Brandwave

American Express vs Virgin Money:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, American Express had more branded searches than Virgin Money among credit cards in the United Kingdom. American Express had about 201,000 branded searches, while Virgin Money had 9,900. American Express made up 23.5% of all credit card searches we track, and Virgin Money accounted for 1.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about credit cards, American Express and Virgin Money each appeared in one of the five answers.

Among credit cards in the United Kingdom in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

American Express, about 20 searches for every 1 for Virgin Money

American Express 201K searchesVirgin Money 9.9K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 1 of 5 answers.

American Express in 1 of 5Virgin Money in 1 of 5

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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. Virgin Money was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews.

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Barclaycard3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • American Express1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Virgin Money1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Capital One0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • MBNA0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Tesco Bank0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Aqua0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Vanquis0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Zopa0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about credit cards

5 answers

  • Asked ChatGPT

    “Which credit card should I use in the UK?”

    1. 1American Express
    2. 2Barclaycard

  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What are the best credit cards in the UK?”

    1. 1Barclaycard

  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What's the best credit card in the UK for everyday spending?”

    1. 1Barclaycard

  • Searched Google, AI Overview

    “credit cards uk”

    1. Searched Google, AI Overview

      “business credit cards”

      1. 1Virgin Money

    Not named in any answer:

    Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 19, 2026.

    Is American Express or Virgin Money more popular in search?

    This chart shows how often people search Google for American Express and Virgin Money by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine credit card brands we track, month by month, from searches in United Kingdom.

    American Express and Virgin Money among credit cards in the United Kingdom, by month

    Share of searches by month for American Express, Virgin Money. The figures are in the table below the chart.

    View monthly share of searches table
    MonthAmerican ExpressBarclaycardCapital OneMBNATesco BankAquaVanquisVirgin MoneyZopa
    Oct 202523.6%23.6%23.6%13%7.1%3.9%3.2%0.95%0.95%
    Nov 202520.3%24.9%24.9%13.6%7.5%4.1%2.7%1%1%
    Dec 202522.4%27.4%22.4%12.3%6.7%3.7%3%1.1%0.9%
    Jan 202623.5%23.5%23.5%12.9%7.1%3.9%3.2%1.2%1.2%
    Feb 202622.2%27.2%22.2%12.1%6.7%4.5%3%1.1%1.1%
    Mar 202620.2%24.7%24.7%13.6%7.4%4.1%3.3%0.99%0.99%
    Apr 202621%25.8%25.8%11.5%6.3%4.2%3.5%0.85%1%
    May 202621%25.7%25.7%11.5%6.3%5.2%2.8%0.85%0.85%
    Jun 202622.3%27.3%22.3%12.2%6.7%4.5%3%0.9%0.9%
    Jul 202622.3%27.3%22.3%12.2%6.7%4.5%3%0.9%0.9%
    Aug 202622.2%27.2%22.2%12.2%6.7%4.5%3%1.1%0.9%
    Sep 202623.5%23.5%23.5%12.9%7.1%4.7%2.6%1.2%0.95%

    How has the American Express and Virgin Money comparison changed over the last 12 months?

    3 findings

    How did search popularity change for United Kingdom credit cards in September 2026?

    1 change

    1. In September 2026, American Express overtook Barclaycard to become the leader among credit cards in the United Kingdom, with 23.5% of the searches.

    How are branded searches counted?

    2 search terms

    Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using American Express’ and Virgin Money’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

    1 branded search term

    • american express

    Virgin Money

    1 branded search term

    • virgin money credit card

    How the Brand Demand Index is measured

    Other head-to-heads among credit cards

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