We think it's important for you to understand how we make money. It's pretty simple, actually. The offers for financial products you see on our platform come from companies who pay us. The money we make helps us give you access to free credit scores and reports and helps us create our other great tools and educational materials.

Compensation may factor into how and where products appear on our platform (and in what order). But since we generally make money when you find an offer you like and get, we try to show you offers we think are a good match for you. That's why we provide features like your Approval Odds and savings estimates.

Boingo provides high-speed Wi-Fi and cellular services to airports, stadiums, military bases, multifamily communities and other public places worldwide. Third-party Credit Cards: Visa®, Mastercard®, Discover®/Novus®, American Express®, credit cards from foreign banks (JCB Japanese Credit Bureau), Diner’s Club International. Debit/ATM and EBT Cards: U.S.-issued debit/ATM cards. Stores will accept Canadian debit/ATM cards with a NYCE® or an Interac® logo paired with Visa® logo. The world's largest digital library. Read unlimited. books and audiobooks. Access millions of documents. Start now with a free trial. Yes, Mastercard is widely accepted in Europe. You’ll be able to use your card in all 50 European countries, at virtually every merchant that takes credit cards. Mastercard enjoys acceptance just about everywhere in the world, as does the Visa network. Aside from merchants who don’t take credit cards, yo. Explore if you dare the 10 most haunted places in Florida to spook your summer vacation and send you running for the hills! Explore haunted hotels, haunted cemeteries, haunted lighthouses, and other haunted places in Florida so far off the map, you might not want to wander off the path to get there!

Of course, the offers on our platform don't represent all financial products out there, but our goal is to show you as many great options as we can.

Credit cards aren’t universally accepted at every merchant, so knowing where your card is accepted before you use it can be helpful.

Why are certain credit cards accepted by some merchants but not others? When it comes down to it, much of it has to do with fees that the merchant must pay to card issuers and/or payment networks.

When a consumer uses a credit card, a merchant pays processing fees for each credit card transaction. This can take a bite out of a merchant’s bottom line. Because of the cost, small businesses may be less likely than a major retailer to pay for the expense of connecting to a network.

In other words, whether a credit card is accepted depends on the merchant and if it wants to pay the fees associated with that card.

In the past, Mastercard and Visa cards had a much higher rate of acceptance than other card networks. But recently, American Express has made huge strides in increasing the number of vendors that accept its cards.

Where are my credit cards accepted?

Warehouse stores

Facing the crowds and shopping at warehouse stores may help you save money and get everything you need in one trip. But before you go to the register with a full cart, understand which cards are accepted and which aren’t.

What credit cards are accepted at Costco stores, Sam’s Club or Walmart?

In addition to the cards listed below, sibling companies Walmart and Sam’s Club each accepts its own closed-loop card, with the added bonus that Sam’s Club also accepts the Walmart credit card. While Costco’s card acceptance is limited, it includes the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi. Here are the other cards accepted by each wholesale store.

Note: Our guide refers to physical stores unless otherwise specified.

Credit cards accepted at wholesale stores*

*In addition to store-specific credit cards

Mobile payments

Making payments and transferring money has never been easier with the rising popularity of online and mobile payments. Though it’s easy to make payments using these platforms, you want to be aware of which credit cards they accept.

What credit cards are accepted by PayPal, Square and Venmo?

Note: Credit card processing fees apply.

Ride-sharing platforms

In today’s sharing economy, ride-sharing platforms like Uber and Lyft have become household names. With the power of your smartphone, you can get a car to come to you within minutes to take you to your destination.

The great thing about these apps is that you sync your credit card information within the app, so there’s no need to pull out your card with each ride. But which credit cards do these platforms take?

What credit cards are accepted by Uber and Lyft?

Grocery stores

Grocery shopping can be a big part of your budget, so it’s important to know if your favorite stores accept your credit card. Read on to learn more about which credit cards are accepted at grocery stores and grocery delivery services.

What credit cards are accepted by Trader Joe’s, Aldi, Whole Foods, Instacart and Amazon Fresh?

Places That Accept Virtual Mastercard

Worldwide travel

Traveling abroad can be a great way to see the world and experience a new culture. But when you’re traveling outside the U.S., the last thing you want is a credit card that’s not accepted. You want to be able to relax and enjoy yourself without the stress of looking for another payment option.

