Walmart Canada to Expand Visa Ban to Manitoba
Walmart Canada will stop accepting Visa credit cards at its Manitoba stores starting next month.
As of Oct. 24, shoppers won’t be allowed to use their Visa at 16 stores in the province. In June, the retailer said it’d stop accepting the card at all of its more than 400 Canadian stores due to “unacceptably high” fees. It intends to ban Visa in phases. So far, only three stores in Thunder Bay, Ont. no longer accept the card.
Visa Canada is disappointed by Walmart’s decision to further limit the card’s acceptance in Manitoba.
“We know from our experience in Thunder Bay that consumers want the option to use the payment method of their choice when shopping—including at Walmart stores,” says Visa.
Walmart claims that it pays more than $100 million in annual fees to accept credit cards. The retailer says it’s necessary to lower these costs to keep prices low and pass those savings onto customers. It will continue to accept MasterCard, American Express, and Interac debit cards at its Manitoba stores.
“We sincerely regret any impact this will have on our customers who use Visa and remain hopeful that we will reach an agreement with Visa,” says Walmart.
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