Economics of Payment Cards: A Status Report

Abstract

This article surveys the recent theoretical literature on payment cards (focusing on debit and credit cards) and studies this research's possible implications for the current public policy debate over payment card networks and the pricing of their services for both consumers and merchants.

Keywords: retail financial services, payment card networks, competition, Production, Pricing, and Market Structure, Size Distribution of Firms, Banks, Other Depository Institutions, Micro Finance Institutions, Mortgages, Financial Markets