• by Ray Schultz , February 13, 2019

Email is the delivery vehicle for 11% of credit card offers, second only to card issuer websites among digital channels. In addition, 73% of all applications are made online.

But credit card applications are declining overall, and email takes a back seat to postal mail, according to Credit Card Reponses Rate, a study by Mintel Comperemedia. 

Mintel Comperemedia surveyed 3,000 financial services marketers. 

The study also shows that 13% of offers are made on the websites of card issuers, according to Mintel charts posted on The Financial Brand. Another 10% are delivered through third-party websites, 6% via mobile apps and 6% in social media.

In one key change, 33% of applications are now made via mobile phones, versus 29% from a desktop computer. In addition, 11% are made on a tablet, 11% in person, 8% by mail and 8% by phone.

Bank of America has a 19% share of applications, and American Express has 18%. Chase gets 10% and Citi has 6%. 

Discover receives 4% of all applications and other unnamed brands receive 18%.

Overall, 20% of all credit card applications now come from a direct mail offer. But the response rate fell from an average .68% in June 2018 to .51 in November, even as direct mail volume rose.

Cash or rebate offers generate 47% of all applications. Points drive 23%, miles drive 13% and 17% of card requests are fueled by none of those.