Walmart selects Capital One as its exclusive card issuer

According to Financial Times, Walmart’s switch to Capital One underlines the competitive nature of the tie-ups and how power struggles can erupt over the terms of the multibillion-dollar deals.

Walmart was among the five largest retail partners to Synchrony, which was spun off from General Electric in 2014. The chain’s cards generated more than a tenth of the credit card group’s total interest and fees on loans in 2017. Synchrony’s five largest tie-ups — with Gap, JCPenney, Lowe’s and Sam’s Club as well as Walmart — accounted for more than half of the income.

In response to Walmart’s decision, according to Financial Times, Synchrony announced that it was considering its options for the USD 10 billion worth of card balances that had already been issued through the partnership, including a possible sale of the portfolio to Capital One.