Mintel's 'Premium Credit Cards, 2003' charts the factors that are driving the sector and the potential market size for providers who insist that applicants meet a minimum income. The spectacular increase in the number of premium cards in issue is detailed, alongside Mintel's estimates of the total value of the premium card market. Analysis of products and providers examines the benefits and pricing of premium cards, while an Advertising and Promotion section of the report looks at the marketing mix employed by providers.

Mintel's 'Premium Credit Cards, 2003' charts the factors that are driving the sector and the potential market size for providers who insist that applicants meet a minimum income. The spectacular increase in the number of premium cards in issue is detailed, alongside Mintel's estimates of the total value of the premium card market. Analysis of products and providers examines the benefits and pricing of premium cards, while an Advertising and Promotion section of the report looks at the marketing mix employed by providers.

Key to the report and your understanding of the challenges and opportunities that providers face are revealing findings from Mintel's exclusive consumer research. In Consumer Ownership and Behaviour, Mintel examines the ownership patterns of consumers - not only whether the respondents hold a premium or standard card, but also how many they hold. Overall account balances are also considered, highlighting the distribution of the most profitable consumers and those who tend to maintain a relatively high average balance.

In Consumer Attitudes and Perceptions, Mintel examines the way in which premium cards and the features they offer are viewed by consumers. Questions include whether or not gold or platinum cards retain any of their original prestige, or whether they are viewed as being no different from standard cards.

Finally, the likely developments in this market are detailed in The Future section of the report, forecasting the potential market size in the coming years.

Supplying an expert and practical understanding of the UK premium credit card market, Mintel's latest report offers the level of information needed to understand the market as a whole, while identifying where the next opportunities for growth are going to come from.

Key findings include:

- UK consumers are spending on credit cards like never before - gross new consumer credit was almost £200 billion in 2002, with credit cards accounting for the majority of this spending.

- In today's highly competitive market, offering gold, platinum or black cards is one way for providers to stand out from the crowd.

- Around a third of taxpayers earn at least £20,000, meaning that there is a sizeable market for those providers who set a minimum income requirement for potential card holders.

- While relatively low minimum income criteria maximises the potential size of the market, there are concerns that this has led to a reduction in the perceived exclusivity of premium credit cards.

Offering you a new, fully up-to-date examination of:

- Market factors

- Market size

- Products and providers

- Distribution

- Advertising and promotion

- Consumer trends and attitudes

- Future trends

- Sales forecasts

Other related reports include:

- Non-Standard Lending - UK, Finance Intelligence, September 2003

- Premium and Packaged Accounts - UK, Finance Intelligence, June 2003

- Direct Banking - UK, Finance Intelligence, April 2003

- Store Cards - UK, Finance Intelligence, October 2002

- Pricing and Competition - UK, Finance Intelligence, June 2002.