Visa's quarterly profit rises 11.5 percent

(Reuters) - Visa Inc, the world's largest credit and debit card company, reported an 11.5 percent rise in quarterly profit on Thursday as a strengthening U.S. job market and cheaper gasoline prices encouraged people to spend.

Visa's net income rose to $1.57 billion, or $2.53 per Class A share, in the first quarter ended Dec. 31 from $1.41 billion, or $2.20 per Class A share, a year earlier.

Total operating revenue increased 7 percent to $3.38 billion.

(Reporting by Amrutha Gayathri in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)