You’ve probably noticed that online retailers usually require a credit card or PayPal account in order to purchase their products. Some of them don’t even offer PayPal – it’s all about the credit cards.
This can be frustrating for many, and there are plenty of reasons why shoppers don’t have a credit card or prefer to shop without one. Luckily, Visa and Mastercard came up with a solution: branded debit cards. Now all you have to do is choose one.
And that’s not as easy as it might seem. The biggest difference between Visa Debit vs. Mastercard Debit involves their partnering merchants and retailers.
Keep reading for more info on these Visa and Mastercard Debit online shopping partners:
Mastercard Debit card vs. Visa Debit card for Retail
Both cards offer plenty of retail options, many of which are exclusive to each card.
Overall, Visa Debit offers more exclusive retail stores, coming in at 34 vs. Mastercard’s 27.
But “retail” is quite a broad term. Let’s take a closer look at how each stacks up in more specific categories:
Sports
If you love playing sports or other types of outdoor recreation, then Mastercard Debit is your better bet. It’s accepted at 6 major sports retailers that Visa isn’t:
| Visa Debit | Mastercard Debit |
|---|---|
| Mountain Equipment Co-op | Adidas |
| LA Fitness | Atmosphere |
| Hockey Hall of Fame | Columbia |
| TaylorMade Golf | |
| Sport Chek | |
| Running Room |
While Mastercard Debit is accepted at these 6 retailers that supply sports and outdoor lifestyle equipment, Visa falls far behind. You can only use your Visa Debit card at 1 exclusive outdoor recreation retailer: Mountain Equipment Co-op.
That’s not all it has, however. Visa is accepted at the Hockey Hall of Fame, so if your passion for sports leans towards hockey, you’ll be able to pay for this attraction with your Visa Debit.
WINNER: Mastercard Debit
Clothes
Visa wins when it comes to having more exclusive clothing merchants, snagging 11 versus Mastercard’s 3.
If you include more accessory-focused stores – those that sell shoes and bags, for example – their numbers go up to 14 and 8, respectively.
Whatever the case, the benefits of acceptance heavily depend on where you like to do your shopping, so here’s a list of the clothing stores exclusive to each:
| Visa Debit | Mastercard Debit |
|---|---|
| American Apparel | Foot Locker |
| Aritzia | Heys |
| Banana Republic | Mark’s |
| Bench | Mary Kay Cosmetics |
| Beyond the Rack | Michael Kors |
| Ecco Shoes | Orange Fashion Village |
| European Jewellers | Silver Icing |
| Joe Fresh | Thirty-One Gifts |
| La Vie En Rose | Mastercard |
| La Senza | |
| Oakley | |
| Old Navy | |
| The Gap | |
| Zara |
Though it depends where you want to shop, the variety of merchants that accept Visa Debit over Mastercard still makes it the winner.
WINNER: Visa Debit
Electronics
If you’re big on buying electronics online, Visa Debit could really help you out. It’s accepted at 11 major electronics stores that Mastercard doesn’t partner with. On the other hand, Mastercard Debit has only 5 exclusive partnerships.
The list of each company’s exclusive electronics retailers – including some that don’t deal exclusively with electronics but do sell significant amounts of them – is as follows:
| Visa Debit | Mastercard Debit |
|---|---|
| Henry’s | Canadian Tire |
| HMV | Costco |
| Kobo | Dell Canada |
| Lenovo | EasyHome |
| Leon’s | Grand and Toy |
| NewEgg | |
| Sony | |
| Staples | |
| The Brick | |
| The Source | |
| Tiger Direct |
WINNER: Visa Debit
Office
Both Visa Debit and Mastercard Debit are accepted at 1 office supplies store each: Staples for Visa and Grand & Toy for Mastercard. The winner of this category depends entirely on which store you prefer.
Staples is the more household name in office supply stores, but Grand & Toy is generally more e-commerce focused, so it could be beneficial to have the ability to buy online there.
WINNER: Tie
Big box
The term “big box store” can mean many things, but we define it here as a well-known retail chain with multiple locations selling a variety of items in several departments or categories.
Mastercard Debit comes in 1st place here, but only by a small margin. It has 1 more online partner than Visa Debit.
| Visa Debit | Mastercard Debit |
|---|---|
| Leon’s | Canadian Tire |
| Staples | Costco |
| The Brick | Ikea |
| The Source | Lowes |
| Toys “R” Us | Sport Chek |
| Walmart |
We didn’t add it to the table, but Mastercard Debit also partners with Cadillac Fairview Malls, allowing you to buy mall gift cards online. These could be used at several different big box-type retailers.
