VISA Cards:  

Before its' Initial Public Offer (IPO) in early 2008, Visa Inc. was operated as a membership organization involving financial institutions that issued Visa branded credit, debit and prepaid cards. The corporation has its roots in 1958 when Bank of America launched the BankAmericard program in California. Bank of America gave up control of the BankAmericard program to its various issuers in 1970. In 1972, a number of banks operating the BankAmericard program outside the U.S. created IBANCO a membership organization. In 1974, IBANCO and NBI (National BankAmericard Inc.) changed the BankAmericard name to Visa. Visa card has a strong presence in Canada with numerous banks issuing cards carrying the Visa logo. Merchants and retailers always accept the Visa brand alongside its major competitor MasterCard. Individuals and business owners carrying cards of either network should have no problems purchasing from favourite stores.