Best credit card providers 2025

How to find the best credit card provider

Looking for a new credit card? You'll want to start by shopping around for the best credit card deals — but it's also important to know if the company behind the offer will provide decent customer service if something goes wrong. But how do you find that out, without first signing up?

That's where Which? can help. We've surveyed thousands of credit card holders to find out how satisfied they are with their provider. We asked them to rate the provider on a range of categories, from the application process through to the ease of managing their card online. 

We took these insights and combined them with our expert deals analysis to determine which providers are the cream of the crop. Read on to find out the brands that achieved Which? Recommended Provider (WRP) status. 

Best credit card companies

Our best credit card companies table reveals how customers rated 28 credit card providers, and which firms have been named WRPs for 2025.

Only providers that combine high levels of customer satisfaction with products that meet standards set by our market analysts can become a WRP. This year, five brands have hit the mark – American Express, Lloyds Bank, Santander, Tesco Bank and Zopa. 

Use the table to find out a brand's overall customer score, and scroll to the right to find out how customers rated its service across five categories.

Which? Recommended Providers for credit cards

Here's why American Express, Tesco Bank, Zopa, Santander and Lloyds Bank have been crowned WRPs in our latest survey. 

American Express

• Provider customer score: 80% 
• Product score: 57% 

What do customers like? American Express achieved the top customer score of 80% in our survey. Customers gave the brand five stars for online and in-app account management. Amex also impressed on customer service, application process and clarity of statements.

What products are on offer? American Express offers a range of market-leading cashback and reward credit cards.

Tesco Bank

• Provider customer score: 79%
• Product score: 66%

What do customers like? Tesco Bank earned a provider customer score of 79%, ranking in second place. Customers gave Tesco four stars or more in five of the six categories. The exception was customer communications, which received three stars. Tesco Bank excelled in online and in-app account management, as well as the clarity of its statements, earning the full five stars in these areas. 

What products are on offer? Tesco Bank achieved 66% in our product analysis. It offers a broad selection of credit cards, suitable for a range of borrowers, including competitive 0% balance transfer, credit builder and low-interest cards – all of which offer Tesco Clubcard points on spending. 

Zopa 

• Provider customer score: 77%
• Product score: 77%

What do customers like?  Zopa achieved a provider customer score of 77% in our survey, with customers particularly impressed by the ability to manage accounts online or via the app. While the sample size wasn’t large enough to analyse the other five categories, Zopa qualified as a WRP based on its high customer and product scores. 

What products are on offer? Zopa received a strong product score of 77% in our analysis. While it offers just one credit card, its deal is competitive and comes with fee-free spending abroad.

Santander 

• Provider customer score: 76%
• Product score: 57% 

What do customers like? Santander earned a provider customer score of 76%. Customers awarded the brand four stars or more across five of the six categories surveyed, with the exception of customer communications, which received three stars. The bank stood out for its online and in-app account management. 

What products are on offer? Santander offers a range of credit cards, including a competitive cashback credit card, balance transfer and an all in one card. 

Lloyds Bank

• Provider customer score: 74%
• Product score: 71% 

What do customers like? Lloyds Bank received a provider customer score of 74%. Customers were most impressed by the ability to manage accounts online or via the app, the clarity of statements, and the application process. It earned three out of five stars for customer service, transparency of charges, and customer communications. 

What products are on offer? Lloyds Bank achieved 71% in our product analysis. It offers a broad selection of credit cards, suitable for a range of borrowers, including competitive 0% balance transfer, everyday spending and cashback cards. 

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Which credit card providers should you avoid? 

Grace Witherden, credit cards expert, says:

'This year, 14 providers performed below average in our survey: Amazon, Aqua, Bank of Scotland, British Airways, Capital One, Co-operative Bank, HSBC, MBNA, Ocean, Post Office, Royal Bank of Scotland, TSB, Vanquis Bank and Virgin Money (including Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank).

'Some of these brands offer market-leading cards, so it’s worth checking our table to see where they fall down compared to competitors. For instance, our results show six providers scored just two stars for the clarity of their statements, and five earned only two stars for transparency of charges.

'That said, you shouldn't dismiss the lower half of the table entirely. Most of the below-average brands scored a respectable three stars for customer service. If customer satisfaction is close, the product score can offer a better comparison. For example, although nine providers had a customer score of 70% or lower, their product scores ranged from 31% to 71%.'

Where can I find the best credit card deals?

As well as discovering the best credit card providers, Which? has analysed hundreds of credit cards to find the best travel, interest-free, 0% balance transfer, cashback and low-interest deals.

To become a Which? Best Buy, a credit card must have been one of the top five cards in its category, and must satisfy specific criteria for the type of card such as the size of its balance transfer fee or length of its interest-free period. 

We also review our analysis regularly, which means we will withdraw Best Buys if providers make adverse changes to APRs, 0% periods or fees.

See which cards we recommend in our guide to the best credit card deals. 

 How we analyse credit card providers

Sam Wilson, credit cards market analyst, says: 'At Which?, we go the extra mile to help you in your research on credit cards.  

'We score providers based on customer feedback, and in-house market analysts, like me, do extensive analysis to determine how firms stack up to find the ones that stand out from the crowd.

'We only award Which? Recommended Provider status to the companies that meet our benchmarks on both customer service and product offering.'

Here's some more information about our research and the terms we use in our tables.

Customer scores

Our provider customer scores for credit card companies are based on an online survey of 4,014 members of the public, conducted in October 2024. 

Provider customer scores are worked out using a combination of overall satisfaction and the likelihood of recommending the provider to a friend.

We also ask these credit card customers to rate brands on six categories including customer service, mobile banking and more — so you can get an idea of the quality of service you might receive before you sign up.

Which? Recommended Providers

To be a Which? Recommended Provider for credit cards a credit card company must:

• have a provider customer score of at least 74% in our latest customer satisfaction survey
• have at least one top-10 card in one of the seven main categories available on the market
• have a product score that's average or above
• not have a representative APR of more than 35% on any of its mainstream cards at the time of the analysis.

We only award Which? Recommended Providers to the lenders that meet our benchmarks on customer service and product offering. 

• Find out more:  Which? symbols, logos and ratings explained

Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please refer to the particular T&Cs of a provider before committing to any financial products.

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