--- title: "American Express vs MBNA: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?" description: "Is American Express or MBNA more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Credit cards set in the United Kingdom. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/american-express-vs-mbna" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # American Express vs MBNA: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom? Is American Express or MBNA more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Credit cards set in the United Kingdom. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: American Express and MBNA - **Competitive set**: Credit cards - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **American Express Share of Search**: 23.5% - **MBNA Share of Search**: 12.9% ## Is American Express or MBNA more popular in search? - In September 2026, American Express had more branded searches than MBNA among credit cards in the United Kingdom. American Express had about 201,000 branded searches, while MBNA had 110,000. American Express made up 23.5% of all credit card searches we track, and MBNA accounted for 12.9%. - American Express was ahead of MBNA in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, American Express’ share of searches among credit cards in the United Kingdom moved from 23.6% to 23.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 246K to 201K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, MBNA’s share of searches among credit cards in the United Kingdom moved from 13% to 12.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 135K to 110K. ## Top credit cards in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, American Express was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. MBNA did not appear in any of the five answers. Too few answers listed options to rank the brands, so only mentions are counted. | Brand | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | American Express | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Barclaycard | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Capital One | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | MBNA | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Tesco Bank | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Aqua | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Vanquis | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Virgin Money | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Zopa | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about credit cards - Asked ChatGPT "Which credit card should I use in the UK?": 1. American Express, 2. Barclaycard - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best credit cards in the UK?": 1. Barclaycard - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best credit card in the UK for everyday spending?": 1. Barclaycard - Searched Google, AI Overview "credit cards uk": named none of the brands we track - Searched Google, AI Overview "business credit cards": 1. Virgin Money Not named in any answer: Capital One, MBNA, Tesco Bank, Aqua, Vanquis and Zopa. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 19, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom credit cards in September 2026? - In September 2026, American Express overtook Barclaycard to become the leader among credit cards in the United Kingdom, with 23.5% of the searches. - In September 2026, MBNA gained share of searches among credit cards in the United Kingdom, from 12.2% to 12.9%. ## Month by month | Month | American Express estimated searches | American Express Share of Search | American Express rank | MBNA estimated searches | MBNA Share of Search | MBNA rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 246K | 23.6% | 1 | 135K | 13% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | 201K | 20.3% | 3 | 135K | 13.6% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | 201K | 22.4% | 2 | 110K | 12.3% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | 246K | 23.5% | 1 | 135K | 12.9% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | 201K | 22.2% | 2 | 110K | 12.1% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | 201K | 20.2% | 3 | 135K | 13.6% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | 201K | 21% | 3 | 110K | 11.5% | 4 | | May 2026 | 201K | 21% | 3 | 110K | 11.5% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | 201K | 22.3% | 2 | 110K | 12.2% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | 201K | 22.3% | 2 | 110K | 12.2% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | 201K | 22.2% | 2 | 110K | 12.2% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | 201K | 23.5% | 1 | 110K | 12.9% | 4 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using American Express’ and MBNA’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **American Express**: Measured on the search term “american express”. - **MBNA**: Measured on the search term “mbna”. - [American Express profile](/demand/uk/brands/american-express) - [MBNA profile](/demand/uk/brands/mbna) - [All credit cards in the United Kingdom](/demand/uk/categories/uk-credit-cards): The set both shares are measured inside, 9 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is American Express or MBNA more popular in search? In September 2026, American Express had more branded searches than MBNA among credit cards in the United Kingdom. American Express had about 201,000 branded searches, while MBNA had 110,000. American Express made up 23.5% of all credit card searches we track, and MBNA accounted for 12.9%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "American Express vs MBNA: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/american-express-vs-mbna This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/american-express-vs-mbna. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.