Payment services sometimes deny purchases to ‘protect brand’
Cietan Kitney, Visa’s head of product for Asia Pacific, confirmed last week that while Visa hopes to provide payment services to legal and legal products and services wherever possible, it may sometimes refuse purchases to “protect the brand.” During a Q&A session at the company’s briefing on its Osaka expansion plans, Kitney answered questions about the recent spate of credit card companies refusing to process payments for websites and services that may carry adult content (which is legal in Japan).
Kitney added that such decisions to refuse a purchase may involve Visa’s global and local policies, and it is important for the company to maintain honesty and integrity moving forward.
Over the past two years, many websites and services in Japan have had to ban payments through various services such as Visa and Mastercard because customers’ payments through these services were declined. Such sites include, but are not limited to: Nico Nico, Melonbooks and Toranoana, DLSite (also not allowed American Express), Fantia, Manga Library Z and Fanza, etc.
Source: Impress Watch via Hachima Kikoo
