Report: Most Popular Store Credit Cards in New York State

Upgraded Points has just released a new report about the most popular store-issued credit cards in each U.S. state. I thought the report might be interesting to your readers.

Context:

Retail credit cards often carry more restrictions, lower credit limits, and higher rates and fees than standard bank-issued cards. Threats to retail cards have also emerged from the growth of “buy now, pay later” services such as Klarna, Affirm, and Afterpay. And amid recent shifts in the credit industry—including a proposed federal rule that would curb how much card issuers can charge in fees—retail card companies are facing serious headwinds.

But while consumers now have more options than ever, there may still be good reasons for shoppers to utilize store-issued credit cards. These are generally easier to obtain, making them appealing not only for loyal shoppers, but also for those with limited or middling credit.

Report Results:

To determine the top store card for each state, researchers analyzed U.S. search volume data from Google Trends for the most popular national retailers based on search volume for their associated store cards.

Here are the key takeaways from the report:

• 
  Among the dozens of common retail credit cards available, the nation’s most popular cards originate from six prominent retailers—Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Target, Walmart, and Costco—based on Google Search data over the past 12 months.
• 
  Notably, Best Buy, the electronics retailer, claims the title of having the most popular store credit card in 22 U.S. states, predominantly in the Midwest and West.
• 
  However, the home improvement sector emerges as the primary driver of interest in store cards across much of the nation. Combined, Home Depot (in 14 states) and Lowe’s (in 12 states) represent the most sought-after store credit cards in the majority of U.S. states.
• 
  Interestingly, while the Northeast tends to favor Home Depot, the Southeast favors Lowe’s.

The analysis found that the most popular store card in New York State is issued by Best Buy.