Visa Direct and Mastercard Send: what they are, how they work, and when to use each payment solution

Speed has become one of the most important factors in the payment experience. Today, both consumers and businesses expect to receive their money within seconds, whether it’s a refund, payment for a service, or a loan disbursement.

In this context, Visa Direct and Mastercard Send have established themselves as two of the most advanced solutions for enabling real-time payments through card networks. Both allow businesses to send money directly to a card quickly, securely, and with global reach.

In this article, we’ll explain how Visa Direct and Mastercard Send work, how they differ from other payment methods, and the business scenarios where each solution delivers the greatest value.

What are Visa Direct and Mastercard Send?

Visa Direct and Mastercard Send are push-to-card payment networks, a technology that enables funds to be sent directly to a debit or prepaid card without requiring the recipient’s IBAN or bank account details.

Unlike a traditional card payment, where a merchant charges a customer, the flow is reversed: the business sends money directly to the recipient.

This technology enables businesses to perform a wide range of disbursements, including:

• Customer refunds
• Supplier and contractor payments
• International remittances
• Marketplace and digital platform payouts
• Wallet and financial app cash-outs
• Insurance claim payments

In many cases, funds are available within seconds, depending on the issuing bank and the card network involved.

How do push-to-card payments work?

The process is remarkably simple. Instead of requesting the recipient’s IBAN or bank account number, the sender only needs the debit or prepaid card number.

The business submits the payment instruction through Visa Direct or Mastercard Send, and the card network processes the transaction in near real time. If both the card and the issuing bank support the service, the recipient receives the funds within seconds or just a few minutes.

This significantly reduces friction and creates a faster, more seamless payment experience, especially in situations where speed is critical.

Benefits of Visa Direct and Mastercard Send

Near-instant payments

The biggest advantage is speed. Compared with traditional payment methods, these solutions enable businesses to make almost immediate disbursements.

24/7 availability

Payments can be processed every day of the year, including weekends and public holidays, without being restricted by banking hours.

Global reach

By leveraging the Visa and Mastercard networks, businesses can send funds to millions of eligible cards worldwide.

Reduced friction

There’s no need to request the recipient’s IBAN. A card number is all that’s required, making the process faster and improving the customer experience.

Security and compliance

Both Visa Direct and Mastercard Send incorporate the security standards of their respective card networks while complying with regulatory requirements and fraud prevention measures.

Visa Direct vs. Mastercard Send vs. SEPA Instant: What’s the difference?

Although all three solutions are designed to enable faster payments, there are important differences between them.

SEPA Instant allows real-time bank transfers between accounts using an IBAN. The service is available only within the SEPA area, which currently consists of 37 countries, including all 27 European Union member states as well as participating countries such as Andorra, Iceland and Norway.

By contrast, Visa Direct and Mastercard Send use the card network infrastructure to send funds directly to debit or prepaid cards, providing significantly broader international reach.

In general terms:

• SEPA Instant is the preferred option for instant bank transfers within Europe.
• Visa Direct and Mastercard Send are ideal for international payments, instant refunds and fast customer disbursements.

Rather than choosing one technology over another, businesses should select the solution that best fits each specific use case.

Use cases for Visa Direct and Mastercard Send

Which businesses can benefit from a real-time payment solution?

Marketplaces

Marketplaces can pay sellers, delivery drivers and service providers as soon as a transaction is completed. By enabling instant payouts, they improve liquidity, reduce waiting times and create a better experience for platform users.

Ecommerce and travel

Refunds are one of the most sensitive touchpoints in the customer journey. Returning funds directly to the customer’s card within minutes increases satisfaction, strengthens trust and enhances the overall shopping experience.

Tax free companies

Tax Free providers can refund VAT directly to international travellers’ payment cards without requiring them to wait several days for a traditional bank transfer. This speeds up the refund process, improves the traveller’s experience and streamlines refund operations.

Fintech and digital wallets

Fintech companies and digital wallet providers can enable users to withdraw funds instantly to their debit cards. This gives customers faster access to their money while improving the overall user experience.

Money Remittance

Money transfer providers can accelerate the delivery of funds by sending them directly to the recipient’s card through the Visa or Mastercard networks. This allows recipients to access their money within seconds or minutes, even for cross-border transactions.

Microloans

Financial institutions can disburse approved loans or cash advances almost instantly. This reduces waiting times and ensures customers receive funds exactly when they need them.

Insurance

Insurance companies can send claim payments and compensation directly to the policyholder’s card. Fast payouts improve customer satisfaction and are particularly valuable in situations where immediate access to funds is essential.

Gambling

Online gaming and betting platforms can pay out winnings almost instantly. This reduces waiting times, improves the player experience and gives users immediate access to their funds.

B2B Businesses

Businesses can also use these solutions to make urgent payments to suppliers, contractors and business partners. Faster disbursements help optimise cash flow and strengthen commercial relationships.

Visa Direct and Mastercard Send: two complementary solutions

Although they are often compared, Visa Direct and Mastercard Send are not competing technologies. Both enable real-time push-to-card payments and support similar use cases, including refunds, supplier payments, remittances and loan disbursements.

The key difference lies in the infrastructure each solution uses. Visa Direct operates through the Visa network, while Mastercard Send runs on the Mastercard network. As a result, availability depends on factors such as the recipient’s country, issuing bank and card type.

For many businesses, the most effective strategy is to support both solutions. This maximises coverage and ensures that as many recipients as possible can receive funds instantly.

How can Visa Direct and Mastercard Send complement an online payment gateway?

An online payment gateway or virtual POS enables businesses to accept payments by card, digital wallets and other payment methods. However, accepting payments is only one part of an effective payment strategy.

Many businesses also need to issue instant refunds, marketplace payouts, supplier payments and other real-time disbursements.

This is where Visa Direct and Mastercard Send complement a payment gateway. Together, they enable businesses to manage both incoming payments and outgoing disbursements through a single payment infrastructure, creating a more efficient operation, a better customer experience and greater flexibility to support new business models.

The future of payments is instant

Businesses no longer compete solely on the quality of their products or services. Increasingly, they compete on the quality of the payment experience they provide.

Reducing waiting times, eliminating friction and ensuring that customers receive their money exactly when they need it has become a significant competitive advantage.

Visa Direct and Mastercard Send represent another step towards a payment ecosystem where transactions are faster, simpler and truly global.

Looking to integrate Visa Direct or Mastercard Send into your business?

Online payment gateway, virtual POS and real-time payments on a single platform

At PaynoPain, we provide a comprehensive payment platform that combines an online payment gateway, a virtual POS and real-time payment solutions such as Visa Direct and Mastercard Send.

With a single integration, your business can accept payments, automate refunds and manage domestic and international payouts securely, efficiently and at scale, all through one platform.

Whether you operate an ecommerce business, marketplace, fintech, insurance company, travel platform or any other business model, we help you implement the payment solution that best fits your needs while delivering a fast, secure and frictionless payment experience.

If you’d like to learn how Visa Direct and Mastercard Send can help streamline your payment operations, get in touch with our team. We’ll help you find the right solution for your business.