Visa vs Mastercard
VVisa Inc.vs
MAMastercard Incorporated- Visa: The biggest card network. Toll-collector on global card spending.
- Mastercard: The other big card network. Same toll-collector model as Visa.
- Over the past five years Visa stock returned +54% versus +52% for Mastercard, in USD. Past performance is not a guide to the future.
- They compete in the same space (Payments), so many investors simply own both through a broad index fund instead of picking a winner.
Shown in USD. Past performance is not a reliable guide to future results.
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Industry
- Payments, Finance & banks
- Payments, Finance & banks
- 1Y return (USD)
- +2.2%
- -2.3%
- 3Y return (USD)
- +50.8%
- +37.6%
- 5Y return (USD)
- +53.6%
- +51.7%
- Trades in
- USD
- USD
VisaVThe biggest card network. Toll-collector on global card spending. Wide moat, predictable cash flows.
See full Visa details →MastercardMAThe other big card network. Same toll-collector model as Visa. Often moves in lockstep.
See full Mastercard details →
Available on Interactive Brokers
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Frequently asked questions
Which performed better, Visa or Mastercard?
Over the past five years Visa stock returned +54% and Mastercard returned +52% in US dollars, so Visa has been the stronger performer in that window. Past performance says little about the future, which is why the chart on this page lets you check other periods too.
Can I buy both Visa and Mastercard shares?
Yes. Nothing stops you owning both companies, and many investors do exactly that instead of trying to pick the winner. Both are available to investors worldwide through a broker such as Interactive Brokers.
Is it safer to buy an ETF instead?
A broad index fund holds hundreds of companies at once, usually including both of these, so a single bad year at one business barely dents it. Owning individual shares concentrates that risk, which is why many beginners keep single stocks to a small slice of a mostly fund-based portfolio.