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2 different Visa Credit Cards for travel or 1 Visa 1 MasterCard?

I just saw a travel Switzerland video and they suggested 2 different credit cards for travel, but they had 2 different Visa cards (one United Visa and the other Marriott Bonvoy Visa). Is it OK to have 2 Visa branded cards or do you recommend we have one Visa and one Mastercard?

Posted by
3930 posts

I just have two Visa cards, but from two complete different banks.

Posted by
3048 posts

I have two different Visa cards, one from Chase and one from Vanguard. I don’t have a MasterCard anymore and I’m not going to get one. I have plenty of credit. I also have an American Express I take.

Posted by
22790 posts

There was a time, like 30 years ago, where there were places that only took Mastercard (NS comes to mind), but I have used Visa exclusively for the last 20 years without issue.

Posted by
448 posts

I have an AA Mastercard issued by Barclays that I use for all my purchases to earn miles. I also have Visa cards and an Amex, but barely use them. There have been cases during my travels when one wasn't accepted but another was.

Posted by
3423 posts

I take two physical Visa credit cards. One BAC Premium Rewards (as primary) and a Fidelity credit card. Both are no fees and are in my Apple wallet.
In the past I have taken a third Visa card, also from BAC.
I think it’s more important to take commonly accepted cards from different financial institutions than being concerned about Visa vs Mastercard.

Posted by
2906 posts

I travel with two different Visa credit cards, because Visa is most widely accepted. It’s fine to have one Visa and one MC. The thought behind carrying two cards: if one card is stolen/lost and needs to be cancelled, you can use the second card. This is why they should be separate accounts. And don’t carry them in the same place at the same time.

Posted by
6305 posts

Do you already have another credit card besides the two you have? If not, you really don’t need to get another one. Mastercard and Visa are basically accepted at the same places.

I will mention that I have occasionally had my Chase-issued credit card rejected from online transactions that use 3D secure. It has happened once or twice each trip when attempting to buy tickets online. When it has happened, I have pulled out a Citibank-issued credit card and it has always worked.

Posted by
10328 posts

I usually use Apple Wallet for transactions and recently had 2 different Visa cards rejected when I was purchasing a transit pass in Bucharest. I then tried a MasterCard and it was accepted.

I have never had that happen before so I don’t know what the issue was. I do have excellent credit so I’m sure that was not it. Regardless, I always have at least 3-5 cards available to me when traveling (via Apple Wallet) just as a precaution.

Posted by
883 posts

I try to carry 2 Visa cards and one MasterCard - at least two of them will have no foreign transaction fees. In addition my partner carries several as well. They all have high enough limits to make us feel a bit confident about handling emergencies. We can also move large amounts of money instantly to the Capital One 360 Checking account to access with their Debit card.

Posted by
4 posts

Thank you everyone! My second credit card is Discover, so I'll get another Visa per the comments provided!

Posted by
231 posts

My 2 visas from different providers will not work online for sbb purchases. It is likely the 3DS issue, but even with several calls to each provider, I could not get it set up🤨.
Sure hoping that it works smoothly with in-person purchases when I get to Sw in a few days!

Posted by
5383 posts

Don't try to use Discover, just have different cards from different banks. I've had a card rejected for no apparent reason and I hand over another one and it's fine. Don't try to reason why.