Amazon backtracks on plan to decline Visa payments in UK | Hacker News Reader

Amazon backtracks on plan to decline Visa payments in UK

10 pointstome5 comments

Amazon had previously stated that it would stop accepting payments by Visa in the UK. See, for example, discussion at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29250582 . However, I just received this email:

> The expected change regarding the use of Visa credit cards on Amazon.co.uk will no longer take place on January 19. We are working closely with Visa on a potential solution that will enable customers to continue using their Visa credit cards on Amazon.co.uk. Should we make any changes related to Visa credit cards, we will give you advance notice. Until then, you can continue to use Visa credit cards, debit cards, Mastercard, American Express, and Eurocard as you do today.

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Just got the email. It's not totally unexpected.

My guess is that this was a tactic to strongarm Visa into making a deal.

oh, i was looking forward to this being an excuse to let all amazon payments end.

I found it extremely insulting to be told that i should change my card to meet the expectations of a single company.

to be clear i think that the transactions fees probably are too high and i am sure visa are not better. but trying to use me as a pawn like this was a slap in the face.

I am still considering cancelling all services on the 19th.

edit: only silver lining was getting 5% cashback from visa on things bought on amazon during this (which being over christmas was handy).

Have you ever owned an Amex card?

I worked for a US SaaS company about 10 years ago. Every new engineer got a MacBook, iPhone, 3G wifi access point, branded shoulder bag ... And an AMEX. In Europe. Oh how we laughed.

Every time we went to an event on the company dime, we always had to go through the charade in every hotel and restaurant. "Do you accept American Express?"... "Haha, nope!" (To the line of colleagues waiting to check in) "They don't take AMEX". "Bollocks. Well, no surprise." So everyone puts their travel, hotel and meals on their personal Visa/MasterCard and claims back expenses later. I don't think I ever used that AMEX

No, but I have worked at companies where it was the standard for expenses. it was accepted at lauaghably few places.

Visa seems ot be everywhere in the UK, i dont know the stats but seems like most debit cards are visa and if i was to guess amongs my friends etc. its something like 75% or more of credit cards with maybe 20% masterdcard and 5% american express dinerclub etc.

That is why the whole thing seemed like a plea to get me to sign up for an amazon mastercard (and also why mastercard were porbably up for doing a deal with amazon in the uk - to increase amrket share).

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