Examining Your Credit Card Report Card

How does your credit card rank when it comes to customer satisfaction? In a 2006 survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, over 36,000 readers were asked to give their opinion on the credit cards in their wallets. Scoring highest, with a rating of 95 out of 100, was USAA Federal Savings, issuer of American Express and MasterCard branded cards. Also scoring highly were Navy Federal Credit Union, other credit union-issued cards, Cabela's, and Nordstrom.

Ratings were based on overall satisfaction, median interest rate, problems with interest rates, bill timing, and problem resolution. American Express came in sixth with a reader score of 84, Discover was seventh, Target tenth, Citibank thirteenth, and HSBC sixteenth. Ranking low on the list were MBNA, with a reader score of 72 out of a 100; Capital One, 71; Direct Merchants, 67; and, Providian, with a score of 61.