How Does Your Credit Card Stack Up?

Wondering how your credit card stacks up?   

Even if you move your bank account to a greener, community development bank or credit union, like thousands of Green Americans have with our “Break Up With Your Mega-Bank” campaign, you may still have ties to a mega-bank through a credit card. The fees that you pay on your credit card go to the card’s issuing bank, and this money is then used to make loans to individuals and businesses.  

Mega-banks have a long history of unethical business practices and funding projects that are destructive to the earth. From predatory lending practices to investing in fossil fuels, these banks prioritize profit over customers’ livelihoods. For example, there is evidence that many large Western banks, including RBC, JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, and Citibank, provide financing to companies involved in tar sands extraction, destroying Canada’s Boreal Forest and contributing to climate change. Fossil Banks, No Thanks is a global campaign Green America is part of that uses public pressure to make banks end their support for the climate-wrecking fossil-fuels industry.  

Last updated in 2017, our credit card scorecard can help you determine how ethical your bank is. Based on data from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the scorecard factors in the number of complaints made against the banks and any settlements paid out by the banks for wrongdoing. 

Looking to part with your mega-bank? Many greener options exist.  

Check out Green America’s 10 steps to break up with your mega-bank, along with our list of green credit card options.  

Ensuring that your credit card aligns with your values is critical to becoming a more ethical consumer. Luckily, our scorecard ranks some of the most popular banks—and a few greener choices—so that you can see how your credit card stacks up against the competition.