Thread: Mastercard banned in Israel?

Heard from two people now that many places in Canada don't accept Visa but they do accept Mastercard. I also heard that countries like Israel only accept Mastercard and do not take Visa at all. Are the governments these countries giving preference to one card company over another? I haven't traveled much internationally so I wouldn't know. Just going on what I've been told.

Don't think it's the governments making these decision, both Canada and Israel are capitalistic countries.

I know that this thread is several months old, but as a Canadian currently living in Israel, I thought that I could shed some light on the subject.

The speculation presented is completely false. Every merchant in Canada that accepts major credit cards takes Visa and Mastercard (and most American Express)... from gas stations to grocery stores to retail stores to restaurants to hotels and everything in between. I've lived in Canada my whole life (short of the last two years) and have never been anywhere that accepts ONLY Visa or ONLY Mastercard. Some banks in Canada offer only Visa, some only Mastercard, but most offer both.

As for Visa being banned in Israel, nothing could be farther from the truth. Both are accepted everywhere, and most banks offer both. However, most cards issued in Israel are Visas. For some reason, the banks have made Mastercard into some sort of exclusive privilege. Low-limit cards, student cards, local cards (the most predominant credit cards issued in Israel, they are cards that can't be used outside of the country), are all Visas. Mastercards are issued as International cards (in Israel, a credit card that can be used internationally is considered a luxury for businesses and people with high steady flow of income in their account), although they do issue international visas as well (although not as common).

Hope this clears up any questions!

It's kind of like American Express in Canada. No one has banned them but they haven't caught on yet like the big boys have!