Amazon to accept Visa cards at stores, sites

Amazon and Visa announced on Thursday that they had agreed to allow Visa cards to be used as payment on Amazon’s sites without added fees. 

Visa also said that the companies would work together to develop “innovative payment experiences,” according to The Washington Post.

Amazon began charging customers in Australia and Singapore a 0.5 percent surcharge to pay with a Visa credit card, the Post reported. 

Amazon previously also said it would stop accepting Visa as a form of payment in the UK as a result of “the high fees Visa charges for processing credit card transactions,” a decision reversed by Thursday’s agreement, the newspaper added.

In November, Amazon added that it would consider dropping Visa as a partner on its co-branded credit card, according to Reuters.

“This agreement includes the acceptance of Visa at all Amazon stores and sites today, as well as a joint commitment to collaboration on new product and technology initiatives,” a Visa spokesperson told Reuters of the agreement.

The announcement comes as more customers look to online shopping during the pandemic and as Visa and other card companies have faced pressure over fees imposed on retailers.

Data released Wednesday from the U.S. Census Bureau showed that retail sales were up by 3.8 percent last month.

Sales by nonstore retailers, including major online shopping websites, jumped 14.5 percent higher in January, more than any other category.