N
The Daily Insight Hub

Why are credit cards important to banks?

Author

Sophia Koch

Updated on February 12, 2026

When banks issue credit cards, they’re essentially lending you money to make purchases. You pay them back when you get your statement. If you don’t pay in full each month, the bank charges you interest — often at very high rate.

How does credit card work in the Philippines?

How Credit Cards Work in the Philippines. A credit card is a small plastic card that allows you to spend money via credit to pay for goods or services at local and international stores. Your issuing bank will consolidate the credit card charges you made into a statement and send it to you every month.

How does a bank benefit from issuing a credit card?

Banks benefit from issuing credit cards in tangible ways that directly increase their profitability, but also in intangible ways that increase your loyalty as a customer. When banks issue credit cards, they’re essentially lending you money to make purchases.

How can banks afford to offer credit card?

The network only makes money based on the volume of charges through the network. They encourage this by offering the consumer rewards. They do take some of the risk due to fraud. The bank that issued the card makes money from interest and fees, in addition to their portion of the swipe fee.

What do you have to do to get a credit card?

Before you can get a credit card, you have to have an issuing bank approve you and agree to let you use its money to make purchases on the promise that you’ll pay it back. Banks benefit from issuing credit cards in tangible ways that directly increase their profitability, but also in intangible ways that increase your loyalty as a customer.

Who are the issuers and network of credit cards?

For example, Discover and American Express are both the issuer and the network, while Visa and MasterCard are networks that share the merchant fees with a variety of banks that issue their cards. Banks also benefit from issuing credit cards in a more intangible way by increasing your affinity for the brand.