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At the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina, official sports venues and fan zones will only be able to pay by Visa or cash. Cards of other brands, including Mastercard, will not work at the payment terminals on campus. It is reported on the official website of the Olympic Games.
It is not just a sports field “behind the fence”. The same rule applies in the main Olympic fan shop with official souvenirs in Milan’s Piazza del Duomo. Fans can’t even buy a plushie or a sweatshirt there without a Visa card. They do not accept Mastercard cards, you can only pay by Visa or cash, as Seznam Zpravy described in a recent report.
This is not a fundamental innovation, Visa has been the official payment partner of the Olympic Games since 1986, and the exclusive acceptance of its cards directly in the Olympic grounds has been valid for a long time at the Games.
This restriction applies in particular to the payment of food, drinks and licensed goods directly at sports venues or in official game stores. The restriction does not apply to everyday life outside the Olympic grounds – for example, in shops, restaurants or hotels, you can pay with cards normally, depending on what a particular merchant accepts.
On the games’ official website, Visa is presented as the “official payment method” and the only accepted type of card within the gaming space, which is linked to its role as the games’ official payment partner. The company obtains this status as part of a long-term partnership with the International Olympic Committee and the Paralympic Movement until 2032.
Nevertheless, when buying tickets online through the official website, it is still true that Visa and Mastercard debit and credit cards can be used. According to the available information, the restrictions do not apply to the purchase of tickets.
According to the available materials, the restriction of cards of other brands in the campuses is not determined by the technical limits of the terminals, but results purely from marketing and sponsorship partnerships. Visa has a privileged position at the Games, similar to how other brands or suppliers may have exclusive status at other major events.
