Walmart Canada (WMT) will stop accepting Visa cards at its 16 stores in the province of Manitoba starting on Oct. 24, a spokesman said on Wednesday, raising the stakes in a high-profile fee dispute.
Manitoba was “most ready” for not accepting Visa cards, he said, without elaborating on why the province was chosen.
In a rare example of talks between a major retailer and credit card company spilling out in public, Walmart said in June it had been unable to agree with Visa (V) on an “acceptable fee” and would no longer accept the company’s credit cards unless it got a better deal.
Visa cards may be banned in more stores if the companies cannot reach an agreement, the Walmart spokesman said, though he did not say which ones.
“We’re committed to continuing negotiations with Visa, and we are still hopeful to reach an agreement.”
The rejection of Visa in Manitoba would follow the retailer’s decision in July to stop accepting Visa cards in three Ontario stores—a step that would be mirrored across the country, Walmart had said at the time.
Walmart has over 400 stores in Canada.
The negotiations do not affect the U.S. Stores of parent Wal-Mart Stores Inc.