BuyFromEU

In France, there’s the CB network, but I don’t think it works internationally. I assumed there was a similar system in other countries, but maybe I was wrong. I’m not entirely sure how this all works, so please take this comment with a grain of salt, it’s very possible that many things are inaccurate.

My card, like most, has access to 2 payment networks: CB and Visa. (Both logos are printed on the card: see this example.) Most French physical cards have access to these two networks, CB and Visa — sometimes it’s CB andMastercard but I believe it’s less common ? — but I don’t think “virtual” cards (those on smartphones) can use CB.

When I pay online, I can typically choose between CB and Visa. When I pay on a physical terminal, in a shop, it’s also possible to choose in most cases: there’s a default setting chosen by the shop (most often CB because the fees are lower, I think), but if the shop terminal supports both of your card’s network, you can change it by clicking on the yellow button. The fees are different for the shopkeeper, but the price is the same for the consumer, so most people don’t pay attention to it and might not even realise there’s a difference.

I remember once paying in a shop (from a big American chain) where they only accepted Visa. I’m not sure how common that is, because I generally don’t bother checking, I only did it that time because I had just learned about the yellow button and was trying it in every store. :-) Apparently, during the 2024 Olympic Games, you could only pay by Visa in the Olympic venues because the Organising Committee had made an sponsoring agreement with them