By Ismat ManglaWhere Can I Use My Credit Card?
By Ismat Mangla
Are you thinking about getting a new credit card, but are unsure if it will be accepted everywhere you shop?
It's a good question to ask. Whether a credit card is accepted at a particular merchant depends on the payment network it belongs to. The good news is that the four major payment networks—Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express—are widely accepted everywhere in the United States. Understanding more about how credit card issuers, payment networks, and merchants work together offers clues about where you can use your credit cards.
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Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
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Intro APR:0% on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 3% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
Wells Fargo Reflect® Card
Intro APR:0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers
Ongoing APR:17.49%, 23.99%, or 28.24% Variable APR
Rewards:N/A*
Annual Fee:$0
Discover it® Chrome
Intro bonus:INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards.
Intro APR:0% intro APR for 6 Months on Purchases and 0% intro APR for 18 Months on Balance Transfers
Ongoing APR:17.49% - 26.49% Variable APR
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Revel® Platinum Mastercard®
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Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
Intro APR:0% for 21 months on Balance Transfers and 12 months on Purchases
Ongoing APR:16.49% - 27.24% (Variable)
Rewards:N/A*
Annual Fee:$0
FIT™ Platinum Mastercard® - $400 Credit Limit
Ongoing APR:35.90% Fixed
Rewards:N/A*
Annual Fee:$99 first year; $125 thereafter
The opensky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
Ongoing APR:23.89% Variable
Rewards:10% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$35
Credit One Bank American Express® Card for Rebuilding Credit
Ongoing APR:29.74% Variable
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$75 First year. $99 thereafter, billed monthly at $8.25
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Intro bonus:You may be eligible for as high as $300 cash back after spending $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Cash back is received as Reward Dollars, redeemable for statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. Terms Apply.
Intro APR:0% on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 12 months
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 6% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card
Intro APR:0% for 15 months on Balance Transfers
Ongoing APR:19.49% - 29.49% (Variable)
Rewards:2x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$0
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
Ongoing APR:18.74% - 26.74% (Variable)
Rewards:1% - 5% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
American Express® Gold Card
Intro bonus:You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
Ongoing APR:See Pay Over Time APR
Rewards:1x - 4x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$325
First Latitude Secured Mastercard® Cash Back Rewards
Ongoing APR:27.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 10% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:19.49% - 29.49% (Variable)
Rewards:2x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$99, waived for first 12 months
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$75*
Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:19.49% - 29.49% (Variable)
Rewards:1x - 6x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$350
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:Introductory fee of $75 for the first year. After that, $99 annually.*
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$39*
Credit One Bank® Platinum X5 Visa® Metal Card
Ongoing APR:29.74% Variable
Rewards:1% - 5% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$95
First Progress Prestige Secured Mastercard® Cash Back Rewards
Ongoing APR:13.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 10% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$49
First Progress Select Secured Mastercard® Cash Back Rewards
Ongoing APR:17.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 10% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$39
Credit One Bank® Premier American Express® Credit Card
Ongoing APR:29.74% Variable
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$39
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
Intro bonus:Earn 200,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 5/13/2026.
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:2x - 6x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$650
Discover it® Miles
Intro bonus:UNLIMITED BONUS: Unlimited Mile-for-Mile match for all new cardmembers. Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match. You could turn 35,000 Miles into 70,000 Miles.
Intro APR:0% intro APR for 15 months on Purchases and Balance Transfers
Ongoing APR:17.49% - 26.49% Variable APR
Rewards:1.5x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$0
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
Intro bonus:Earn 70,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases with your new Card, and an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card, both within your first 6 months. Ends 04/01/2026.
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:1x - 2x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150.
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
Intro bonus:Earn 130,000 Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/15/2026.
