Selecting the Best Card for Your Travel Needs: Visa vs. Mastercard

From booking airline tickets to hotel reservations, using a credit card can be convenient as well as rewarding. If you are wondering which payment network gives you more benefits, Visa vs Mastercard, you are not alone. 

These are the most popular card networks in the world. They provide a payment facility for banks and merchants and ensure smooth payments. As a frequent traveller, you can choose either of these networks and use your credit card seamlessly. Though these networks have some differences in features, they are minimal. 

Visa Vs Mastercard: Benefits In Details

To understand which is better, you need to know the travel-related benefits of both networks first. You can then decide more thoughtfully whether a Visa or Mastercard credit card is best for you.

Guide To Visa Credit Cards

With a market share of almost 60%, Visa is considered the biggest payment network in the worldwide payments sector. 

Credit cards offered by Visa are divided into these categories:

1. Classic

2. Gold

3. Platinum

4. Signature

5. Infinite

When you travel with a Visa credit card, you can stay safe and enjoy a range of insurance covers across 200 countries. While all cards offer you zero liability protection in case of fraud, Visa Signature and Infinite cards come with:

• Compensation for lost luggage

• Compensation for trip cancellation, disruption, and delay

• Offers at more than 900 luxury hotels

• Benefits on renting cars 

• Priority pass lounge access

Guide To Mastercard Credit Cards

Similar to Visa, Mastercard is an international organisation that holds a 30% market share and is ranked as the second-largest payment network. It is accepted in 210 countries and territories globally. 

Credit cards offered by Mastercard are of various types, such as:

1. World

2. World Elite

3. Standard 

4. Platinum

While travelling with a Mastercard credit card, you can get luxury benefits at hotels, resorts and events. Enjoy travel perks like:

• Complimentary breakfast based on the hotel you book

• Amenity credits that you can use for hotel facilities 

• Exclusive access to PGA tour golf outings 

• Exclusive access to movie festivals 

• Private culinary classes

Safety and emergency benefits of insurance and purchase protection are also offered by Mastercard credit cards. Here are a few common benefits:

• Mobile device protection cover

• Global emergency services offering 24X7 multilingual support

• ID theft protection to warn you of fraudulent activity

• Travel accident and trip cancellation insurance  

Which Is Better For Travel Purposes?

There are very slight differences between Mastercard and Visa credit cards. Selecting a card solely based on its network is thus not the right way to go. Instead, you can compare a credit card for the travel benefits it offers. 

For instance, if you travel often by train, get a card that offers you cashback on railway tickets. This way, you can save more. If you book through a certain travel aggregator, use their co-branded travel credit card to maximise your benefits. Lastly, before selecting a travel credit card that meets your needs, consider the joining and yearly fees. 

Things To Remember Before Choosing a Mastercard or Visa Card

• Mastercard provides high-end rewards on their World and World Elite level cards, which may be quite appealing

• Even with the most basic Visa card, you can enjoy benefits such as :

• Stolen or lost card reporting 

• Immediate card replacement 

• Emergency cash withdrawal 

• Roadside assistance 

• Zero liability

Why Use A Credit Card For Travel?

Paying with your card can be a breeze, no matter whether you’re going on a holiday or a work trip. With the help of these cards, you can easily get:

• Great discounts on flight and train tickets

• Flat discounts or upgrades on hotel room bookings

• Reward points and air miles that can help you save more 

• Less forex mark-up fees

• Complimentary lounge access benefits

• Travel and baggage insurance

• 24X7 emergency assistance

If you are looking for a rewarding card that gives you an option to choose from both Mastercard and Visa, then the One Credit Card is the perfect choice. You can avail of multiple offers on travel from brands like Ixigo, Cleartrip, Yatra, and more. 

For instance:

• Get 8% off up to ₹5,000 on international flights booked through Cleartrip

• Get 15% off up to ₹8,000 on international hotels booked through MakeMyTrip

Use the One Credit Card App to monitor your expenses easily when you are travelling. To ensure that you don’t overspend, you can set spending limits in just a few taps. You can also get 5X reward points on your top two spending categories each month! Apply now and travel to your heart’s content while paying 0 joining or annual fees.