When it comes to financial businesses, do you know with whom you're dealing? We reveal the firms behind the brands.
In the business world, a well-known, well-respected brand is a valuable commercial asset in itself. For example, Richard Branson has built a string of successful businesses under the Virgin name, and the Coca-Cola brand is reckoned to be the most valuable in the world.
Indeed, according to a recent survey by The Motley Fool, users of credit cards put branding and reputation ahead of other factors, including balance-transfer fees and long balance-transfer periods. Eight out of ten users say that brand and reputation are important, and two in five are happy with their existing credit-card providers. In The Fool's online survey, Barclaycard emerged on top, having dominated this market since launching the UK's first credit card in 1966.
However, sometimes brands can be plain annoying, particularly when they disguise the underlying owner or administrator of a financial organisation. This is especially common in the market for credit cards, where over 1,300 differently branded cards exist, but the vast majority of these are issued by five major banking groups.
If you don't know with whom you're dealing, then things can get a bit twisted. For example, credit-card issuers don't allow cardholders to transfer balances between their own cards. So, if you want to cut your interest bill by taking advantage of 0% balance transfers, then you need to tread carefully. Make sure that you choose a credit card which isn't issued by your existing card company. Also, if you apply for credit with the same company twice in a relatively short period of time, then this could count against you.
As many British businesses simply aren't big enough to set up their own credit-card arm, hundreds of firms (including building societies, charities, sports clubs, professional bodies and unions) have formed joint ventures with leading credit-card providers to issue so-called 'affinity' or 'donation' cards. Here is a long list of some of the most popular brands in the world of plastic:
1) As part of a mutual (member-owned) society, the Co-operative Bank is particularly strong in the arena of charity credit cards. It has issued cards for, among others:
Brand | Brand | Brand |
|---|---|---|
| Actionaid | Help the Aged | Shelter |
Amnesty International | Help the Hospices | Sightsavers International |
Association of Surgeons | Labour Party | Smile |
Barnardo's | League Against Cruel Sports | SPCK |
BUAV | Liberal Democrats | Stroud & Swindon BS |
Cafod | Medical Foundation | Tearfund |
Children in Crisis | Mothers' Union | Terence Higgins Trust |
Children's Aid Direct | Northern Rock | Vegetarian Society |
Children's Society | Oxfam | WaterAid |
Christian Aid | Ramblers Association | Woodland Trust |
Concern | RSPB | Yorkshire BS |
Greenpeace | Save the Children |
2) HBOS (Halifax/Bank of Scotland) has issued credit cards under the following brands:
Brand | Brand | Brand |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | Intelligent Finance | NSPCC |
aqua | ipoints | Sainsbury's Bank |
Birmingham Midshires | Jeep | SSPCA |
Britannia BS | Little Black Card | The AA |
Cancer Research UK | Marriott | TUC |
Chrysler | Mercedes | Unison |
CWU | National Union of Teachers | Welsh Rugby Union |
| Harley-Davidson | Norwich & Peterborough BS |
3) HSBC has issued the following credit cards:
Brand | Brand | Brand |
|---|---|---|
| Artscard | HFC Bank | Marks & Spencer &MORE |
Beneficial Bank | Hilton | Morrisons |
Cambridge University | Household Bank | Open University |
English Heritage | Institute of Directors | Orange |
First Direct | John Lewis and Waitrose | PC World |
GM Card | Kennel Club | RSPCA |
Hamilton Direct Bank | Marbles |
4) I found 125 (!) differently branded credit cards issued by American giant MBNA:
Brand | Brand | Brand |
|---|---|---|
Abbey | England Rugby | Premier Rugby and rugby clubs |
Alliance & Leicester | Fulham FC | Priority Club |
Amivo | Garfield | Queens Park Rangers FC |
AOL | Golf Card | RAC |
Arsenal FC | Great Ormond Street Hospital | Raith Rovers FC |
Aston Villa FC | Grimsby Town FC | Rangers FC |
Bank of Cyprus | GSE Racing | Reading FC |
Battersea Dogs & Cats Home | Halfords | Red Ribbon |
Birmingham City FC | Heart of Midlothian FC | Robinsons Country Leisure |
Blackburn Rovers FC | Homebase | Rotary International |
Bmi | Honda Racing | Rotherham United FC |
Bolton Wanderers FC | Huddersfield Town FC | Royal British Legion |
Born Free Foundation | Ipswich Town FC | Royal Doulton |
Bradford City AFC | Leeds United FC | Royal Horticultural Society |
Breakthrough Breast Cancer | Leicester City FC | Royal Liverpool Philharmonic |
British Heart Foundation | Leyton Orient FC | Ryanair.com |
British Marine Federation | Liverpool FC | Sargent Cancer Care |
British Motorcycle Federation | Lufthansa | Scout Association |
BT | Macmillan Cancer Support | Sheffield United FC |
Burnley FC | Manchester City FC | Ski Club of GB |
Cardiff City FC | Manufacturing, Science & Finance Union | SonyCard |
Carlisle United FC | Melton Mowbray BS | Southampton FC |
Celtic FC | Mencap | SpeedwayGP |
Charlton Athletic FC | Middlesbrough FC | Star Trek |
Chelsea FC | Moto GP | Sunderland FC |
Cheshire BS | Motorcard | The National Trust |
ChildLine | MotorCycle Action Group | Thomas Cook |
Classic FM | National Aids Trust | Tottenham Hotspur FC |
Classical Arts | National Association of Head Teachers | Toys 'R' Us |
Colchester United FC | National Farmers' Union | Tranmere Rovers FC |
Conran | National Geographic Society | UK Athletics |
Crewe Alexandra FC | National Trust | Unicef |
Cricket | Newcastle United FC | VIP Entertainment Card |
Crystal Palace FC | NFU | Virgin Money |
Cystic Fibrosis Trust | Norwich City FC | Watford FC |
Darlington FC | Oxford United FC | West Ham United FC |
Delta Air Lines | PADI | Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society |
Diabetes UK | PCA Cricket Card | World Superbikes |
Dogs Trust | PDSA | WSPA |
Dunfermline BS | Peterborough United FC | WWF UK (pandas, not wrestling!) |
England Cricket | Port Vale FC | Wycombe Wanderers FC |
England FA | Portsmouth FC |
5) Royal Bank of Scotland issues credit cards for Coutts & Co., Lifeboats, MINT, NatWest, Shell, Tesco and Ulster Bank (NI).
To wrap things up, here are the issuers of other popular credit-card brands:
Brand | Brand |
|---|---|
American Express | BMW, British Airways, Nectar and RED |
Bank of Ireland | Bristol & West and the Post Office |
Barclaycard | SkyCard and Woolwich |
Citi | AAdvantage and bmibaby |
GE Capital Bank | ASDA, Debenhams andMothercare |
Liverpool Victoria | Caravan Club, CSMA and Saga |
Lloyds TSB | Airmiles Duo and Create Card |
Morgan Stanley | buy and fly!, i24 and Leeds BS |
National Australia Bank Group | Clydesdale Bank andYorkshire Bank |
Nationwide BS | Comic Relief |
So, there you have it: 237 credit-card brands uncovered, analysed and grouped together. I need a lie down after trawling through that lot!
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