Walmart begins Visa ban

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Walmart Canada has begun its refusal of Visa payments at its Thunder Bay stores, threatening to roll out the policy nationally if its dispute with the credit card issuer is not resolved. The two companies have been feuding publicly over the fees Visa charges retailers per transaction, with Walmart stating it pays $100 million annually in card fees. Visa counters that Walmart pays rates comparable to other retailers, while Walmart believes it can find better deals for a retailer its size with Visa’s competition. Visa still had the largest market share of credit card issuers in Canada as of last year, according to a Nilson Repory analysis. Walmart’s corporate affairs director Alex Roberton explained the choice of Thunder Bay, pointing to the area’s “strong leadership team and the right infrastructure to do this as seamless as possible for our customers here”.