Visa

visa was developed by the Bank of America but is now owned by 20,000 financial institutions worldwide. In the UK, there are four major types of Visa card available, all of which can be used around the World:

a) Visa Credit Cards – include Barclaycard, Capital One and MBNA. You receive a monthly bill , that you can pay a minimum amount of or pay off in full. Each card has a different interest rate and payment terms depending on the provider.

b) Visa Debit Cards – when purchases are made on a debit card the funds are deducted straight from your account so you don't recieve a monthly bill and can only make transactions if you have the funds available. Most debit cards can be used at ATM's to draw money out directly.

c) Visa Charge Cards – Charge cards are usually given to employees, by their companies, to pay for business expenses.

d) Visa ATM (card – these only allow yopu to draw money out from ATM's if you have the funds available.Visa ATM cards do not act as a credit or debit card, and cannot be used to guarantee cheques.