Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is hosting the 2010 Olympic Games in February.
One of their biggest sponsors (called Global Sponsors) is VISA. As a result of their sponsorhip, VISA is the only payment card accepted at the 2010 Olympic Games.
You heard me. That means no MasterCard, no American Express and NO DEBIT CARDS (Interac).
I suppose I could almost understand not accepting any other credit card, but debit cards too?
Wait, I take that back, I don’t understand this at all.
The reach of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver goes far beyond buying tickets to events. This includes buying Olympic merchandise as well. Want to buy some cool sweaters that are Olympic themed? Sure, hit your local HBC store or even better, go to the Official Vancouver 2010 Olympic Store – but be prepared. Nothing but VISA will do.
When I first heard about this, I wondered how much money could VISA possibly be giving to be rewarded with such a monopoly on payment methods for what could be the biggest worldwide event. The only number I really found was “USD $120 million worldwide in direct support to Olympic athletes“. I know, $120 million is a huge number – but in my opinion, not huge enough.
Who wins with this type of deal? VISA, surely. Consumers, definitely not. I wonder what percentage of adults carry and use a VISA product. What about the businesses? Could HBC (Hudson’s Bay Company) really be okay with dealing with the (what I can only assume) massive amount of shoppers that are finding themselves without a way to pay for their new goods?
It does sound as though merchants have been told what to say in these situations. A friend of mine said when she tried unsuccessfully to purchase some 2010 Olympic merchandise she was told to go get a VISA cheque card. I found this to be very poorly communicated. See the home page of the official store below:
The only mention, in typical sponsor copy fashion, is hidden in the footer. Not only that, but it’s incredibly hard to read, as you can see from this screepcap taken at 100%.
In the store’s FAQ, this is addressed in just a couple of lines.
How can I pay for my order?
The vancouver2010.com Olympic Store accepts Visa.
Which credit cards can I use?
The only credit card accepted by the vancouver2010.com Olympic Store is Visa.
I also found, buried in the Olympic Games Media Kit page, a “helpful” PDF regarding “tips … intended to help cardholders and non-cardfolders travelling to the Games with the best way to handle their expenses.” Of course, all they say to do is get a VISA card. REAL helpful. Awesome.
Think of all the people traveling from all over the world. They’re being forced to get a credit card. Canada and the US for sure have VISA Debit/Cheque cards that (I think) don’t require a credit check, but I don’t dare assume all other countries do.
I’m shocked that the folks behind the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games would allow such a restricting and binding sponsorship that clearly benefits only ONE party. Shame on you VANOC. You forgot who the games are really all about.
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I get that it’s kinda one-sided, but… The majority (not all, but a lot) of the people who are going to be attending the Olympics in Vancouver will be from North America. In North America, what is the percentage of VISA cardholders to MC or Amex?
Actually, check this out: http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/credit-card-industry-facts-personal-debt-statistics-1276.php. Scroll down to ’2008 global market share for general purpose credit cards’:
Visa – 60.25 percent
MasterCard – 28.33 percent
American.Express – 10.04 percent
And many of those people who have a MasterCard or Amex will *also* have a VISA. So really, not that many people (relative to the total number of people who attend) will have a problem.
As well, that only takes into account official Olympic venues. There are thousands of hotels, restaurants, and independent shops between Whistler and greater Vancouver that still accept other forms of payment.
No doubt, if you had to choose ONE card, Visa would be the one to choose (based on your numbers, thanks for that BTW!) I maintain that it simply isn’t necessary. Wouldn’t marketing Visa as being the preferred card be better all around? I just feel sorry for the people who can’t do anything about this.
[...] VISA: The Only Card Accepted at the 2010 Olympic Games « Online … [...]
I guess it doesn’t matter which card they take at the 2010 store – you still can’t get your order fulfilled. We purchased some items for Christmas gifts Dec 4 (yes, on our Visa card), but as of today Jan 4, they can’t even give us a date when they will ship the order!!
They may proudly accept Visa, but they should be ashamed of their service!
Paul Sullivan
I went into the Bay in downtown Vancouver and to my surprise they only accepted Visa or cash. I couldn’t believe it, I’m certainly not daft enough to carry a lot of cash on me so I left the items I was going to buy at their checkout and walked out. I went over the road to London Drugs, found the items I wanted to be cheaper than the Bay and proudly used my Mastercard.
[...] in one of the most beautiful regions of the world, into an orwellian police state. Changes include Visa will be the ONLY credit card accepted during the games, commuters to and from work are to adjust their morning and evening commute times and transport [...]
INSANE. I love how VANOC is forcing every person to either carry a huge wad of cash or get a credit card. I bet pickpockets are loving this! I’m a student who tries to not use my visa but just my debit, yet they are now telling me that I have to pay my bank to borrow money since I can’t just use debit? VANOC, you want us to like you, yet it’s getting harder and harder to stay on your side!!
The arrangement made by VANOC is not only clearly anti-competitive, but will create hardship for both Canadians and foreign visitors to the winter games. My son, who lives in Los Angeles, who will joining us in Vancouver for the games relies exclusively on a debit card. He now will be forced to carry on his person a larger sum of cash than normal leaving him vulnerable to pick pockets and muggers on both sides of the border.
We are accumulating Delta SkyMiles on our AmEx card and American Airlines Advantage miles on our MasterCard. Now we will be forced to use a bank issued VISA card which will provide us no personal benefit–except for those responsible for this callous business decision. The International Olympic Committee should ban these kinds of arrangements for future Olympic games. Howard Marks, Washingon, DC
This is a disgrace and shame for the Canadian Olympics. Being from Europe where a visa card is still the exception I find it absolutely incredible that I am NOT able to buy tickets or Olympic merchandise with my non-visa credit card. Had I known I would have NEVER EVER thought of visiting the Olympics. UI have met MANY compatriots in a similar situation – just being frustrated and angry at this situation.
The interesting thing about the HBC Olympic store is that Hudson’s Bay Company store credit card converted to MASTERCARD last year. So it seems doubly weird that they will only accept VISA in their (downtown Vancouver) Olympic store. They have a deal with Mastercard, yet they are endorsing Visa. Hmm… I assume if you buy the regular Olympic merchandise available in any Bay they will accept all normal courses of payment.
But I still think it’s shady of the Olympic committee to accept only Visa. Really they are shooting themselves in the foot because those who don’t have or can’t get a Visa card are S.O.L. and that would affect ticket sales and encourage black-market activity. Beh. Too late now, I guess.
Was going to order the boxed DVD set of the Olympic games for my son’s birthday gift. Filled out all the required info and then went to the checkout. Too bad, so sad, they only ‘proudly’ accept Visa, not my lowly, ‘unproud’ Mastercard, not even Paypal. So, I guess my son won’t get that special gift he wanted. I’m just p***ed off enough to not shop at The Bay again.
???Who on Earth doesnt have a Visa card?Kids?People from the 3rd world?Commies?It only makes sense!Oh no,I cant use my Diners club card at the Olympics!Oh no,I cant write a personal check at the Olympics!OMG!LMFAO!LOL!(Insert gay www abbreviations!)Hello?McFly?Ever hear of ca$h?The world has only been using it for centuries.You can get it at millions of places called”ATM’s”The Olympic venues seem to accept this,as do any retailers on the whole Earth!Cash,its called!Get your head out of your ass,not everyone on earth even has debit(I do,but never use it,because its toooo sloooooow,and its harder to keep track of balances)Cash,or Visa.I can buy anything,anywhere,on the whole planet!Pretty Darn amazing,isnt it?