Discover Network, Diners Club International and Merlin Entertainments announced a multi-year Discover Network Merlin partnership on 5 November 2026 that makes the two card brands the preferred payment method at Merlin’s London attractions, including the London Eye and Madame Tussauds, according to the release. Fintechbits checked Capital One’s filing and confirmed that Capital One completed its acquisition of Discover in May 2025, which makes the Discover Network Merlin deal a Capital One push for acceptance in Europe even though the release never names Capital One. No financial terms were disclosed.

Fintechbits analysis

Why the Discover Network Merlin deal matters to a card network

Merlin says it welcomes more than 60 million guests a year across more than 20 countries. The London sites named in the Discover Network Merlin deal are the London Eye, London Dungeon, Madame Tussauds, Shrek’s Adventure and SEA LIFE London Aquarium. Josh Atwood, SVP of Global Acceptance at Discover Network, said the goal is “to be everywhere our customers want to spend.” Acceptance is the long-standing weakness of Discover and Diners Club outside the United States: a cardholder who cannot use the card abroad stops carrying it. Which cards a merchant takes is set through its acquirer, as Fintechbits explains in what is merchant acquiring. Getting accepted at 100% of Merlin’s sites, card-present and online, closes gaps at exactly the tourist venues where American visitors spend. Discover Network says its network, with Diners Club and PULSE, is accepted in more than 185 countries and territories, but a claim of national coverage is different from being taken at the ticket desk of a specific attraction.

Dominique Sidley, Global VP Indirect Sales at Merlin Entertainments, said the deal gives guests “greater flexibility when it comes to how they pay.” “Preferred” status at the London sites is the more unusual part. The release does not say what preferred means in practice, whether through signage, checkout placement or pricing, and it does not mention any merchant fee terms. Fintechbits has covered how acceptance costs shape what SMEs pay for cross-border card payments, and the release does not say whether preferred status came with a lower merchant fee.