Credit Card Market Share by Issuer (2025)
- ️Mon Aug 12 2024
The top 5 credit card issuers by market share are Chase, American Express, Citi, Capital One, and Bank of America, which collectively control more than 50% of the existing credit card market. Chase has been at the top of the market-share rankings since 2014.
Key Stats
- Top Credit Card Issuers by Purchase Volume (2023): Chase ($1,246 billion), American Express ($1,124 billion), Citi ($594 billion), Capital One ($575 billion) and Bank of America ($494 billion).
- Top Credit Card Issuers by Outstanding Balances (2021): Chase (16.54%), American Express (12.36%), Citi (11.56%), Capital One (10.51%) and Bank of America (9.92%).
- Top Credit Card Issuers by Outstanding Balances (2022): Synchrony Financial (41.44%), Citi Retail Services (22.30%), Capital One (9.83%), Bread Financial (8.45%) and Wells Fargo Retail Services (6.77%)
Credit Card Market Share by Outstanding Balances
| Rank (2021) | Bank | 2021 Outstanding Balances in Billions (% Market Share) | 2020 Outstanding Balances in Billions (% Market Share) | 2019 Outstanding Balances in Billions (% Market Share) | 2018 Outstanding Balances in Billions (% Market Share) | 2016 Outstanding Balances in Billions (% Market Share) | 2015 Outstanding Balances in Billions (% Market Share) | 2014 Outstanding Balances in Billions (% Market Share) | 2009 Outstanding Balances in Billions (% Market Share) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chase | $154.3 (16.54%) | $141.66 (16.57%) | $157.58 (16.55%) | $145.26 (16.10%) | $141.82 (14.17%) | $130.24 (14.17%) | $129.57 (14.86%) | $165.87 (18.70%) |
| 2 | American Express | $115.3 (12.36%) | $88.9 (10.40%) | $112.96 (11.87%) | $104.94 (11.60%) | $92.43 (9.24%) | $98.33 (10.70%) | $93.82 (10.76%) | $78.16 (8.81%) |
| 3 | Citi | $107.87 (11.56%) | $101.04 (11.82%) | $111.77 (11.74%) | $106.29 (11.70%) | $94.5 (9.44%) | $81.83 (8.90%) | $82.3 (9.44%) | $102.54 (11.56%) |
| 4 | Capital one | $98.03 (10.51%) | $89.94 (10.52%) | $96.71 (10.16%) | $94.32 (10.40%) | $90.43 (9.04%) | $82.03 (8.92%) | $72.66 (8.33%) | $55.46 (6.25%) |
| 5 | Bank of America | $92.57 (9.92%) | $94.31 (11.03%) | $106.56 (11.19%) | $106.58 (11.80%) | $101.56 (10.15%) | $99.76 (10.85%) | $100.24 (11.49%) | $145.1 (16.36%) |
| 6 | Discover | $74.37 (7.97%) | $70.2 (8.21%) | $72.37 (7.60%) | $67.81 (7.50%) | $61.52 (6.15%) | $57.9 (6.30%) | $56.13 (6.44%) | $48.9 (5.51%) |
| 7 | U.S. Bank | $40.09 (4.30%) | $38.05 (4.45%) | $40.57 (4.26%) | $37.32 (4.10%) | $37.16 (3.71%) | $34.09 (3.71%) | $32.88 (3.77%) | $20.17 (2.27%) |
| 8 | Wells Fargo | $34.77 (3.73%) | $35.01 (4.10%) | $41.53 (4.36%) | $40.7 (4.50%) | $38.83 (3.88%) | $35.41 (3.85%) | $35.21 (4.04%) | $30.89 (3.48%) |
| 9 | Barclays | $22.12 (2.37%) | $22.01 (2.58%) | $26.17 (2.75%) | $24.78 (2.70%) | $26.35 (2.63%) | $23.04 (2.51%) | $20.78 (2.38%) | $10.67 (1.20%) |
| 10 | Navy FCU | $21.76 (2.33%) | $19.2 (2.25%) | $18.06 (1.90%) | $15.67 (1.70%) | $12.49 (1.25%) | $10.76 (1.17%) | $9.51 (1.09%) | N/A N/A |
| 11 | Synchrony | $21.4 (2.29%) | $18.95 (2.22%) | $20.6 (2.16%) | $19.41 (2.10%) | $20.46 (2.04%) | $17.04 (1.85%) | $15.15 (1.74%) | N/A N/A |
| 12 | USAA | $14.47 (1.55%) | $16.4 (1.92%) | $18.72 (1.97%) | $18.66 (2.10%) | $18.93 (1.89%) | $18.47 (2.01%) | $17.78 (2.04%) | $12.96 (1.46%) |
