Credit card, small plastic card containing a means of identification, such as a signature or picture, that authorizes the person named on it to charge goods or services to an account, for which the cardholder is billed periodically.

credit card Credit cards. Comstock/Thinkstock

The use of credit cards originated in the United States during the 1920s, when individual firms, such as oil companies and hotel chains, began issuing them to customers for purchases made at company outlets. The first universal credit card, which could be used at a variety of establishments, was introduced by the Diners’ Club, Inc., in 1950. Another major card of this type, known as a travel and entertainment card, was established by the American Express Company in 1958. Under this system, the credit card company charges its cardholders an annual fee and bills them on a periodic basis—usually monthly. Cooperating merchants throughout the world pay a service charge to the credit card issuer in the range of 4–7 percent of total billings.

A later innovation was the bank credit card system, in which the bank credits the account of the merchant as sales slips are received and assembles the charges to be billed at the end of the period to the cardholder, who pays the bank either in toto or in monthly installments with interest or “carrying charges” added. The first national plan was BankAmericard, begun on a statewide basis by the Bank of America in California in 1958, licensed in other states beginning in 1966, and renamed VISA in 1976–77. Many banks that began credit card plans on a citywide or regional basis eventually affiliated with major national bank plans as the range of included services (meals and lodging as well as store purchases) expanded. This development changed the nature of personal credit, which was no longer limited by location. The growing reach of credit networks allowed a person to make credit card purchases on a national and, eventually, international scale. The system has spread to all parts of the world. Other major bank cards include MasterCard (formerly known as Master Charge in the United States), JCB (in Japan), Discover (formerly partnering with Novus and primarily issued in the United States), and Barclaycard (in the United Kingdom, Europe, and the Caribbean).

In bank credit card systems, the cardholder may choose to pay on an installment basis, in which case the bank earns interest on the outstanding balance. The interest income permits banks to refrain from charging cardholders an annual fee and to charge participating merchants a lower service charge. An additional advantage of the system is that merchants receive their payments promptly by depositing their bills of sale with the bank. (See also revolving credit.)

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Store cards are a third form of credit card. They lack the wide acceptance of bank cards or travel and entertainment cards because they are accepted only by the retailer that issues them.

In the late 20th century, credit card use began to increase dramatically, with many customers soon outspending their earnings. Users who were unable to make the monthly payments on outstanding balances accrued on high-interest cards were subsequently hit with hefty penalty fees and quickly fell into default. The recession and rising unemployment that accompanied the global financial crisis of 2008–09 led to a rise in defaults as consumers were increasingly forced to rely on credit. In April 2009 the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Credit Card Holders’ Bill of Rights, which would provide additional consumer protections and restrict or eliminate credit card industry practices deemed unfair or abusive. Credit card debt is typically higher in industrialized countries such as the United States—the world’s most indebted country—the United Kingdom, and Australia. Nonindustrialized countries and countries with strict bankruptcy laws such as Germany, however, tend to have relatively low credit card debt.

Debit cards are in some ways similar to credit cards—for example, in terms of appearance and functionality. However, unlike credit cards, when a debit card transaction occurs, the amount is immediately deducted from the bank account.