MasterCard is a brand of credit card operated by MasterCard International, a membership organization owned by the banks that issue its card. It was originally created by what was then the United California Bank (now First Interstate Bank) as a competitor to what is now the Visa credit card (now issued by Visa International), which at that time was BankAmericard and was issued by Bank of America. MasterCard is also part of the Cirrus ATM (cash machine) network, and also has the Maestro debit card network as well as the Master Money debit card, which competes against Visa International's more successful Check card.