| 13 | Credit One Bank | $8.25 (0.88%) | N/A N/A | N/A N/A | N/A N/A | N/A N/A | N/A N/A | N/A N/A | N/A N/A |
| 14 | Goldman Sachs | $8.21 (0.88%) | N/A N/A | N/A N/A | N/A N/A | N/A N/A | N/A N/A | N/A N/A | N/A N/A |
| 15 | PNC | $8.03 (0.86%) | $8.1 (0.95%) | $8.28 (0.87%) | N/A N/A | $6.39 (0.64%) | $5.95 (0.65%) | $5.56 (0.64%) | $5.08 (0.57%) |
(Source: Nilson Report, February 2022)
Credit Card Market Share by Purchase Volumes
| Rank | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2013 | 2011 | 2009 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chase | Chase | Chase | Chase | American Express | American Express | American Express | American Express | American Express | American Express | American Express | American Express | American Express |
| 2 | American Express | American Express | American Express | American Express | Chase | Chase | Chase | Chase | Chase | Chase | Chase | Chase | Chase |
| 3 | Citi | Capital One | Citi | Citi | Citi | Citi | Citi | Citi | Bank of America | Bank of America | Bank of America | Bank of America | Citi |
| 4 | Capital One | Bank of America | Capital One | Bank of America | Bank of America | Bank of America | Bank of America | Bank of America | Citi | Citi | Citi | Citi | MBNA |
| 5 | Bank of America | Capital One | Capital One | Capital One | Capital One | Capital One | Capital One | Capital One | Capital One | Capital One | Bank of America | ||
| 6 | Discover | Discover | Discover | U.S. Bank | U.S. Bank | Discover | Discover | Discover | Discover | Discover | Discover | Discover | Capital One |
| 7 | U.S. Bank | U.S. Bank | U.S. Bank | Discover | Discover | U.S. Bank | U.S. Bank | U.S. Bank | Wells Fargo | U.S. Bank | U.S. Bank | U.S. Bank | Discover |
(Source: Nilson Report, February 2024)
Credit Card Market Share by Cards in Circulation
(Source: Nilson Report, February 2022)
Store Credit Card Market Share
Overview of the Store Credit Market
| 2022 | 2021 | Change 2022 vs 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purchase Volume (in Billions) | $218.85 | $206.85 | 5.80% |
| Outstandings (in Billions) | $128.86 | $117.04 | 10.10% |
| Cards in circulation (in Millions) | 301.5 | 302.10 | (0.20%) |
(Source: Nilson Report, September 2023)
Store Credit Card Market Share by Purchase Volume
| Rank (2022) | Issuer | Market Share (2022) | Purchase Volume in Millions (2022) | Purchase Volume in Millions (2021) | Purchase Volume in Millions (2018) | Purchase Volume in Millions (2015) | Purchase Volume in Millions (2014) | Purchase Volume in Millions (2012) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Synchrony Financial | 40.42% | $88,450 | $82,818 | $71,210 | $61,983 | $54,371 | $54,410 |
| 2 | Citi Retail Services | 22.51% | $49,270 | $46,394 | $46,692 | $49,440 | $48,000 | $41,416 |
| 5 | Capital One | 15.63% | $34,210 | $32,335 | $18,912 | $36,410 | $32,509 | $19,148 |
| 3 | TD Bank | 6.81% | $14,910 | $14,777 | $17,253 | $9,335 | $6,915 | $770 |
| 6 | Bread Financial | 6.47% | $14,170 | $21,149 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 4 | Wells Fargo Retail Services | 4.05% | $8,870 | $7,753 | $13,944 | $7,789 | $7,017 | $5,568 |
| 7 | AAFES (Military Star Card) | 0.90% | $1,960 | $1,872 | $1,931 | $1,714 | $1,863 | $2,033 |
(Source: Nilson Report, August 2013 - September 2023)
