Card Acceptance Mark

A card acceptance mark is the official logo, symbol or design of a card brand that a merchant shows at the entrance, checkout, payment terminal or online payment page to signal that it accepts that brand's cards. Card schemes license their marks to acquirers, which pass the right to use them to merchants under the merchant agreement. Card network rules set how marks may be shown, including size, colour and placement, and link display to obligations: a merchant that shows a mark generally agrees to honour valid cards carrying that brand, subject to local law. Marks also appear on the cards themselves, together with symbols such as the contactless indicator, which shows that a card or terminal supports contactless transactions. On a co-badged card, two marks appear, and rules govern which network may be used. For merchants, the marks are part of card acceptance and help customers know their payment method will work.