Welcome to the Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards 2020
When it comes to picking a credit card, it’s important you get the opinion of the people who matter most: the customers. Our awards are designed to find the credit card providers that really care about their customers, as chosen by you.
The winners
We’ve selected our winners based on two factors: overall satisfaction score (star rating) and recommendation score (the likelihood a customer would recommend the credit card provider to a friend). You can read more on our methodology below.
Here are the winners for 2020:
Credit Card Customer Satisfaction Winner:
American Express
American Express is our 2020 winner, edging out the competition in a photo-finish thanks to a 5-star rating and a chart-topping recommendation score: 85% of Amex customers would recommend the brand to a friend. Less than 0.6% separated the top three providers, but it was American Express that came out ahead.
Founded in 1850, American Express currently has over 114 million cards in force worldwide and accounts for 22% of the world’s credit card transactions by US dollar volume.
Compare our reviews of American Express credit cards
Credit Card Customer Satisfaction Highly Commended:
Santander
Santander is a deserving runner-up, with a 5-star satisfaction rating and a great “would recommend” score. Like Amex, 85% of Santander customers were happy to recommend it to a friend.
A Spanish banking giant, Santander is the 16th-largest banking institution in the world and offers a range of balance transfer, everyday and reward credit cards.
Compare our reviews of Santander credit cards
Personal Loan Customer Satisfaction Highly Commended:
Barclaycard
The other recipient of our highly commended award is Barclaycard; the provider was also one of only three companies to achieve a 5-star rating overall. Less than half a percentage point separated Barclaycard from American Express and Santander in terms of recommendation score, with 85% of Barclaycard customers willing to recommend it to a friend.
Launched in 1966, Barclaycard is the credit card brand of Barclays Bank. In 1967, it became the first provider to offer a credit card in the UK.
Compare our reviews of Barclaycard credit cards
Our customer satisfaction chart
Table ordered by percentage of customers who said they’d recommend the brand to a friend (recommendation score)
Overall satisfaction | Customers who’d recommend | Lender | Review | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
★★★★★ | 85% | American Express | American Express offers a range of credit cards to cater to all types of customers, as well as the exclusive Experiences rewards program. | See the range | |
★★★★★ | 85% | Barclaycard | Barclaycard has some of the longest balance transfer periods on the market and also offers rewards and everyday cards. | See the range | |
★★★★★ | 85% | The Spanish banking giant offers generous cashback benefits and credit cards aimed at those looking to travel abroad. | See the range | ||
★★★★★ | 84% | Tesco Bank | Tesco has a wide range of credit card products and lets you earn Tesco Clubcard points on every transaction you make using your card. | See the range | |
★★★★★ | 79% | Virgin Money | Virgin Money provides a number of bonus credit card programs, such as Virgin Red, and offers discounts across the entire Virgin Group. With a Virgin Atlantic credit card, you can also collect air miles to spend on flights and upgrades. | See the range | |
★★★★★ | 77% | HSBC | One of the world’s largest banks, HSBC has an extensive credit card product range, with 24/7 customer service and global reward systems. | See the range | |
★★★★★ | 77% | Sainsbury’s | The UK’s second-biggest supermarket brand, Sainsbury’s lets you earn Nectar points on all credit card transactions, with bonus points for new customers. | See the range | |
★★★★★ | 76% | NatWest | NatWest offers specialised rewards and balance transfer cards, as well as a student credit card. | See the range | |
★★★★★ | 69% | Halifax | Halifax lets you combine 0% balance transfers and purchases on one card, as well as the low-rate FlexiCard. | See the range | |
★★★★★ | 69% | MBNA | MBNA is part of the Lloyds Group and offers a range of credit cards with extended 0% balance transfer and purchase periods. | See the range | |
★★★★★ | 68% | M&S Bank | Like other credit card retailers, M&S lets you earn M&S on every credit card transaction, and preferential foreign exchange rates. | See the range | |
★★★★★ | 67% | Capital One | Capital One offers credit-builder cards for those looking to improve their credit score, and also lets you check your credit history without affecting your score. | See the range | |
★★★★★ | 66% | Lloyds Bank | Lloyds has a wide variety of credit card products, with rewards, cashback and even specialised cards for large purchases. | See the range | |
★★★★★ | 64% | Aqua | Aqua credit cards are specifically designed for those looking to build their credit score. Unlike other credit-builder cards, Aqua also lets customers earn rewards for using their card. | See the range |
Customer satisfaction ratings methodology
In December 2019, we ran a customer satisfaction survey on credit cards. 750 people responded and gave us their opinion on their current credit card provider.
The survey asked respondents how satisfied they are with their credit card (using a 1-5 rating) and whether they would recommend the brand to a friend. We converted the responses into star ratings and produced a shortlist of the top-performing companies based on customer satisfaction. When there was a draw, we used the recommendation score (that is, the percentage of customers who said they would recommend the brand to a friend) as a tie-breaker.
You can get a full breakdown of our ratings methodology for credit cards here.
Banking ratings
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
The customer satisfaction score (“You say”) is based on a survey of 750 customers carried out in December 2019.
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