The Worst Banks for Credit Cards in 2026
If you're choosing a credit card, the interest rate and rewards points are only part of the picture. Federal complaint data reveals which issuers are most likely to leave you fighting billing errors, fraud disputes, and account problems — with no resolution.
Key finding
Synchrony Financial — which issues the Amazon Store Card, PayPal Credit, CareCredit, and Lowe's Advantage Card — generates 4.79 credit card complaints per 1,000 customers. That is 15× worse than Discover Bank (0.31/1k) and more than 7× worse than JPMorgan Chase (0.62/1k).
Credit card complaint rates — ranked worst to best
Rates calculated from CFPB data, normalised per 1,000 estimated customers using FDIC deposit data. Lower is better.
Source: CFPB Consumer Complaint Database · FDIC BankFind · ComplaintRate analysis · April 2026
Is your bank on this list?
If your credit card issuer appears in the top half of this list, you're statistically more likely to face unresolved billing disputes, fraud issues, and credit reporting errors. Switching banks takes about 2 hours of active effort spread across 10 days.
Why Synchrony Financial tops the list
Synchrony Financial is the largest provider of private-label credit cards in the United States — but most consumers don't know they're dealing with Synchrony. When you open an Amazon Store Card, a PayPal Credit account, or a CareCredit healthcare card, Synchrony is the bank behind it.
With a credit card complaint rate of 4.79 per 1,000 customers, Synchrony generates complaints at a rate that would be considered alarming at any traditional bank. The most common complaint types involve incorrect information on credit reports and improper use of credit reporting — suggesting systemic issues with how the institution handles credit data.
At 68% of complaints closed with no resolution, if you do have a problem with a Synchrony-issued card, you are statistically more likely to get nothing than to get it fixed. See Synchrony's full complaint record →
Capital One: trending worse
Capital One's credit card complaint rate of 2.10/1k places it firmly in the high-risk tier. More concerning is the trend — Capital One's complaint rate has been rising year over year.
Capital One is approximately 3× worse than JPMorgan Chase on credit cards. If you hold a Capital One Venture, Quicksilver, or Savor card, that gap is worth knowing.
The best credit card issuers by complaint rate
Discover Bank (0.31/1k) and American Express (0.38/1k) consistently maintain the lowest complaint rates among major credit card issuers.
JPMorgan Chase (0.62/1k) is the best performer among the mega-banks, despite operating one of the largest credit card portfolios in the world.
Methodology
Complaint rates are calculated from CFPB credit card complaints normalised per 1,000 estimated customers (FDIC deposit data). Data covers 2011–present. Full methodology →
Check your bank's full complaint record
See enforcement actions, trend data, and resolution rates for 4,977 institutions.