Patronage factors of Malaysian local customers toward Islamic credit cards

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the probability of Islamic credit card usage intention among Islamic banks' customers. Financial cost, knowledge of Islamic credit card, attitude, financial recommendation and demographic items were examined in order to determine whether these factors are influencing the Islamic credit card usage intention or not. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing upon the theory of reasoned action (TRA), this study proposes a conceptual model to examine the factors determining the Islamic credit card usage intention. The research model is evaluated using survey data from 354 respondents with the help of a questionnaire. Findings – The results reveal that “financial recommendation”, “knowledge on Islamic credit card”, “age (young)”, “marital status”, “religion” and “education level” are significantly affecting the Islamic credit card usage intention. The research also concludes that “attitude on Islamic credit card” appears to have no effect on the Islamic credit card usage intention. Research limitations/implications – The research has two limitations. The limitations however provide support for future researches in the area of Islamic credit card. Despite the limitations, the study contributes to the body of academic knowledge by shedding more light onto the factors affecting Islamic credit card usage intention. Practical implications – Insights reported from this study are of particular importance to bank managers, providing them with an improved understanding pertaining to the Malaysian bank customers' usage intentions for Islamic credit cards. The research helps them to better plan for Islamic credit card facilities, in order to cater for the financial needs of Malaysia bank customers. Originality/value – The contribution of the research lies in achieving a more profound understanding of Malaysia bank customers' usage intentions for Islamic credit cards. The research manages to discover the factors which particularly determine the use of Islamic credit cards. It also expands the literature on Islamic credit cards.