies and governmental entities I've dealt with accept Mastercard, but not Visa.

I'm not much of a traveler but I've heard that sometimes while traveling abroad a Mastercard will be acceptable but not a Visa.

[Anonymous]

I survived 6 years only having a visa bank card. If a place accepted credit cards it took visa. If someplace said they only accepted MasterCard I think they would lose a lot of business. When traveling on business I used corporate Amex and found all places that cater to business travelers accept Amex.

I have never seen a need for a Discover card. And I don't shop at places that require a fee to shop there so never shop at Costco or Sam's Club.

[UpperNwGuy]

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@SouthJamaica wrote:

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@UpperNwGuy wrote:

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@SouthJamaica wrote:

There are occasions when a Mastercard is accepted but not Visa.

What are some examples?

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Several utility companies and governmental entities I've dealt with accept Mastercard, but not Visa.

I'm not much of a traveler but I've heard that sometimes while traveling abroad a Mastercard will be acceptable but not a Visa.

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We're already on page 3 of this thread, and nobody has yet been able to identify a place abroad that takes MasterCard but not Visa.  This is a longstanding rumor that appears not to be true.  Perhaps 20 years ago it might have been true, but no longer.

Which utility company?  Which governmental entity?  Were they within the last ten years?

[iheartwings]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Short version: Have you ever been somewhere that did not accept VISA/DISCO/AMEX, and ONLY accepted MasterCard?

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 I recognize that I am entering this conversation a little late.

I have not really experienced a situation where a business only accepted MasterCard. However, with regard to foreign travel,  the exchange rate is not only dependent on the market, but it is also dependent on which credit card exchange you choose to use. Typically, you’ll come out ahead using MC over Visa.  This is a very small percentage difference (way less than 1%) , and therefore, you should not use your MasterCard with an effective 1% FTF over your no FTF Visa card (when given the choice).

[xXIDaShizIXx]

I pay my rent and (when I had a payment) paid for my furniture with a mastercard. Some places will only take mastercard or visa. I think having one of each cannot hurt. You will often run into issues with Discover and Mastercard, especially in smaller locations.