Visa Cited as Most Trusted Brand in Reader's Digest Study

Visa once again has been selected “the most trusted credit card brand” in international research conducted by Reader’s Digest magazine, polling subscribers in Europe.

Across Europe, the survey revealed that Visa is considered by consumers to be the most trusted credit card brand in 13 of 14 countries, with an average of 44 percent of the votes. In 2002 and 2003, Visa was selected “the most trusted credit card brand” in Reader’s Digest magazine’s international research in 16 of 18 countries in Europe and in Canada.

“We are honored to be named the most trusted credit card brand across Europe,” remarked John Elkins, head of Global Brand and Marketing for Visa International. “Visa is one of the world’s most recognized and respected brands. At the heart of our brand promise is the trust that exists between buyer and seller, which enables people everywhere to take advantage of life’s opportunities with confidence and ease. We’re proud that this poll has validated that promise.”

The European survey polled respondents in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Each country, with the exception of Hungary, selected Visa as the most trusted credit card brand. The study was not conducted in some major markets such as the United States, but may be expanded globally to include this and others in future studies.

Reader’s Digest European Trusted Brands seeks nominations for consumers’ most trusted brands across a wide range of product categories, from analgesics to kitchen appliances to credit cards. Having identified their Trusted Brands, respondents then rate them against the criteria of quality, value, image and understanding of customer needs.

For the first time, this year the survey explored more deeply the meaning of “trust.” According to respondents in 10 of 14 countries, before a brand can win their trust, it must offer “products of high quality.” However, analysis of results by country identifies significant differences — for example, in Portugal the most important criteria of trust is “responsibility to the environment” and in Russia it’s “value for money.”

Across these regions, the research featured self-completion questionnaires mailed to 271,765 households across Europe. The study was conducted in 12 languages, and monitored a selection of up to 35 product categories in each region. In the UK, the questionnaire was online, to a total of 56,522 and 8.7% response rate.

Designed to identify the brands in each category that consumers value and rely upon most, fieldwork took place in late 2005. Each of the 25,434 respondent households was demographically representative of each country. Brands were rated based upon quality, value, image and understanding of customer needs, as well as the importance of trust when making a purchase.