AMTP Proceedings 2026
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
Spring 2026
Abstract
The credit card industry is an incredibly interconnected service sector that continues to attract scholarly attention within marketing and consumer behavior research globally (Worthington, 1994; Worthington, 2005; Blankson & Kalafatis, 2007; Steffes, Murthi, and Rao, 2011; Chiang et al., 2020). To expand, as credit cards function not only as payment instruments but also as branded services, they offer context that is extremely useful for examining motivations behind brand choice and continued usage among consumers in the international marketplace. Additionally, over the past few decades, transaction volume and credit card ownership have substantially increased. For instance, Visa, commonly recognized as one of the most widely accepted card brands worldwide, processed approximately 188 billion transactions in 2020 alone, reflecting continued growth in global card usage (Statista, 2022a).
In addition to Visa, several international card brands also play a prominent role in international financial markets, including but not limited to MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club, and Discover (Kara, Kaynak, and Kucukemiroglu, 1996). However, national card brands also remain particularly influential in specific countries. For example, UnionPay in China competes with international providers directly (Liu & Brock, 2009). As overall competition continues to increase, credit card issuers, along with banks, place much greater emphasis on simply setting their products apart through incentives, service features, and customized benefits that aim to strengthen consumer relationships. With recent developments in information technology, increased consumer familiarity with digital payment systems, and major changes in purchasing behavior following the COVID-19 pandemic, the credit card environment has been completely reshaped. These changes, combined, create both difficulties and opportunities for credit card brands operating across distinct markets (Foscht et al., 2010; Blankson et al., 2012; Khare, 2013).
This study aimed not only to develop but also to empirically test a cross‑national structure that genuinely explains why consumers choose, possess, and use credit cards. To address this, the investigation was guided by two main research questions: which factors generally guide consumers’ credit card choices or usage decisions, and how does the “perceived” investment of time, along with effort, influence whether consumers actually choose to possess a credit card?
Recommended Citation
Blankson, Charles; Puri, Aditi; and Chowdhury, Jhinuk, "A Multi-Country Examination of the Consumption of Credit Cards" (2026). AMTP Proceedings 2026. 8.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/amtp-proceedings_2026/8
