A credit card network makes using your credit card possible. Some credit card networks process transactions directly, or will work with card issuers so that your transactions can be completed. The four major credit card networks in the U.S. are Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express.

There are four major credit card networks in the United States: American Express, Discover, Mastercard and Visa. Each credit card network, also called a card association, may work a little differently, but the basic principles are similar. Card networks are one of the underlying links that work to transfer funds from a cardholder to a merchant.

Credit Card Networks act like bridges between the banks that issue credit cards and the merchants or shops that accept your credit card. Networks don’t issue credit cards except American Express, but they offer various additional benefits on their products that are provided to the customers by the card issuers.

The role of a card network is to facilitate transactions between merchants and card issuers. To do this, card networks create virtual payment infrastructures and charge merchants interchange fees for processing consumers’ credit or debit card transactions. The four major credit card networks are Mastercard, Visa, American Express and Discover.

Credit card networks pass information between the merchant’s acquiring bank and an issuing bank or card issuer (the financial institution that issued you a card on behalf of a network like Mastercard or Visa) to decide whether you can make a purchase and to facilitate the purchase.