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:3x - 12x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$150
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
Intro bonus:Earn 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:1x - 2x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$0
One Key+™ Card
Intro bonus:Earn $350 in OneKeyCash™ after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. OneKeyCash is not redeemable for cash and can only be used on Expedia®, Hotels.com® and Vrbo®. To learn more, please refer to the One Key Terms and Conditions at www.expedia.com/one-key-terms.
Ongoing APR:18.49%, 23.49%, or 28.49% Variable APR
Rewards:2x - 3x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$99
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard® - With A Higher Credit Limit
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$125*
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0*
See all our best credit cards for 2026.
What Is a Payment Network?
Credit cards are typically issued by banks, which determine a card's interest rates, fees, rewards, and other terms. However, cards also belong to a branded payment network. This network, such as Visa or Mastercard, processes the payments made between banks and merchants. (Discover and American Express act as both payment networks and issuers of credit.)
Merchants decide which payment networks they will accept at their stores. When a consumer uses a credit card to make a purchase, the merchant pays credit card processing fees on the transaction. If a merchant decides that a payment network's fee is too high, it might not accept cards in that network.
Payment networks can also offer cardholders specific benefits in addition to what the bank issuer might include, such as warranties or rental car insurance. Your card's perks and benefits are comprised of both the issuer's and the payment network's offerings.
Where Is My Credit Card Accepted?
The good news is that if you live in the United States, most major merchants will accept cards belonging to the Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express payment networks. There are a few exceptions, of course. If you're traveling abroad, you might find that Discover and American Express are less popular, though they can often still be used. Find details on the major payment networks below:
Visa and Mastercard
Virtually every merchant that takes credit cards accepts both Visa and Mastercard.
Visa cards are accepted in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. If a retailer accepts credit cards, then it more than likely accepts Visa. According to the Nilson Report, a payment industry publication, there were 335 million Visa cards in circulation as of 2017.
Mastercard's presence is also nearly universal, with acceptance in 210 countries. As of 2017, there were 200 million Mastercards in circulation.
The only exceptions to Visa's almost universal acceptance may be in the case where a retailer has an exclusive deal with one payment network. Costco wholesale clubs, for example, used to only accept American Express cards, until they switched to an exclusive deal with Visa in 2016.
If you're traveling abroad, you shouldn't have any problems with cards in either of these two networks.
Discover
As of 2017, there were 51 million Discover cards in circulation. Discover is accepted in 190 countries and territories around the world. Out of the four major networks in the U.S., Discover has the third-highest acceptance rate. But Discover is not far behind Visa and Mastercard, so you shouldn't have issues at most merchants in the country.
In fact, there aren't many major retailers that don't accept Discover. You can use it at major grocery and super stores, with popular ride-sharing programs like Uber and Lyft, and on mobile payment platforms like PayPal, Square and Venmo.
If you're traveling abroad, do your research before you leave. You can check which countries accept Discover on the company's website. Discover has also partnered with other card networks, like Diners Club, China UnionPay and JCB, to expand its reach.
American Express
American Express had 48 million cards in circulation as of 2017, though it's hot on the heels of Mastercard in terms of capturing U.S. market share.
American Express cards are accepted at major grocery and superstores, major gas station chains, department stores and other national brands. Like Discover, Amex cards are also accepted on mobile payment platforms like PayPal, Square and Venmo, as well as popular ride-sharing programs like Uber and Lyft.
While some smaller retailers or independent businesses may not accept American Express because it typically charges higher merchant fees than its counterparts, it is still widely accepted by all major retailers in the U.S.
If you're thinking about traveling abroad with your American Express card, it's smart to do some research ahead of time and have a backup option with you. Call Amex to let them know where you're traveling and to find out whether you will have issues using your card.
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About the author
Ismat Mangla
Ismat Sarah Mangla is a veteran journalist with a background in writing about money and religion, though not necessarily at the same time. Her writing has appeared in Time, Fortune, Money, CNNMoney, Quartz, MarketWatch, Al Jazeera America, International Business Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Detroit Free Press and Michigan Alumnus magazine.
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