【英语国际】Visa封杀银联海外结算 美国运通不仿效

Visa Inc.'s move to stop banks from using China UnionPay's rival network to process certain international payment transactions with credit cards that share both firms' logo could be a sign of Visa's dissatisfaction with the limited access it is permitted in China's market.

However, Luisa Megales, spokeswoman for American Express Co, said her company didn't intend to pursue a similar course of action to Visa.

Visa, as previously reported, said it is reasserting what it claims is its right to process the transactions. The move is specific to certain cards bearing the joint Visa and UnionPay symbols and is likely to mainly affect Chinese cardholders traveling overseas, who may face higher fees. Some banks outside China have opted to use UnionPay's fast-expanding network to process card transactions internationally instead of the Visa network as Visa requires, often in order to take advantage of lower fees.

Credit-card companies are feeling increasingly frustrated with their limited access to the lucrative Chinese market, where UnionPay has a near monopoly on processing card payments. That allows it to collect fees on almost all credit-card transactions in China, regardless of whether it is a foreign card being used by a tourist visiting from overseas or the card has been issued locally by a Chinese bank.

UnionPay has also expanded its own international network in competition with systems run by Visa and MasterCard Inc.

Jennifer Liu, Visa's China-based spokeswoman, said Visa hasn't set a timetable to start the policy, which involves banning banks from using the UnionPay network in processing activity on the jointly branded cards. 'Chinese consumers who use a Visa card outside China have every right to expect that the transaction will deliver all the protections and benefits associated with the Visa brand,' she said.

UnionPay said the move affects the rights of cardholders and disputed Visa's assertion that in international transactions using dual-branded cards, the Visa brand takes precedence.

A spokesman for MasterCard in the U.S. said the company had no comment on Visa's action.

Visa Inc.要禁止银行通过中国银联(China UnionPay)的竞争性通道结算用带有两家公司标识的信用卡支付的某些国际性交易，该举动可能是Visa对其在中国市场结算业务受限的一种不满表示。

但美国运通公司(American Express Co.)发言人米加雷斯（Luisa Megales）说，其公司不打算采取类似行动。

在媒体报道中，Visa公司再次宣称该公司要采取的措施是其进行交易结算的权利。该措施特别针对具有Visa及中国银联双标识的某些信用卡，可能受此影响的主要是在海外旅行的中国持卡人，这些持卡人用此类信用卡进行支付可能要多付结算费。中国之外的某些银行选择使用中国银联的快速扩张通道进行信用卡国际交易结算，而非Visa要求的Visa通道。通常用中国银联的结算通道费用低。

多家信用卡公司对在有利可图的中国市场开展业务受到限制越来越灰心。在中国市场上，中国银联几乎垄断了整个信用卡结算市场，因而几乎囊括中国市场上所有的信用卡交易结算费，而不论是海外游客来华使用的国外信用卡，还是某家中国银行发行的国内信用卡。

中国银联同时也扩展其国际结算通道，与Visa及万事达卡公司(MasterCard Inc.)的结算通道形成竞争。

Visa中国发言人刘婕说，Visa还未制定时间表来施行这项封堵银行采用中国银联通道结算双标识信用卡交易的政策。她说，在中国之外使用Visa卡的中国消费者有充分权利期待这种交易会带来Visa卡所具有的各种安全性与好处。

中国银联说，Visa的这项举措会使持卡人的权利受到影响，并驳斥了Visa宣称的在双标识卡进行国际交易时Visa卡享有优先权的说法。

美国万事达卡的一位发言人说，该公司对Visa的行为不予置评。