Store Credit Card Market Share by Outstanding Balances
(Source: Nilson Report, September 2023)
Business Credit Card Market Share
(Source: Nilson Report, May 2022)
Breakdown of Business Cards by Purchase Volume
| Issuer | Corporate Cards | Purchasing and Fleet Cards | Small Business Credit Cards | Small Business Debit Cards | Prepaid Cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase | $2.47 | $54.50 | $99.46 | $20.1 | $0.0 |
| Bank of America | $6.52 | $43.42 | $51.57 | $50.5 | $25.5 |
| Wells Fargo | $0.0 | $28.69 | $15.86 | $48.5 | $0.3 |
| U.S. Bank | $3.09 | $40.81 | $25.79 | $6.8 | $11.0 |
| Capital One | $0.0 | $0.73 | $77.58 | $2.5 | $0.0 |
| Citibank | $10.97 | $18.73 | $32.66 | $2.7 | $0.0 |
| Comdata | $0.0 | $47.83 | $0.0 | $0.0 | $1.8 |
| PNC | $2.20 | $14.85 | $06.51 | $9.8 | $0.0 |
| Bancorp | $0.0 | $0.0 | $0.0 | $0.7 | $32.2 |
| Comerica | $0.0 | $2.02 | $0.0 | $0.8 | $29.8 |
| Truist | $0.86 | $6.28 | $5.72 | $11.6 | $0.0 |
| Meta Bank | $0.0 | $0.0 | $0.0 | $0.0 | $24.2 |
Note: The values in the above chart are in billions.
(Source: Nilson Report, May 2022)
Credit Card Market Share by Issuer FAQ(9 questions)
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What is the most common credit card?
The most common credit cards are Visa cards, followed closely by Mastercard, based on the number of cards each network has in circulation. Both networks have hundreds of millions of cards from a variety of issuers and are the most widely accepted both in the U.S. and worldwide.
These credit cards aren't issued by Visa and Mastercard themselves, however. Many different banks and credit unions handle that. The most common credit card issuer is Chase, as the company has more than 149 million cards in circulation in the U.S., according to the Nilson Report. Chase and other large banks issue many of the most widely-used credit cards.
Credit Card Issuers With the Most Cards in Circulation
- Chase: 3 million
- Capital One: 9 million
- Citibank: 7 million
(Source: Nilson Report, 2022)
All of these networks and card issuers offer popular cards that are worth considering as you look for a credit card. It's good to compare offers before you apply, and WalletHub's free comparison tool can help you decide which card will best fit your needs.
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Yes, Chase is a good credit card company for rewards, travel, and small business features, according to WalletHub reviews. Chase credit cards also have a user rating of 3.8/5 on WalletHub, based on more than 27,000 reviews.
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The best credit card network is a tie between Visa and Mastercard, when judged based on network size and merchant acceptance, both domestically and worldwide. Secondary benefits are another point of judgment, in which Visa and Amex win. But when judged on foreign transaction fees, Discover wins. So, which card network is best depends on which of these qualities benefits you most.
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A credit card issuer is a financial institution that provides credit cards to consumers. Credit card issuers manage the credit card application process and choose the cards' terms, requirements and perks.
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