• When choosing whether to get a Visa or MasterCard, consider what the differences mean to you.credit cards image by Andrii IURLOV from Fotolia.com
  
  As the leading credit-card companies in the world, Visa and MasterCard are well-known as competitors. Both cards and companies carry the same basic functions. Contrary to popular belief, neither card company is responsible for issuing credit cards to individuals. Instead, banks issue cards and only use Visa or MasterCard as forms of payment. For this reason, interest rates, fees and other such charges are not part of the Visa/MasterCard comparison.
  
  

Age

• MasterCard was founded in 1966 and Visa was founded in 1970. Though this may not seem like a significant difference, a more seasoned generation of credit-card users may tend to lean toward MasterCard usage, as it was the more familiar choice in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
  
  

Market Capital

• MasterCard's typical market capitalization is $35 billion per year, versus Visa's $77 usual per year market capitalization rate. While this stands out as a technical difference for stock investors and the business management perspectives of each company, these factors are of little concern to consumers, since the profits and sustainability of both companies are nearly equal.
  
  

Acceptance

• Although most merchants accept both Visa and MasterCard as forms of credit-card payment, there are a few rare exceptions. For example, many Dollar General stores only accept Visa but not MasterCard; Sam's Club is known for accepting MasterCard but not Visa; and the Costco chain does not accept either form of credit-card payment.
  
  

Headquarters

• Perhaps the biggest difference in the companies is the location of their headquarters. A continent apart in this respect, Visa's headquarters is in California, and MasterCard's is in New York.