Visa began in 1958 as BankAmericard, a credit-card program launched by Bank of America.
BankAmericard was introduced in Fresno, California, in September 1958. It was among the first general-purpose credit cards to offer revolving credit, allowing customers to carry balances rather than repay the entire amount immediately. Bank of America later licensed the program to banks outside California, creating a broader card network.
In 1976, the international network adopted the name Visa. The new name was intended to work across languages and countries, avoiding the limits of a brand tied directly to one bank or nation. Visa became an independent company and later expanded into debit cards, electronic payments, merchant services, and payment-network technology.
A common mix-up is identifying BankAmericard as a separate modern competitor. It was the predecessor of Visa, while Master Charge later became Mastercard. Visa generally does not issue cards directly to consumers; member financial institutions issue cards using Visa’s network and products.