The good news is that Visa and Mastercard are generally widely accepted abroad. The bad news is that Discover cards and American Express cards aren’t as widely accepted. Also, in some places cash is still king. It’s important to note that the same rules apply abroad as in the U.S., namely that whether a card will be accepted depends on the individual merchant. Even in Canada, where most types of cards are generally accepted, some merchants still stick with cash only.

Bottom line

As a consumer, you have many different types of credit cards at your disposal. The problem is not all merchants will accept all credit cards.

Before making a big purchase or planning your next dream getaway, do some research on which credit cards are more likely to be accepted and which ones aren’t. And it might be a good idea to have a second form of payment on hand, just in case.

Related Articles

So you’ve received a virtual credit card, either as a gift or as a cashback reward, or maybe as payment for completing surveys. That’s great, but how do you use it all up when you’ve got an odd amount on there, or a tiny amount left over?

Here’s what we do.

What is a virtual Mastercard / virtual Visa card / virtual American Express card, anyway?

A virtual card is exactly what it sounds like – a payment card issued by a major payment processing company like Mastercard, American Express or Visa. The have the same features, such as the long card number, expiration date and CVV number.

What they don’t have, of course, is a physical card that you can put into a card machine.

You might get a virtual card from completing surveys, or, as I have, from getting my TopCashback payments made that way.

The good thing about virtual cards…

They’re actual, real money! Getting a virtual Visa or Mastercard is the same as getting real money that you can spend anywhere.

You’re not tied in to shopping at any particular store, as you would be with a store gift card.

The problem with virtual cards…

Without a plastic card to wield, you can’t just turn up at the shops and start spending. That means you’re restricted to shopping online.

Besides that, you may have an odd amount on your card, and it might be less than the item you want to buy – what then? Online merchants won’t let you split transactions like you can often do in shops.

Or what if you’re left with a few pence after making a purchase online – is that lost for good?

Sending money via PayPal from one of these cards incurs a charge, so that’s no good for saving money. Does that mean it’s a lost cause? Of course not!

Here’s how I’ve made the most out of virtual payment cards myself.

Tips to use up virtual payment cards:

1: Use them to pay your utility bills and council tax

You can usually pay down a small, odd amount on your utility bills and council tax online using a credit or debit card, even if you have a direct debit in place!

Our water bill is paid by direct debit, for example, but I am still able to make payments with a card to chip away at it. The annual amount due will be adjusted to take my card payments into account.

Our council tax doesn’t give us any financial incentive for paying by direct debit, so we use a card for that. We can make tiny top-up payments with any virtual cards we get and round out the rest on our regular card.

Who Does Not Accept Mastercard

By using the virtual cards in this way, nothing is wasted and it all goes to essential services. The money on the card spares you using the money in your bank account, so it’s as good as trading it in for cash.

Stores That Accept Mastercard

2: Use them to top up your Amazon gift card balance

This may split opinions, but if you already shop at Amazon regularly, or if you know that you have planned purchases coming up, you can use your virtual card to top up your Amazon gift card balance.

The great thing about this is that you can accumulate several tiny amounts (that you might have struggled to use in a single transaction) into one big pot, with no fees.

Where Is Mastercard Not Accepted

One problem with this is that you may have a £1 authorisation charge made on your card (think of it as a test made by Amazon) and if you’re, say, trying to buy a £5 book with a £5 card, you may find yourself short of funds and unable to use your entire balance anywhere until the transactions are refunded.

3: Use them to buy other gift cards

Places That Only Accept Mastercard

It may seem as though you’re going around in circles, but consider this: while you may not be able to use a virtual card in a store, many stores accept their own virtual gift cards.

Primark, for example, allows you to send an e-gift card for an odd amount. Let’s say, you’ve got £5.51 on a virtual card and you send an e-gift card for that amount. Once your friend is in store, they want to buy a top for £10, so they can use up the £5.51 on the Primark e-gift card and pay the additional £4.49 in cash.

Places That Accept Mastercard

Look out for e-gift card retailers that don’t charge fees, though. It’s because of the fees that buying physical gift cards doesn’t make much financial sense. However, if that’s what you want, and are happy to absorb the fees, you can also buy physical gift cards.

Over to you…

Who Doesn't Accept Mastercard

Hopefully this gave you some helpful ideas on how to use up all of the cash on your virtual payment card! Leave your own ideas in the comments below.