Free cash flow
Visa Free cash flow decreased by 59.0% to $2.63B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 39.9%, from $4.37B to $2.63B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 10.4% CAGR. This decline may warrant attention — for this metric, higher values are generally preferred.
Analysis
How to read this metric
An increase suggests strong operational efficiency and the ability to self-fund future innovation or return capital to shareholders, while a decrease may indicate heavy capital expenditure cycles or declining operational profitability.
Detailed definition
Free cash flow represents the cash generated by a company after accounting for cash outflows to support operations and m...
Peer comparison
High-growth semiconductor and AI infrastructure peers typically prioritize reinvestment, so free cash flow margins are often compared against R&D intensity and capital expenditure requirements of industry rivals.
cf_free_cash_flowHistorical Data
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $4.24B | $3.76B | $4.06B | $3.22B | $5.02B | $5.58B | $3.92B | $3.65B | $5.50B | $6.62B | $3.35B | $4.26B | $4.73B | $6.36B | $5.05B | $4.37B | $6.31B | $5.85B | $6.40B | $2.63B |
| QoQ Change | — | -11.1% | +7.9% | -20.6% | +55.7% | +11.2% | -29.7% | -6.9% | +50.7% | +20.4% | -49.5% | +27.2% | +11.2% | +34.2% | -20.5% | -13.5% | +44.4% | -7.3% | +9.5% | -59.0% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +18.5% | +48.3% | -3.4% | +13.3% | +9.7% | +18.7% | -14.7% | +16.6% | -14.0% | -4.0% | +50.9% | +2.6% | +33.3% | -8.0% | +26.7% | -39.9% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Visa's free cash flow?
- Visa (V) reported free cash flow of $2.63B in Q1 2026.
- How has Visa's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Visa's free cash flow decreased by 39.9% year-over-year, from $4.37B to $2.63B.
- What is the long-term trend for Visa's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Visa's free cash flow has grown at a 10.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $14.52B to $21.58B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.