A report reveals that Barclaycard was the most powerful credit card brand in the UK in 2007 mainly because of having the highest brand awareness and the second highest card usage ratings, overtaking Capital One and HBOS.

Wide card ownership also contributed to Barclaycard placing first in the top. The report evaluated brand strength of top UK card issuers in four separate categories: card usage, brand awareness, quality, brand characteristics.

According to the study, Lloyds TSB occupied the fourth place in the top 10 powerful card brands included in the study. Lloyds TSB customers have higher outstanding balances and use their card more for purchases than any other brand included in the study. Marks and Spencer is only placing eleventh in the research because of its card usage and moderate brand awareness, even though Marks and Spencer’s card brand holds the top spot driven by high perceived quality and general brand characteristics.

Egg’s card brand occupies the third position came in third when it comes to general brand characteristics, behind Co-op Marks & Spencer’s card brand. MBNA and Barclaycard’s card brands are joint first in card ownership market share but there is difference in usage and brand awareness. The least widely held card brand was issued by the Post Office.

The syndicated market research tracking study was conducted by the Auriemma Consulting Group (ACG) is titled Issuer Brand Index (IBI).