America's Favorite Credit Card Issuers

Consumer satisfaction with credit card issuers is at an all-time high, with cardholders’ opinions heavily swayed by the way an issuer handles fraud and data breaches. These are among the many findings in the 2014 J.D. Power U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study, which named American Express and Discover as the issuers with the most satisfied cardholders.

The study, released Thursday, rates satisfaction on a 1,000-point scale by reviewing six aspects of an issuer’s customer service and business practices: interactions with customers; credit card terms; billing and payment; rewards; benefits and services; and problem resolution.

The overall score for credit card satisfaction reached 778 this year, up from the previous record of 767 in 2013. American Express and Discover each earned scores of 819 — American Express has held the top spot in this study in all of the eight years it has been released. Here’s how the top issuers stacked up this year:

America’s Favorite Credit Card Companies

1. American Express and Discover (tie)
Satisfaction score: 819

3. Chase
Satisfaction score: 789

4. Barclaycard
Satisfaction score: 776

5. U.S. Bank & Wells Fargo (tie)
Satisfaction score: 773

7. Bank of America
Satisfaction score: 766

8. Capital One
Satisfaction score: 765

9. Citi
Satisfaction score: 756

10. Synchrony Bank (formerly GE Capital Retail Bank)
Satisfaction score: 739

Fraud & Cardholder Satisfaction

The study revealed some interesting consumer mindsets when it comes to credit card fraud and the way issuers react to it. Satisfaction among consumers contacted about fraudulent activity is 797, but that score changes depending on how the company proceeds. If the issuer contacts the customer but doesn’t replace the card, the score is 734. When the card is replaced, satisfaction is 788, and if the card comes quickly, it’s 801.

The happiest customers see their credit card companies take a lot of action in response to credit card fraud: Satisfaction hits a score of 835 when the company notifies a customer, replaces the card in 7 days and sends email alerts about potential fraud.

Having the support of your credit card company is fantastic and helpful, but consumers should take on responsibility for protecting their finances. It’s a good practice to check your credit card activity on a daily basis so you can easily spot and stop fraud, and you can also use your credit score as a fraud-spotting tool. You can get two of your credit scores for free on Credit.com, and with updates every 30 days, you’ll notice if there’s an unexpected change in your score, which could be a sign of fraud. If someone gets a hold of your credit card data and runs up a huge tab, your credit utilization may skyrocket, sending your credit score in the other direction.