Credit card companies: Who’s who and how they make money

Open full sized image

The many faces of plastic.

© Bradley Hay/Dreamstime.com

Trying to understand credit card companies can be a head-scratcher. After all, you see different credit card logos everywhere, whether Visa (V), Mastercard (MA), or American Express (AXP). Plus, you might also see the names of different banks or companies associated with your credit card.

Credit card companies are divided into two main categories: networks and issuers.

Credit card networks facilitate transactions with retailers or service providers by making sure there’s communication between your credit card issuer and whomever you’re paying.

Credit card issuers are the financial institutions that actually provide you with the credit card. They decide whether to approve your application and determine your credit card limit, annual fee, interest rate, and other terms. They pay merchants on your behalf.

All the payment infrastructure needed to complete a credit card transaction is provided by credit card networks. There are four main credit card networks:

Each of these networks processes the cards issued as part of the network. However, not every retailer accepts cards from all the networks. In 2021, more than 80 million merchants accepted Visa and Mastercard, according to the Nilson Report. Both American Express and Discover are accepted at more than 60 million merchants worldwide.

To use the networks, merchants are required to pay interchange fees to the credit card companies that provide them. As a result, every time you swipe your credit card, the retailer or service provider pays a fee. (It’s one reason not everyone accepts cards from all the networks.)

Credit card issuers are the financial institutions that actually provide you with the credit card account. Two of the credit card networks, American Express and Discover, are also credit card issuers. Other top issuers include major banks such as Chase (JPM), Citi (C), and Capital One (COF).

It’s important to remember that a credit card account is basically a short-term loan account. The issuer fronts you the money to pay a merchant, and you pay the credit card issuer back. This type of credit card company makes money by charging you interest if you carry a balance. They might also make money by charging annual fees on some of their credit card products.

Credit card issuers also foot the bill when it comes to rewards programs. If you earn cash back, they’re the ones that provide it to you. However, a survey by Inside 1031 found that 55% of Americans carry a balance. If you earn 2% cash back but pay 17.99% in interest on your carried balance, the credit card issuer still makes plenty of money.

You’ve likely seen branded credit cards. All the major airlines, for example, offer co-branded credit cards, which offer you the chance to earn extra points and/or miles.

Also, big retailers such as Kohl’s (KSS), Macy’s (M), Home Depot (HD), and others offer cards that typically come with perks such as coupons and cardholder-only flash sales. But these credit cards don’t go through a traditional network, so they can only be used at that retailer. You can’t, for example, fill up the gas tank and pay with your Kohl’s card.

Hotel chains, airlines, stores, and others aren’t actually issuing the credit cards. Instead, you fill out an application at the store (or online) and your application is sent to the financial institution, which makes the decision about whether you’re accepted.

These co-branded cards have the brand logo, the name of the processing network (if applicable), and you can generally see the name of the bank that’s issuing the card. Depending on the terms of the card, you might be able to use it at any location in the network, or you might be limited to using the card only at the retailer in question. Check the terms so you know what to expect.

When you get a co-branded card, make sure you understand which bank is the credit card issuer, since you’ll need to make sure to set up an account with them to access your balance and make payments.

Whenever you swipe your card, there are four different players involved:

Here’s a step-by-step overview of what happens when you make a payment with a credit card:

All of this happens almost instantly. It’s rare for a credit card transaction to take more than a few seconds.

The final step comes when you make a payment to the credit card issuer, paying down (or paying off) the amount you borrowed.

Credit card companies aren’t a monolith. Instead, you can expect your interactions with credit cards to involve multiple players. Keep this in mind when using a credit card. And stay on good terms with your credit card issuer by making your payments on time (and in full if you can) to reduce how much you pay in interest and other fees.