Mastercardis not accepted at certain stores and merchants that only take cash, such as vendors at a local fair. Mastercard is also not accepted at retail chains that have an exclusive agreement with another card network. For example, Costco accepts Mastercard only for online purchases. There are also some websites that only take electronic currency though outlets like PayPal, Venmo, or Bitcoin. Mastercard credit cards also can’t be used to pay a credit card bill, but no credit cards can be used for that.
Outside of those exceptions, you can use Mastercards globally, in over 210 countries and territories. Plus, millions of merchants within those countries take Mastercard.
Here’s where Mastercard is not accepted:
- Merchants who don’t take credit cards.Small businesses may not always want to bother with the fees they get charged for accepting credit cards. So, you’ll probably run into some cash-only merchants at some point. In addition, you might not be able to use your credit card at certain events, like a food stall at your local fair, for instance.
- Merchants with exclusive deals.Sometimes, a merchant will give its business to only one credit card network. Costco is a good example. They used to only acceptAmerican Express cards, and now they only acceptVisa cards. But you won’t find a lot of places that accept credit cards and exclude Mastercard.
- Certain online purchases.Some online purchases can only be completed using virtual currency (e.g. bitcoin).
- Monthly credit card bills.You can’t use any credit card, whether from Mastercard or another network, to pay another credit card’s bill on a monthly basis. But you cantransfer a balancefrom one card to another, just not regularly. That usually makes sense only if you’re opening a new account with a0% introductory balance transfer APR.
So, if you’re able to use credit cards at a merchant, it’s almost guaranteed they’ll take your Mastercard. But in case they don’t, it helps to have some cash on you or a backup credit card from another network.
This answer was first published on 12/28/17 and it was last updated on 06/30/23. For the most current information about a financial product, you should always check and confirm accuracy with the offering financial institution. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any company.
