2 published verifications about National BankAmericard Inc. National BankAmericard Inc. ×
“National BankAmericard Inc. was formed in 1970 to manage the BankAmericard system under member-bank control.”
The historical record clearly supports this statement. In 1970, National BankAmericard Inc. was established to take over management of the BankAmericard system from Bank of America and place it under the control of participating member banks. Some sources add competitive or organizational context, but that does not alter the core fact.
“National BankAmericard Inc. changed the BankAmericard brand name to Visa in 1977 because of opposition to the Bank of America name as the payment system expanded globally.”
The core account is supported: international resistance to the Bank of America name was a real reason for adopting Visa. But the formal rebranding began in late 1976, with card rollout in 1977, and the change was also driven by the need for one unified global brand.