What Is Credit Card University? Your Guide to Modern Credit Card Programs

Today, technology has leveled the playing field, opening doors to smaller organizations that are looking for new ways to engage with their customers. Credit card programs can still be a massive undertaking, to be sure. However, with the right technology partners, businesses can significantly reduce the overhead of running a credit card program — and enhance customer relationships with bespoke programs that reinforce customer loyalty and power the flywheel of the core business.

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Why Are We Doing This and What Will We Cover?

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Credit cards can be high-performing products in financial services — and they are ubiquitous. According to McKinsey, credit cards dominate unsecured borrowing for consumers, accounting for 78% of balances. 

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Corporate cards also play a substantial role. A 2019 SBA report found that small businesses made up 44% of U.S. economic activity, and research by Mercator Advisory Group reports that small business credit card transactions will total more than $700 billion this year. 

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In other words, there is a large market to tap. Not only can credit card programs help businesses boost loyalty, but they can provide them with tools to better understand spend, reduce costs, and foster growth. 

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All that is to say, we’re doing this to help organizations interested in launching a credit card program understand the ins and outs to make better, more strategic decisions. Credit Card University will include an entire library of educational materials — from ebooks and guides to articles and case studies — that cover topics like:

• ‍Credit decisioning and underwriting – Understanding continuous underwriting and how to access data that enable faster, more informed credit decisions. 
• ‍Digital-first experiences & instant issuance – Discovering how digital-first billing, onboarding, and self-service can take your credit card program to the next level and how virtual cards and digital wallets work. 
• ‍Custom rewards – Information to help you differentiate between different types of rewards programs and create real-time, frictionless, bespoke rewards that are meaningful to your audience.
• ‍Credit card ecosystem – The credit card ecosystem is vast and deep. Our content will walk you through how sponsor and issuing banks work, the role of various credit card program partners, payment networks, and credit facility providers – and how every piece of the puzzle fits together. 
• ‍Compliance – Compliance is a must-know subject for anyone launching a credit card program. We’ll cover the ABCs of regulation, including AML, KYC, Reg Z, SOC2, TILA, UDAAP, and more, so you’re armed with valuable information that keeps you compliant and your customers safe.
• Consider us your go-to resource for both fundamental and advanced training. Our content will cater to beginners to credit cards as well as experienced program managers. We’ll cover the entire ecosystem so you can get the insights you need to launch and grow a successful credit card program that drives long-term business value. 

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The world of credit cards is expansive. Aside from all the different types of credit cards, the mechanics behind how they work are complex. We’ll help you navigate everything you need to know about the industry — from the technology that underpins credit card operations to the ecosystem and more.

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Clearing Up Misconceptions About Credit Cards

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In addition to guiding you through the mosaic of credit card definitions, concepts, regulations, and technologies, we also want to clear up the many misconceptions about credit cards. There are two primary misunderstandings we come across often: 

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“We are not capable of running a credit card program” we’re too small, we don’t have in-house experts, it is too complicated, etc.)

“We can handle it ourselves.”

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To clear up the first misconception, modern credit card operating systems now make it possible for nearly every organization to enjoy the benefits of offering credit cards. Working with modern infrastructure and program management providers enables businesses of all sizes to launch and scale consumer and commercial credit card programs. Technology partners like Tallied do the heavy lifting, allowing businesses to launch quickly with minimal operational and compliance burdens. 

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The second misconception can be an expensive one. While it’s true that many behemoth organizations launch and run their own credit card programs, the truth is they rely on dozens of internal resources that work for years before a program can be launched. So while it may be possible to do everything yourself, from a strategic standpoint, it may not be the best use of your limited time and resources. 

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Through Credit Card University, Tallied aims to clear up these misconceptions, provide expert guidance on launching and running credit card programs, and offer a robust knowledge base of all things credit cards.