The world of finance is unpredictable. The financial company that is growing today might face a sudden downfall tomorrow. Since its existence, the market has witnessed the growth of many credit card companies. While some have faced abrupt, unexpected conclusions, others have managed to stay afloat. This article features a comprehensive list of the top credit card companies of all time. These companies have transformed the financial world in more ways than one through their innovative services and products coupled with strategic operations.
Top Credit Card Companies of All Time:
American Express
It is a multinational company providing financial services with its headquarters in New York. The company was established in 1850. Last year, Fortune magazine had ranked the company at number 9 on its list of the top 100 companies based on employee satisfaction. The current CEO is Stephen Joseph Squeri who has assumed office since 2018.
AMEX is the largest credit card company as per the purchase volume. This is mainly because most of the cards that it issues are designed for high spenders who have excellent or good credit. According to a study conducted by J.D.Power in August 2019, the company is best known for customer satisfaction.
Bank of America
It is a multinational investment bank with its headquarters in North Carolina. The bank was established in San Fransisco in 1998 through the acquisition of BankAmerica by NationsBank. Its main financial services focus on wealth management, investment banking, and commercial banking. In 2018, the Euromoney Institutional Investor had named this institution as the world’s best bank’.
Bank of America provides a wide assortment of credit cards to people having low to excellent credit scores. Instead of providing premium cards, the company offers credit cards with no or minimum annual fees. Being one of the most famous credit card companies, the company boasts of a robust banking department.
Capital One
It is a bank holding company offering specialized services in terms of auto loans, credit loans, savings accounts, and banking. With its headquarters in Virginia, the company was founded in 1994. Last year, Fortune magazine had given the 24th position to the bank as one of the most preferred places to work for.
The company is one of the best issuers in the case of international travelers since its cards do not require foreign transaction fees. The annual fees charged by the bank are also nominal and affordable. The bank was one of the chief institutions to initiate the marketing of credit cards on a large scale.
Chase
This multinational company is an investment bank that offers financial services. JPMorgan Chase and Co. is the largest bank in the US with its total assets amounting to US$3.213 trillion. It is one of the most notable credit card companies and is considered both a universal and a custodian bank. The Chase brand is part of the JPMorgan group.
It is used for retail banking activities, commercial banking, and credit card services. The original name of the present company was Chemical Bank that had acquired Chase Manhattan and taken the name of that company. Last October, the company announced its decision of working towards attaining carbon neutrality by the year 2050.
Citi
This is the consumer division of the multinational Citigroup. The company was established in 1812 and was known as the City Bank of New York. Later it was named the First National City Bank of New York. The bank has its branches in six metropolitan areas. It is a subsidiary of Citigroup and its products include credit card services, mortgages, personal loans, commercial loans, and line of credit.
The company possesses a strong banking section and is, therefore, one of the four largest banks in the US. Consumers prefer its credit card options mostly due to the option of cash back. The company also offers certain co-branded cards and partner cards with Visa and American Airlines respectively.
Discover
Discover Financial Services owns Discover Bank that provides personal loans, student loans, home equity loans, and credit cards. As per cards in force, Discover Bank ranks third in the list of the largest credit card brands in the US. This company has almost 50 million cardholders and is undoubtedly one of the top credit card companies.
Discover was established in 1985 and its present headquarters are in Illinois. This company is also the owner of Diner Club International. It is an issuer as well as a network. As per a study conducted by J.D.Power, it is the top credit card issuer with regard to customer satisfaction.
U.S. Bank
The US Bancorp is a bank holding company located in Minnesota. It ranks fifth among the biggest banking institutions in the US. It offers banking, mortgage, investment, and payment services from individuals and governmental entities to businesses and financial institutions. Fortune magazine has ranked it at the 117th position.
The company is also the owner of Elavon and Elan Financial Services. While the former processes credit card transactions, the latter issues credit card productions to financial institutions and the US Bank. It is one of the most acclaimed credit card companies which is famous for providing a credit card for every need.
Wells Fargo
This multinational company has its corporate and operational headquarters in California and Manhattan respectively. In 2002, Fortune magazine had ranked the company at 30 in the list of the largest corporations in the world when measured by total revenue.
Again, when evaluated by total assets, the company ranks fourth among the biggest banks of the US. For a very short time in 2007, the bank was the only triple-A-rated bank that enjoyed the highest credit ratings among all its competitors.
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