WINNER: Mastercard Debit
Health stores
Again, Mastercard Debit reigns in this category, being accepted at both Healthy Planet and Well.ca. Visa Debit isn’t exclusively accepted at any health-focused retailer, although it does partner with LA Fitness.
WINNER: Mastercard Debit
OVERALL Retail Winner: Tie
Car rentals, taxis, rideshares, and transit with Mastercard Debit vs. Visa
Both cards partner with Expedia, but if you’re the kind of person that uses car services a lot, the Mastercard Debit will be able to help you out with some of the biggest names out there.
Not only is it accepted by both Uber and Lyft, but you can also use it on 2 region-specific services: TappCar in Alberta and Yellow London Taxi in London.
Visa Debit is only exclusively accepted at Zip Car, a lesser known service that allows you to rent cars for as little as 1 hour and up to 7 days.
Winner: Mastercard Debit
Using a Mastercard Debit card vs. Visa Debit card for Parking
Both cards are accepted for app-based parking services, so the winner in this category again depends on your personal preference.
Mastercard Debit is accepted by Honk Mobile, an app that covers nearly 100 cities in 8 provinces and 7 states, plus you can use it on 24 campuses.
Visa Debit’s exclusive parking service is Impark with parking spaces available in 14 Canadian cities across 7 provinces, as well as 11 U.S. cities.
If you’re interested in paying online with your debit card for either of these services, check out how many spots are available near you on their websites to make a better decision if one or the other is better for you.
Winner: Tie
Insurance Partners for Visa and Mastercard Debit
This is another category that has a clear winner, simply because there are many more options: Visa Debit is accepted by 6 insurance companies, whereas Mastercard is accepted at 3.
Here’s a comparison of Visa Debit vs. Mastercard Debit insurance partners:
| Visa Debit | Mastercard Debit |
|---|---|
| Manitoba Public Insurance | Aviva insurance |
| Manulife | Nuera Insurance |
| RBC Insurance | Wawanesa Insurance |
| Royal Sun Alliance | |
| State Farm Insurance | |
| TD Insurance |
WINNER: Visa Debit
Which charities partner with Visa Debit vs. Mastercard Debit
If you like to donate to online charities, Visa Debit is accepted by 5 charity organizations.
These organizations are as follows:
- CanadaHelps.org,
- Heart and Stroke Foundation,
- Hospital for Sick Children,
- World Vision, and
- World Wildlife Foundation.
Mastercard Debit, on the other hand, is only accepted by Cystic Fibrosis Canada. If you are particularly passionate about supporting CF, however, this may be a pro rather than a con for Mastercard.
Despite this possibility, Visa Debit wins this category simply based on its flexibility, once again.
WINNER: Visa Debit
Mastercard and Visa Debit food options
With the process of food service being steadily digitized, it would definitely be a big help to have a debit card that could handle online food purchases.
Mastercard Debit is accepted by 13 food merchants, including restaurants, major food delivery services, and grocery retailers. In comparison, Visa Debit is only accepted by 5.
This list deserves a closer look, however, because what’s offered is quite varied.
Delivery
Mastercard is accepted by 5 delivery companies:
- Chefs Plate,
- DoorDash,
- SkipTheDishes
- Foodora, and
- Lazymeal.
Visa is only accepted by Just Eat.
I think the choice for the winner is clear…
WINNER: Mastercard Debit
Coffee shops
But don’t think Visa Debit is out of the game for food services just yet!
It’s accepted by both Tim Hortons and Starbucks. Mastercard is not exclusively accepted by any coffee shop.
WINNER: Visa Debit
Other
Both cards offer food services that aren’t exactly delivery nor a coffee shop.
Mastercard has partnerships with these merchants:
- The Beer Store (sells alcohol),
- Chefs Plate (a meal subscription service),
- Costco (grocery items, usually in bulk),
- Domino’s (pizza restaurant),
- Save on Foods (grocery retailer),
- Pizza Nova (pizza restaurant),
- Pizza Pizza (pizza restaurant),
- Walmart (grocery retailer), and
- Ritual (app for ordering ahead at restaurants).
Meanwhile, Visa Debit is accepted at Swiss Chalet and that’s it.
WINNER: Mastercard Debit
OVERALL Food Winner: Mastercard Debit
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$25 GeniusCash + Delicious meal choices with fresh ingredients + Front-door delivery.Gambling with a debit card Mastercard vs. Visa
If you like to gamble online, Mastercard Debit will serve you well. It’s accepted by 5 gambling organizations:
- Atlantic Lotto Corporation,
- Espacejeux,
- Playnow.com,
- Horseplayer Interactive/Woodbine Entertainment, and
- OLG.
Visa Debit is not exclusively accepted by any gambling services.
