Credit Card Satisfaction and Financial Literacy: Evidence from an Emerging Market Economy

Default problems and complaints about credit cards do not seem to diminish with declining credit card rates. Using a nationwide credit card user survey, we try to identify the determinants of customer satisfaction in the Turkish credit card market. Controlling for customer and card characteristics, we find that financial literacy is a major determinant of satisfaction. When people know more about financial matters and use their knowledge in their financial activities, they make more efficient decisions and have fewer financial problems, which in turn leads to higher satisfaction. We also find that people who tend to use their credit cards for unnecessary shopping and who have a history of credit card delinquency are less satisfied.