The credit card market is highly competitive, ever-evolving, and top-heavy. As such, the hierarchy of companies in this space is very revealing. Issuer market share, and changes therein, indicate trends in financial brand recognition, consumer preference, and competitive dynamics. Such statistics also provide useful context to investors as they approach the banking sector.
Below you will find historical market share information for general-consumer credit cards, store credit cards, and business credit, expressed in terms of both purchase volume and outstanding balances.
Total Credit Card Market
Market Share of Issuers based on Outstanding Balances in 2018
Credit Card Issuers in the U.S. based on Outstanding Balances
| Rank (2018) | Bank | 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 | $145.26 (16.10%) | $141.82 (14.17%) | $130.24 (14.93%) | $129.57 (14.86%) | $165.87 (19.00%) |
| 2 | Bank of America | $106.58 (11.80%) | $101.56 (10.15%) | $99.76 (11.44%) | $100.24 (11.49%) | $145.10 (16.00%) |
| 3 | Citibank | $106.29 (11.70%) | $94.50 (9.44%) | $81.83 (9.38%) | $82.30 (9.44%) | $102.54 (12.00%) |
| 4 | American Express | $104.94 (11.60%) | $92.43 (9.24%) | $98.33 (11.27%) | $93.82 (10.76%) | $78.16 (9.00%) |
| 5 | Capital One | $94.32 (10.40%) | $90.43 (9.04%) | $82.03 (9.40%) | $72.66 (8.33%) | $55.46 (6.00%) |
| 6 | Discover | $67.81 (7.50%) | $61.52 (6.15%) | $57.90 (6.64%) | $56.13 (6.44%) | $48.90 (6.00%) |
| 7 | Wells Fargo | $40.70 (4.50%) | $38.83 (3.88%) | $35.41 (4.06%) | $35.21 (4.04%) | $30.89 (3.00%) |
| 8 | U.S. Bank | $37.32 (4.10%) | $37.16 (3.71%) | $34.09 (3.91%) | $32.88 (3.77%) | $20.17 (2.00%) |
| 9 | Barclays | $24.78 (2.70%) | $26.35 (2.63%) | $23.04 (2.64%) | $20.78 (2.38%) | $10.67 (1.00%) |
| 10 | Synchrony | $19.41 (2.10%) | $20.46 (2.04%) | $17.04 (1.95%) | $15.15 (1.74%) | N/A (N/A) |
| 11 | USAA | $18.66 (2.10%) | $18.93 (1.89%) | $18.47 (2.12%) | $17.78 (2.04%) | $12.96 (1.00%) |
| 12 | Navy FCU | $15.67 (1.70%) | $12.49 (1.25%) | $10.76 (1.23%) | $09.51 (1.09%) | N/A (N/A) |
Top 8 U.S. Credit Card Issuers Based on Purchase Volume (In Billions)
Credit Cards Issuers in the U.S. based on Purchase Volume -- 2018 vs. 2004
| Rank | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2013 | 2011 | 2009 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Express | American Express | American Express | American Express | American Express | American Express | American Express | American Express |
| 2 | Chase | Chase | Chase | Chase | Chase | Chase | Chase | Chase |
| 3 | Citi | Citi | Citi | Bank of America | Bank of America | Bank of America | Bank of America | Citi |
| 4 | Bank of America | Bank of America | Bank of America | Citi | Citi | Citi | Citi | MBNA |
| 5 | Capital One | Capital One | Capital One | Capital One | Capital One | Capital One | Capital One | Bank of America |
| 6 | Discover | Discover | Discover | Discover | Discover | Discover | Discover | Capital One |
| 7 | US Bank | US Bank | US Bank | Wells Fargo | US Bank | US Bank | US Bank | Discover |
| 8 | Wells Fargo | Wells Fargo | Wells Fargo | US Bank | Wells Fargo | Wells Fargo | Wells Fargo | US Bank |
| 9 | Barclays | Barclays | Barclays | Barclays | Barclays | HSBC | HSBC | HSBC |
| 10 | Synchrony | Synchrony | Synchrony | USAA | USAA | Barclays | Barclays | Wells Fargo |
| 11 | USAA | USAA | USAA | USAA | N/A | USAA | USAA | USAA |
| 12 | PNC | PNC | PNC | N/A | N/A | Synchrony | Synchrony | WaMu |
Store Credit Card Market
Overview of the Store Credit Market (2018 vs. 2017)
| Info | 2018 | 2017 | Change 2018 vs 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purchase Volume | $182 (bil.) | $172 (bil.) | 5.7% |
| Outstandings | $131 (bil) | $119 (bil.) | 9.7% |
| Cards in circulation | 392 (mil.) | 381 (mil.) | 2.8% |
Market Share of Issuers by Purchase Volume in 2018
Largest Store Card Issuers by Purchase Volume (In Millions)
| Rank (2018) | Issuer | Market Share (2018) | Purchase Volume (2018) | Purchase Volume (2015) | Purchase Volume (2014) | Purchase Volume (2012) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Synchrony Financial | 39.17% | $71,210 | $61,983 | $54,371 | $54,410 |
| 2 | Citi Retail Setvices | 25.68% | $46,692 | $49,440 | $48,000 | $41,416 |
| 5 | Capital One | 10.40% | $18,912 | $36,410 | $32,509 | $19,148 |
| 3 | Alliance Data | 3.74% | $6,802 | $15,988 | $14,025 | $12,524 |
| 6 | TD Bank | 9.49% | $17,253 | $9,335 | $6,915 | $770 |
| 4 | Wells Fargo Retail Services | 7.67% | $13,944 | $7,789 | $7,017 | $5,568 |
| 7 | Army & Air Force Exchange | 1.06% | $1,931 | $1,714 | $1,863 | $2,033 |
Market Share of Issuers by Outstandings in 2018
Commercial Credit Card Market
Top 12 U.S. Issuers of Commercial Cards based on Purchase Volume in 2018 (in Billions)
Breakdown of Commercial Cards based on Purchase Volume in 2018
| Issuer | Corporate, Fleet and Purchasing | Small Business Credit | Small Business Debit | Prepaid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase | $47.10 | $82.70 | $18.40 | $0.0 |
| Bank of America | $55.00 | $40.60 | $32.30 | $8.40 |
| Wells Fargo | $32.90 | $24.90 | $37.70 | $0.50 |
| U.S. Bank | $46.20 | $22.20 | $5.40 | $3.40 |
| Citibank | $34.50 | $29.80 | $2.40 | $0.00 |
| Capital One | $0.60 | $56.80 | $1.40 | $0.00 |
| Comdata | $35.90 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $1.70 |
| Wex | $31.50 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Bancorp | $0.10 | $0.10 | $0.30 | $30.90 |
| PNC | $16.40 | $5.40 | $6.30 | $0.50 |
| Comerica | $2.30 | $0.00 | $0.70 | $19.60 |
| Meta | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $19.90 |