JACKSON HOLE, WYO – Kroger Company said its Smith’s Food & Drug Stores will no longer accept Visa Inc credit cards beginning April 3, citing “excessive” fees.
Smith’s will be the second Kroger retail chain to kick Visa to the curb. Foods Co. Supermarkets, based in California, stopped accepting Visa credit cards in August 2018.
“Visa has been misusing its position and charging retailers excessive fees for a long time,” said Kroger Chief Financial Officer Mike Schlotman in a prepared statement. “At Smith’s, Visa’s credit card fees are higher than any other credit card brand that we accept.”
Smith’s operates some 142 supermarkets and 108 fuel centers in Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and Arizona. The ban does not include debit cards.
