Charge cards in Poland, and in particular personal charge cards, continue to lose ground to credit cards in 2025, as credit cards are seen as offering similar benefits, but with more flexibility.

In 2025, charge cards in Romania remain a niche, B2B-dominated sector focused on multinational corporate clients, with limited consumer adoption due to low awareness.

Charge card circulation in Taiwan rose in 2025, driven by reward programmes, co-branded cards, and contactless payment adoption. American Express was the leading issuer, targeting affluent and tech-savvy consumers, while Citibank gained momentum through innovation and a fast approval process. Integration with public transit and mobile wallets, combined with government support for a cashless economy, is boosting everyday usage. Though niche compared with credit cards, charge cards remain popular

Charge cards in Saudi Arabia continue to record steady growth in both circulation and transaction value in 2025, despite their relatively niche consumer base. This growth is being driven by rising demand for premium financial products, particularly among affluent consumers, business users and frequent travellers. Increasing competition from American Express, Al Rajhi and other issuers, alongside expanding merchant acceptance and strong recovery in travel and tourism, is supporting higher transac

The use of charge cards is prominent in e-commerce and the category is adapting to the rise of contactless payment. However, charge cards are facing strong competition from rival payment methods, including Buy Now, Pay Later models.

Charge cards recorded continued growth in the US in 2025, with both cards in circulation and transaction volumes increasing during sustained migration toward digital and card-based payments. Consumer uptake was supported by enhanced rewards and premium product refreshes, prompting some spending to shift from credit and debit cards to charge cards in order to capture sign-up bonuses and lifestyle benefits. Commercial charge card activity also expanded, aided by the ongoing return-to-office trend

The number of charge cards in circulation in Hungary continued to decline in 2025, reflecting their highly niche positioning and the absence of personal products. Only commercial charge cards remain, used mainly by multinational firms and senior executives. Despite falling volumes, transaction activity increased as cardholders relied on them for international travel and business spending. Looking ahead, circulation is expected to contract further as commercial debit cards and digital expense sol

Charge cards registered healthy transacton value growth, as well as an increase in the number of cards in circulation in Greece in 2025. With the government continuing to push the economy towards digital payments, in order to increase traceability and avoid tax evasion, businesses also increasingly use commercial charge cards to both keep track of business expenses and ensure transactions are traceable for audit purposes.

In 2025, the number of charge cards in circulation grew only slightly, slower than in 2024, as rising living costs, higher VAT, and a challenging job market drove stronger demand for credit cards, which offer the flexibility of partial repayment. Transactions per card also saw modest growth, limited by the preference for more flexible credit cards. The development of physical charge cards is further constrained by fintech solutions like Prepay.

The number of charge cards in the Netherlands rose sharply in 2025 after credit cards were discontinued and converted to charge cards, requiring full repayment each billing cycle. Charge cards, however, remain niche products, mainly used for international payments, online shopping, and travel-related expenses such as rental cars. Transaction volumes and per-card spending increased, driven by former credit cardholders with higher disposable incomes. ICS was the leading issuer, while American Expr

Charge cards in Portugal continue to lose ground to credit cards in 2025, as credit cards are seen as offering similar benefits, but with more flexibility.

Further decline in numbers of charge cards in circulation in Norway in 2025, though there was a slight increase in constant value of transactions. American Express continues to be the only player, and only offers commercial charge cards. As such, the future of charge cards in Norway is largely dependent on American Express’ future strategy.

The shifting character of Canada’s international business profile due to its strained relationship with the US is undermining the commercial use of charge cards. Nonetheless, the fact that charge cards do not have a pre-set limit continues to appeal to many commercial clients.

Charge cards in Hong Kong saw declines across metrics in 2025 as local consumers continued to shift towards other, more flexible payment methods, such as credit cards, amid a high cost of living. Travel expenses are not yet fully recovered, post-pandemic, which has also impacted performance, as this is a key area of expenditure for charge cards.

Charge cards in Malaysia recorded higher circulation and rising transaction activity in 2025, supported by broader acceptance, stronger e-commerce activity and ongoing cashless policy momentum that reinforced card-linked payments. Usage also benefited from rewards-led propositions and lifestyle benefits, with American Express’ partnership with Maybank lifting visibility among affluent and travel-oriented consumers. However, charge cards remained a niche product relative to debit and credit cards

Charge cards in Indonesia declined in 2025, with both cards in circulation and transaction values falling as consumers continued favouring credit cards, BNPL and wallet-led payments that better fit everyday spending and instalment preferences. Limited differentiation versus credit cards, low promotional intensity and the requirement to repay balances in full kept the category niche, even as providers refreshed products and positioned charge cards as a bridge for consumers below credit card incom

In 2025, personal charge card circulation declined as Italians streamlined their card holdings to manage expenses more efficiently, while commercial charge card volumes grew. Despite fewer cards in circulation, digital payment activity increased, driven by versatile options like debit cards and Buy Now Pay Later services. This shift resulted in higher transaction volumes and values, reflecting a growing preference for digital payment options in Italy.

Charge cards in Argentina saw positive transaction growth in Argentina in 2025, with cards in circulation flat. This category remains a niche in the country, with low levels of dynamism due to charge cards having limited appeal to consumers.

Charge cards saw a positive performance in Thailand in 2025, in both terms of transaction values and cards in circulation. This performance was driven by steady demand for charge cards among affluent consumers and business clients, who value premium privileges and flexible payment terms.

Charge cards face structural challenges in South Africa, where consumers prefer more flexible and cost effective payment solutions. Despite some attempts to change perceptions, the charge card will remain a niche form of payment used by an affluent base.

Charge cards remained a negligible category in Colombia in 2025. These financial cards do not have a strong tradition in the country, with relatively few issuers present and usage mainly confined to a narrow base comprising larger corporations and more affluent urban consumers. This situation is unlikely to change over the forecast period given the increasing popularity of credit cards, which offer much greater flexibility when it comes to repayments.

Charge cards in the Czech Republic remained a niche category in 2025. Circulation and transactions remained on a downward trajectory at the end of the review period. Stringent application criteria and the requirement to pay off balances in full every month continued to limit interest in charge cards. Increasingly, usage is limited to larger companies and, to a lesser extent, affluent consumers. Moreover, usage levels among core consumers are in long-term decline due to the preference for alterna

The growth of charge cards is being supported by expanding acceptance, with American Express benefiting from a deal with FrenchSys, and JCB and China UnionPay also profiting from partnerships. Corporate activity is also playing a key role in the expansion of charge cards, including MICE and business tourism.

While card issuance drops, transaction volume rose in 2025 as spending on travel and entertainment recovered. Charge cards benefited from a focus on travel and premium benefits rather than everyday purchases, with rapid activation and integration into Apple Pay and Google Pay driving use. Improving online purchase journeys and expanding merchant acceptance should help to support the continued growth in transaction volume, despite an ongoing decline in the number of cards issued.