BankAmericard

BankAmericard is the original consumer credit card program created by Bank of America. Introduced in 1958, it began as a regional card in California designed to offer revolving credit to Bank of America customers, allowing purchases to be paid back over time with interest. The program is widely regarded as one of the first general-use credit cards in the United States and laid the groundwork for modern revolving credit systems.

During the 1960s, BankAmericard expanded beyond its initial region as more banks joined the program and licensed the card to issue across the country. This era also saw the emergence of competing networks, such as those that formed Master Charge (later MasterCard) in 1966, as banks sought alternatives to BankAmericard’s growing influence. The BankAmericard system evolved into a broader banking network, with interoperability across participating issuers and merchants.

In 1976 the BankAmericard brand was rebranded as Visa, a name chosen to reflect a universal, international payment network. Since then, Visa has operated as a separate payment brand managed by Visa Inc., while Bank of America and other member banks issue cards that use the Visa network. The historical BankAmericard program remains a foundational chapter in the development of modern credit cards, and the BankAmericard name is sometimes used in reference to legacy or specific product lines, though the branding of the cards commonly operates under Visa today.