WINNER: Mastercard Debit
Mastercard Debit vs. Visa Debit: news partners
If you’re interested in subscribing to a news source, both cards are exclusively accepted at 1 news company each, Toronto Star for Mastercard and The Globe and Mail for Visa.
The Globe and Mail is more, well, global, so if you don’t live in Toronto or are looking for broader, more international content, then consider the Visa Debit.
WINNER: Visa Debit
Financial services with Visa and Debit Mastercards
Mastercard Debit is accepted by Payment Source Inc., Remitly, and World Remit Inc., all of which offer alternative payment transfer services.
Western Union is a service for transferring money across the globe and has become a household name over its 170 years in business. They partner exclusively with Visa Debit.
Although Visa Debit used to be the exclusive debit partner of PayPal, things have changed and Mastercard Debit is also available.
WINNER: Visa Debit
Travel with Visa Debit vs. Mastercard Debit
What about travel options? These cards are accepted by the following companies:
| Visa | Mastercard |
|---|---|
| Air Canada | Air Canada Vacations |
| Alio Tours | BMO Travel |
| Cheapoair.com | CanadaStays |
| Hotels.com | Flight Network |
| Wagjag.com | Greyhound |
| WestJet | NewLeaf Travel Company |
| Porter Airlines | |
| Swoop Airlines | |
| Travelocity.ca | |
| Via Rail |
By sheer number alone, Mastercard definitely beats out Visa, as it gives you 4 more options for your travel needs.
It should be noted that Visa’s partnership with Air Canada doesn’t offer the same travel options as those provided by Mastercard’s association with Air Canada Vacations. With Mastercard, customers have access to various types of vacation packages. With Visa, your options involve flights only.
WINNER: Mastercard Debit
Where can I get a Visa Debit or Mastercard Debit card?
Another aspect that can really influence your decision is which banks actually offer them.
Visa Debit is offered by the following 7 banks:
- ATB Financial,
- CIBC,
- ICICI Bank,
- RBC,
- Scotiabank,
- Tangerine, and
- TD.
On the other hand, Mastercard Debit is only offered by: BMO and Servus Credit Union.
WINNER: Visa Debit
The bottom line
Here’s the overall score for our comparison:
Mastercard Debit: 8 Visa Debit: 8 Ties: 3
…And we’re left with a tie. But that doesn’t mean this was pointless. As we’ve seen, the most important thing isn’t the number of stores that accept them, but which one is accepted by stores you actually shop at.
So. What do all these words and comparisons mean for you?
What do you want out of a debit card that you can use online? What stores are most important to you? Which card is accepted there? Let us know in the comments what you think.
FAQ
Mastercard vs. Visa debit card: which is better?
This comes down to personal preference. Both types of debit credit cards have similar perks and abilities, and many merchants who accept this payment type will accept either card. However, both Visa Debit and Mastercard Debit have exclusive partnerships with a variety of merchants. Before deciding which card option is better, you’ll want to check this list of partners and think about where you prefer to shop.
Is Visa Debit the same as Mastercard Debit?
Although these card types operate in the same way, they are not exactly the same thing. They are issued by different banks and have several exclusive partnerships with individual merchants – although they are accepted by many of the same merchants too.
Why wouldn’t I just use my credit card?
Some people like the security of knowing their payment is being withdrawn directly from their account. There’s no waiting period for the transaction to be processed, and there’s no possibility that you’ll forget to pay off your credit on time. People who have poor or bad credit might choose to use a debit option too. But there are some things you miss out on when you only use debit for purchases, like building your credit score, and earning great rewards on every purchase, be it cash back, travel, or merch.
What is the difference between a debit card and a debit Mastercard?
A debit card is issued by your bank and does not give you access to a line of credit. It’s linked to your bank account so you can use your own funds instead of credit. Many merchants that accept credit cards will also accept Mastercard Debit, but this is not universal.
What is an SBI International Debit Card?
An SBI International Debit Card is one issued by the State Bank of India (SBI). You can choose between a Mastercard Debit or Visa Debit card through this bank and enjoy all the purchasing and shopping benefits mentioned above, as well as cash withdrawals from SBI ATMs or other ATMs around the world.
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Comments
Hi Dominic, thanks for reaching out. It's important to us that our articles are factual and accurate – we'll perform a full audit and update any incorrect information.
In the meantime, the information was pulled directly from the Visa and Mastercard websites. Here are the links:
https://www.mastercard.ca/en-ca/consumers/find-card-products/debit-cards/CanadianDebitAcceptingMerchants.html
https://www.visa.ca/en_CA/pay-with-visa/cards/debit-cards.html
Hey Dominic!
It wasn't included just because Air Canada also takes Mastercard debit, but thanks for letting us know in case we did miss it. :)