Amazon no longer accepting Visa credit cards from January 2022 - WTF?

[peanuts87]

AIBU to think this is madness? They're going to inconvenience so many of their customers. Still, it's good incentive to stop using Amazon I suppose!

www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/amazon-stop-accepting-visa-credit-cards-issued-uk-bloomberg-news-2021-11-17/

I saw an older ‘access’ sign the other day and remembered my first ‘Access’ credit card (became MasterCard I think).
I’ve luckily got visa and Mc credits and funnily enough when I got the second I made sure it was different. Think I’d once had trouble abroad using one but not the other.

@HeronLanyon

What really worries me is if this goes ahead (and the negotiation brinksmanship doesn’t work) then many will have to (or choose to or need to) apply for another credit card thereby increasing risks of getting into unmanageable debt. I’m absolutely sick of constant crap news !

That’s a bit of a tenuous conclusion - people could easily close their Visa account after opening their new MasterCard. Using balance transfer if they carry a balance.

I had a bit of a panic when I saw this but realised it's only credit cards and I use my debit card.

Not sure why a debit card "is a security nightmare".

As for the extra protection, Amazon is pretty good with consumer rights (although there was that case on here where an MNer ordered a laptop (I think?) and received bedding instead and they were pretty unhelpful.

I read that email and felt like Amazon have just given a massive 2 fingers to their customers.

Being of sound mind, i'd never use a debit card online.

I have a Barclaycard (visa) linked to my Barclays account. My barclaycard balance shows in my banking app, i can pay over money from savings to bill etc.I've had the same current account and barclaycard account for thrity years, and to suit Amazon, they want me to change it now

I've had amazon prime since it opened in the UK and was a very early amazon customer, but this just won't work for me.

This shows quite a whopping level of contempt for their customers.

tufty agree but we know those who aren’t financially savvy/safe don’t always behave that way. Vulnerable bods for sure won’t. Common feature of those who spiral into debt is multiple credit cards/credit lines.

@MatildaIThink

If you are desperate to use a credit card then use a Mastercard or Amex card, or just use a debit card like the majority of people do.

Do most people really use a debit card? I almost never do, I always use a Visa credit card due to the cashback, and also because its convenient to separate out all my day to day spending from my current account and have it all come out in one lump several weeks later rather than dripping out daily like debit cards do. That must be a nightmare to deal with if your card gets hacked.

But I do have a Mastercard credit card that I could use, so it's not a huge deal, although if one retailer is stopping accepting Visa due to the charges, others could follow suit.

Yes noticed that a few of my cards have changed to Mastercard recently too.

I'll have to stop buying high-value items from Amazon, then.

I think the John Lewis Partnership card is switching from Mastercard to Visa, but I don't use Amazon so I'm not fussed about that really. But if ALDI or LIDL decided to boycott VISA I may have a problem.

Also noticed Visa advertising a lot on various US and UK podcasts I listen to. For a few weeks. Have never heard before. Feels like we are in ‘credit wars’.

Good. The more people who stop using this environmentally unaware, worker-exploiting, tax-avoiding company the better imo.

@HeronLanyon

What really worries me is if this goes ahead (and the negotiation brinksmanship doesn’t work) then many will have to (or choose to or need to) apply for another credit card thereby increasing risks of getting into unmanageable debt. I’m absolutely sick of constant crap news !

It's a payment tool. Not sure how it's linked to how much money people spend.

@ColinTheKoala I think they mean because debit cards don’t have section 75 protection but I imagine most Amazon purchases are under £100 anyway in which case payment method doesn’t make a difference

My understanding is that many banks are replacing Visa with Mastercard, not 100% sure why though. I don't use Amazon that much to buy stuff.

Fortunately I have several credit cards for various things so will have to change it to a Mastercard one now, I won't use my bank card on Amazon in case of fraud as it would be a pita. DH on the other had has only got a Visa card

I'll have to stop using Amazon which is a shame. I get 0.5% cashback with my Visa card so I'd literally lose money if I used a debit or other credit card.

oh the irony.....

@Plexie

Barclaycard is Visa.

Who on earth uses debit cards online? Security nightmare. Although understandable if you're not eligible for a credit card.

My dds use their visa debit cards, they don’t have credit cards. Youngest is 14 so can’t get a credit card. WTF is she supposed to do??

The barclaycard which I use for Amazon is a Visa card. Looks like there'll be no more shopping from Amazon then. I don't fancy using my Visa debit card. I like the security of using the credit card.

Sounds like they're just getting their dicks out to force a negotiation. Bet it doesn't happen.

That's annoying. I always use my Barclaycard (Visa) at Amazon because of the cashback and that's how I have everything set up.

I don't want to get rid of my Barclaycard because it is in my own name and as I don't have any of my own income, I can't apply for an alternative card and I don't want to be reduced to being an additional card on DH's account, so Amazon are going to lose an awful lot of business from me.

I'm disabled and Amazon has been a bloody godsend for my family and I when I cannot possibly get to the shops because I'm in so much pain and don't have a personal assistant to do my shopping for me.
I don't use credit cards at all so this won't effect me personally but I feel very sorry for people who also rely on Amazon and do use visa credit cards to purchase goods.
I hope VISA back down!

It's a payment tool. Not sure how it's linked to how much money people spend.

I think she means that an extra credit card means a higher level of total available credit means possibility of getting further into debt, eg two credit cards with a £1500 limit as opposed to just one means a possible debt of £3000. Hence she thinks it is dangerous to apply for more credit cards.

@NichyNoo

I received an email from Amazon about this and assumed it was a scam email so deleted!

Same!

I'm more pissed off that yesterday there was an offer of £10 for adding a second card which I then left thinking I would do it later and now it's gone. I might wait and see if there is another offer before putting my Mastercard on there