Walmart Canada ratchets up battle with Visa

Walmart Canada is extending its ban on accepting Visa credit cards.



The discounter said it will stop accepting Visa credit cards at all 16 of its stores in Canada’s Manitoba province starting on Oct. 24.



“Following an evaluation of credit card transaction fees in Canada and the rest of the world, we have concluded the fees applied to Visa credit card purchases remain unacceptably high. Walmart’s purpose is to save customers money so they can live better,” the retailer stated Thursday on its Canadian website.



The move follows Walmart’s decision in July to stop accepting Visa cards in three stores in Ontario.



In June, Walmart said it had been unable to agree with Visa on an "acceptable fee" and would no longer accept the company's credit cards unless it got a better deal. It threated to ultimately stop accepting Visa at all its stores in Canada (406 in total) unless the network agrees to lower the amount it charges for credit-card transactions.



Walmart’s decision to further limit Visa acceptance in Manitoba is disappointing," Visa spokeswoman Carla Hindman said in an e-mailed statement to Bloomberg. “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. Visa remains committed to actively working with Walmart so that Canadians can use their Visa cards wherever they wish to shop."