Declined: Walmart kicks off Visa credit card ban in Thunder Bay, Ont.
MONTREAL — Three Walmart stores in Thunder Bay, Ont., are no longer accepting Visa, the payment company said Monday as it encouraged its customers to take their business elsewhere.
After months of negotiations, Walmart said last month it would eliminate Visa as a payment option at those stores because it believes it pays the retail giant too much in merchant fees. The company has promised to extend the ban on Visa cards to its 400 locations across Canada, though it has not said when that will happen.
Visa, Canada’s largest credit card firm, shot back Monday with a message for Walmart customers.
“Until an agreement can be reached in this commercial dispute, we encourage shoppers to use their cards at the more than 5,200 stores in Thunder Bay that accept Visa,” the corporation said in a statement.