Decoding the Strategic Reasons Banks Offer Lucrative Credit Card Rewards
While credit cards once offered little more than standard interest rates, consumers can now choose from an array of lucrative reward programs.
This in-depth guide analyzes the strategic business reasons banks provide valuable credit card rewards, covering:
• Incentivizing spend to boost interchange fees
• Attracting customers to generate card fees
• Reducing cardholder attrition with rewards
•Compensating for lower interest revenue
• Leveling the playing field with competitors
• Data collection to enhance risk profiles
•Reward loyalty to build brand prestige
Armed with this context, readers will gain insight into why banks offer credit card rewards to see through the marketing and determine if maximizing rewards aligns with their financial priorities.
Interchange Fees
When cardholders spend:
•Banks collect “interchange fees” from merchants of 1-3% per transaction.
•So rewarding customers for spend incentivizes higher interchange revenue.
Attracting Customers
Card issuers:
•Charge annual and other fees to earn revenue from customers.
•Use rewards to attract more customers to generate more fee income.
Reducing Attrition
By providing:
• Generous rewards that cardholders value
•Banks reduce cardholder attrition and fee revenue losses.
Compensating for Lower Interest
With historically low:
• Interest rates on card balances
•Banks rely more on interchange/fee revenue – making rewards a trade-off.
Data Collection
Banks gain insight into:
•Cardholder spending habits and risk profiles from reward redemption patterns.
•This data helps set customer-specific terms and improve underwriting.
Building Brand Prestige
Highly lucrative:
•Reward programs enhance banks’ brands as being generous and customer-centric.
•This boosts customer acquisition and retention.
