MA options flow: unusual options activity in Mastercard Inc.
Updated 28 September 2026, 09:54 ET
Over the last week the tape recorded 122 unusual options prints in Mastercard Inc. (MA), $7.7M of tracked premium, leaning bullish. Bullish premium was $3.8M against $2.7M bearish; $4.7M went into calls and $3.0M into puts, a put call ratio of 0.64. The largest print was $385K of MA 20 Nov 2026 $550 puts on 24 September 2026, swept at ask. The last session with prints, 25 September 2026, added 34 prints and $2.4M of premium. MA closed at $567.65 on 25 September 2026, up 0.3%.
This week's unusual flow
Prints from 21 September 2026 to 25 September 2026, 5 sessions. Delayed tier: every print is shown twenty minutes after it executed, and the page is rebuilt after each session.
Net premium is bullish minus bearish premium. The put call ratio is put premium divided by call premium, weighted by money rather than by contract count. Sweeps is the share of prints executed across several exchanges at once. Read the guide: Reading the Pulse.
Largest prints of the week
| Date | Contract | Type | Size | Open int. | Premium | Execution | Sentiment | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Sep 2026 | MA 20 Nov 2026 $550 puts | Sweep | 260 | 163 | $385K | At ask | Bearish | Whale |
| 25 Sep 2026 | MA 16 Oct 2026 $575 puts | Sweep | 227 | 478 | $337K | At bid | Bullish | High conviction |
| 25 Sep 2026 | MA 21 Jan 2028 $600 calls | Trade | 50 | 199 | $325K | At ask | Bullish | Notable |
| 23 Sep 2026 | MA 18 Dec 2026 $550 calls | Sweep | 79 | 0 | $263K | At bid | Bearish | High conviction |
| 21 Sep 2026 | MA 16 Oct 2026 $565 calls | Sweep | 184 | 221 | $232K | At ask | Bullish | High conviction |
| 21 Sep 2026 | MA 19 Jan 2029 $700 puts | Sweep | 15 | 0 | $217K | At bid | Bullish | High conviction |
| 21 Sep 2026 | MA 21 Jan 2028 $500 puts | Trade | 70 | 188 | $195K | At bid | Bullish | |
| 25 Sep 2026 | MA 15 Dec 2028 $720 calls | Trade | 30 | 462 | $164K | At ask | Bullish | |
| 21 Sep 2026 | MA 16 Apr 2027 $565 calls | Trade | 33 | 32 | $157K | At bid | Bearish | Notable |
| 25 Sep 2026 | MA 15 Dec 2028 $720 calls | Trade | 28 | 462 | $152K | At ask | Bullish | Notable |
| 24 Sep 2026 | MA 20 Nov 2026 $535 puts | Sweep | 132 | 180 | $132K | At ask | Bearish | High conviction |
| 21 Sep 2026 | MA 16 Oct 2026 $565 calls | Sweep | 97 | 221 | $122K | At ask | Bullish | Notable |
Size above open interest means the trade opened a position larger than everything that existed in the contract the night before. Above ask and below bid are the most aggressive executions. Read the guide: Size versus open interest.
Where the money is aimed
| Expiry | Prints | Premium | Calls share | Net premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Jan 2028 | 24 | $1.5M | 77% | +$797K |
| 16 Oct 2026 | 17 | $1.4M | 46% | +$768K |
| 17 Jun 2027 | 18 | $838K | 87% | -$289K |
| 15 Dec 2028 | 12 | $775K | 100% | +$339K |
| 20 Nov 2026 | 3 | $582K | 11% | -$582K |
| 17 Sep 2027 | 13 | $504K | 0% | -$100K |
The most premium, $1.5M, is aimed at the 21 Jan 2028 expiry; the nearest expiry with unusual prints is 16 Oct 2026.
A print in a contract expiring this week is a view about the next few days, often about a known event; a print months out is a different kind of statement. Read the guide: 0DTE options flow.
The last session, 25 September 2026
| Date | Contract | Type | Size | Open int. | Premium | Execution | Sentiment | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Sep 2026 | MA 16 Oct 2026 $575 puts | Sweep | 227 | 478 | $337K | At bid | Bullish | High conviction |
| 25 Sep 2026 | MA 21 Jan 2028 $600 calls | Trade | 50 | 199 | $325K | At ask | Bullish | Notable |
| 25 Sep 2026 | MA 15 Dec 2028 $720 calls | Trade | 30 | 462 | $164K | At ask | Bullish | |
| 25 Sep 2026 | MA 15 Dec 2028 $720 calls | Trade | 28 | 462 | $152K | At ask | Bullish | Notable |
| 25 Sep 2026 | MA 16 Oct 2026 $575 puts | Sweep | 76 | 478 | $115K | At ask | Bearish | Notable |
Every print in MA with its full detail, the live tape, one tap filters and saved screeners: open MA in Options Sentiment Screener.
Price
The live quote and the price chart sit beside the ticker's flow in the app: open MA in Options Sentiment Screener.
Analysts
The most recent analyst targets on file, from 18 firms, have a median of $670, 18.0% above the last close.
Calls bought at a strike above the average target are a bet that the analysts are too cautious; puts far below the price in a name they like are protection or a strong disagreement. Read the guide: Reading one ticker's flow.
About Mastercard Inc.
- Exchange
- NYSE
- Sector
- Financials
- Industry
- Business Services
- Headquarters
- New York, New York
- Website
- mastercard.com
Mastercard Incorporated provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. It facilitates the processing of payment transactions, including authorization, clearing, and settlement. The company offers payment solutions and services under the MasterCard, Maestro, and Cirrus.
In the same sector
Flow pages for other Financials names in the S&P 500:
JPM JPMorgan Chase & Co.V Visa Inc.BAC Bank of America Corp.MS Morgan StanleyGS Goldman Sachs Group Inc.WFC Wells Fargo & CompanyC Citigroup Inc.AXP American Express Co.
Learn
- What unusual options activity means
- Reading one ticker's flow
- Sweeps, blocks and where a trade printed
- Size versus open interest
- Bullish or bearish, how a print's sentiment is inferred
- The conviction score and whale prints
The live tape for MA with every print's execution detail, one tap filters for calls, puts, sweeps and 0DTE, saved screeners and, for Realtime subscribers, push alerts and no delay. The same screen is in the iOS and Android apps.
Open MA in Options Sentiment Screener