They have to spend all that interchange in rewards and partnerships to maintain their customer base. Not to mention all the operational costs in servicing, disputes, and fraud. You can’t run a credit card business successfully on just interchange and be profitable. I don’t know a single bank where interchange outweighs interest even if their entire customer base is super prime.

The truth is… credit cards have become a bet on missed payments and overspending. For every 1 customer who genuinely needed “short-term liquidity” to cover for basic needs there’s 20 to 30 customers blowing stacks on the latest influencer’s merchandise or booking an expensive trip to live like royalty.