Visa Review

Introduction to Visa

Visa is a multinational financial services corporation. It facilitates electronic funds transfers through Visa-branded products such as debit cards, credit cards, and prepaid cards. Whenever you make a payment using your Visa card, it’ll be processed by the secure global network known as VisaNet. Lots of major UK banks partner with Visa, including Barclays and Lloyds, but others such as Santander offer products with Mastercard instead.

Visa utilises a range of security features to keep you and your data safe. Its Zero Liability Policy ensures you won’t be held responsible if unauthorised payments are made using your card. It also uses Visa Secure to authenticate online payments and protect customers from fraud. Responsible for 50% of the market share of global card payments, Visa is a trusted service used by billions of people across more than 200 countries and territories.

To make a payment using a Visa card, you’ll need to enter your long card number, expiry date, and CVV. Gambling sites give you the option to save your details to speed up subsequent transactions, or you can store your Visa card details in a browser like Google Chrome. Alternatively, you can use Apple or Google Pay to make quick deposits and payments, although this option can’t always be used to withdraw funds from your betting account.

Casino Players Best Suited to Visa

Visa is ideal for casino players who would prefer to stick to a familiar payment method. If you’re used to using your debit card for everyday transactions, you’ll have no trouble making deposits and withdrawals with Visa.

To set up a transaction, you’ll need to enter your card details. If you’d like to avoid sharing your details with the casino, or would prefer using an email and password to make a payment, an e-wallet like PayPal or Neteller might be a better fit.

Visa is also best suited to players who are happy to transfer funds directly from their bank account. Of course, you can still use a separate account from your main one to help you budget, but it might be less convenient than using an e-wallet.

What We Like about Visa

Visa is a great option for making payments at an online casino or betting site, particularly if you already have a Visa bank card.

• Familiarity – If you already have a Visa debit card, chances are you’ll be clued up on how to use it to make payments online. The process of depositing funds to your betting account is just the same as paying for an item at an ecommerce site;
• Security – Visa is a highly trusted, global corporation that utilises a range of security precautions to keep your money safe;
• Simplicity – There’s no need to create any additional accounts in order to make a payment with Visa. If you have a Visa bank card, you’re good to go;
• Availability – Visa bank cards are accepted at every UK betting site, so you won’t need to worry about whether or not you can use this payment option;
• Save your details – You’ll have the option to save your card details to speed up the deposit and withdrawal process;
• Visa Direct – Some sites support the speedy Visa Direct service, which allows you to initiate a cash withdrawal and receive your payment within half an hour.

Visa cards are also well suited to gambling sites specifically. That’s because you’ll often need to use a debit card when you make a qualifying deposit for a bonus — using a Visa card therefore ensures you’ll be eligible for rewards like free spins and free bets.

What We Dislike about Visa

Like any banking option, Visa does come with some drawbacks.

• Sharing card details – Typing in card details can be a laborious task and some punters may be uncomfortable sharing or saving them;
• Limited perks – Visa cards are simple and easy to use, but don’t come with many additional benefits such as loyalty points;
• Not every bank – While many major UK banks offer Visa products, others partner with the likes of Mastercard. There are very few benefits of switching banks to get a Visa card instead;
• Slow withdrawals – Where Visa Direct isn’t available, card withdrawals from online betting sites can take up to five working days.

Visa’s weaknesses are best framed as a comparison with alternative payment methods. For example, e-wallets such as PayPal, Neteller, and Skrill come with various perks such as loyalty points and the ability to buy, sell and hold cryptocurrency. They’re also quicker to set up once you have an account and offer faster withdrawals. Trustly, meanwhile, allows you to use your bank account to make a payment but removes the need to share your card details.

Overall Thoughts on Visa

Ultimately, Visa is a payment method ideal for those who favour simplicity. It’s a no-frills option that’s easy to set up and use. If you already have a Visa card, you’re good to go — there’s no need to set up additional accounts like you would with an e-wallet.

Although there aren’t reams of additional perks, Visa is one of the most trusted and secure payment options available thanks to its Zero Liability Policy and the Visa Secure authentication process. 

In the online gambling setting, virtually every UK site supports the use of Visa. It’s also ideal for players looking to claim bonuses, as debit cards are always eligible for making qualifying deposits. Overall, then, Visa is a solid payment option with few major drawbacks.

More Information

Here we’ll take a closer look at Visa, the history of the corporation, its current place in the market and what its plans are for the future.

History of Visa

Visa was founded in Fresno, California in 1958 by Bank of America as the BankAmericard credit card program. After encountering numerous problems in its early years, including widespread credit card fraud, proper financial controls were imposed and the program became profitable for the first time in 1961.

In 1966, Bank of America licensed the BankAmericard program to other financial institutions, in response to the formation of a new competitor, Master Charge, now known as Mastercard. In joining numerous banks together within the Bank of America card system, a global payments network was born. 

The name Visa was adopted in 1976, having been conceived by the company’s founder, Dee Hock. The idea was to move beyond the Bank of America branding and unite the various international networks into one entity.

Since then, Visa has dominated the electronic funds transfers market. In 2007, it completed an IPO corporate restructuring project — its businesses were merged and became a publicly traded company known as Visa Inc.

General Information

HQ Location	One Market Plaza, San Francisco, California, U.S.
CEO	Ryan McInerney
Market Cap (as of July 2023)	$483,700,000
Number of Employees	26,500

Looking Ahead

Visa continues to innovate and develop partnerships with businesses and institutions around the world. The corporation is currently working to better standardise and simplify payments at electric vehicle charging stations. Its aim is to make charging away from home more accessible and convenient for drivers, supporting growth in sustainable transportation in the process.

UK businesses can also engage and collaborate with Visa designers, engineers, and product experts at the London Innovation Center. In doing so, clients, partners and startups can develop new commerce solutions, create prototypes for new products, and tackle their most challenging business problems.