Top 10 Popular Credit Cards This Year... "No Spending Required for Benefits 'Mujogeon Card'"

Shinhan 'Deep Dream' Tops 1st Place in 3 Years
Half of Top 10 Are Unconditionally Cards

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] The most popular credit card this year was found to be the 'Shinhan Card Deep Dream.' Amid consumers' preference for 'unconditional cards' that offer benefits without monthly spending requirements, the popularity of airline mileage cards declined due to the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

'Shinhan Deep Dream' Tops the Chart for the First Time in 3 Years

According to Card Gorilla, the largest credit card specialist site in Korea, on the 25th, the 'Shinhan Card Deep Dream' ranked first in the '2020 Year-End Popular Credit Card Top 10.' With the discontinuation of the 'Lotte Card Like It Fun,' which had held the top spot since the first quarter of last year, Shinhan Card reclaimed first place for the first time in three years since the 2017 year-end summary. The ranking was based on the number of views and application conversions for each credit card product on the Card Gorilla website (PC and mobile combined) from January 1 to December 18 of this year.

The year-end rankings saw significant changes as six cards that were in the top 20 during the first half of 2020 were discontinued. The Shinhan Card Deep Dream, which took first place, is an unconditional card that accumulates points without monthly spending or accumulation limits. After consistently ranking second since the 2019 year-end summary, it finally reached first place. Shinhan Card had last held the top spot in the 2017 year-end summary with the 'Shinhan Card Mr. Life.'

Second place went to the 'Samsung Card Tap Tap O,' a card that allows users to change specialized option packages for coffee and shopping monthly. Third place was taken by the 'Shinhan Card Mr. Life.' Rising six places compared to the first half of 2020, Mr. Life offers benefits tailored for single-person households, including utilities, online shopping, convenience stores, hospitals, marts, and fuel. Fourth place was the unconditional discount card 'Woori Card DA@Card's Jeongseok,' and fifth was the 'NH Nonghyup NH All One Pi Card,' which allows consumers to select lifestyle discounts centered on online shopping.

Sixth place was also an unconditional discount card, 'Lotte Roca Classic,' and seventh was the 'KB Kookmin Youth Road Tok Tok,' which offers up to 60% discount at Starbucks. Eighth place was the only airline mileage card in the top 20 and an unconditional accumulation card, 'Samsung Card & Mileage Platinum.' Ninth place went to the 'KB Kookmin Dadam Card,' which provides all-around discounts on transportation, telecommunications, and fuel with selectable service packs, and tenth place was the unconditional discount card 'Lotte Like It All.'

Half of the Top 10 Popular Credit Cards Are 'Unconditional Cards'

Unconditional cards that provide benefits without monthly spending requirements accounted for five out of the top 10 and nine out of the top 20. Among airline mileage cards, which had four in the top 20 last year, only one, the Samsung Card & Mileage Platinum, survived in this year’s year-end rankings.

The card company with the most products in the top 20 was Shinhan Card (5 cards), followed by KB Kookmin Card (4 cards), Samsung Card (3 cards), and Lotte Card (3 cards). Among newly released cards this year that made it into the top 20 were four popular cards: 'Lotte Roca Classic (6th),' 'Lotte Like It Fun Plus (11th),' 'Samsung Card 6 V4 (15th),' and 'Hana Everyone’s Shopping (16th).' Despite the discontinuation of Like It Fun, Lotte Card placed its new cards at high ranks.

Go Seung-hoon, CEO of Card Gorilla, said, "As consumption patterns rapidly changed due to COVID-19, cards that offer consistent monthly discounts regardless of monthly spending requirements were popular. Newly released cards such as 'Shinhan Card The More' and 'NH Nonghyup All Right Flex Card' have been rapidly climbing the December monthly chart, so a fierce competition among new cards is expected in the first quarter of next year."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.