VISA and MasterCard-branded debit cards generated nearly half a trillion dollars in activity last year in the USA, an 18% increase over the previous year. The number of VISA and MasterCard debit cards hit 174.9 million at the end of 2002, an 11% increase over 2001. However, the growth rate is significantly less than prior years. In 2001, VISA and MasterCard debit card dollar volume was up 39% and in 2000, the growth was 30%. Since 1997, VISA and MasterCard debit card dollar volume has grown 350%. During the same period, the number of VISA and MasterCard debit cards has grown 118%.
Debit Card Track Record
$ VOLUME # CARDS
1997: $110.5 billion 80.1 million
1998: $169.8 billion 100.6 million
1999: $232.0 billion 115.8 million
2000: $301.8 billion 135.9 million
2001: $420.7 billion 157.9 million
2002: $496.4 billion 174.9 million
Source: CardWeb.com's CardData service (www.carddata.com)
