信用卡是經濟發展下一種盛行消費方式，而亞太地區，就全球而言，是當今經濟最蓬迅速發展的地區，因此亞太地區已被視為信用卡的新主力開發市場。信用卡消費方式原創於西方，在東西不同的文化蘊涵影響下，對於信用卡消費態度、選擇信用卡的標準、所重視的信用卡特性(attributes)，其異同是值得研究而尚末接觸及的課題。 本研究據信幅卡之特性發展出"信用卡特性重視度量表"，並針對171位美國持卡者與154位臺灣持卡者作問卷調查。將所得之結果以因素分所的方法探討信用卡特性之因素構面，發現對信用卡，中美消費者各有共不同的著眼點。就台灣持卡者而言，其最重視的為信用卡的促銷策略。其最重視的為信用卡的促銷策略。相對的，美國持卡者則較重其服務品質，例如帳單記帳方式是否清晰明瞭，信用卡遺失之處理是否迅速，信用卡使用規則是否簡單易懂，年費、利率高低等服務方面考量。文化不同臺能是造成差異的主因。臺灣持卡者傳襲著一向用錢的原則，那就是量入為出，所以對於信用卡建立借貸信用，反而較不注重，使用信用卡是取其便利性。在此前提下，五花八門的促銷技倆便成為台灣人持卡人注目的焦點，也是其選擇的主要考量。相對的，對美國消費者而言，信用卡之使用已將近一世紀，對信用卡因此有一較完整，全盤性，權利義務的概念，對於使用不當所產生積債後果也較熟悉，於是美國持卡者注重是持卡(keeping the card)所得之服務與應付之費用，對於鼓勵獲得卡(getting the card)之附帶促銷活動已難再吸引他們的注意力。 比較兩方之因素結構，中美也有其不同。臺灣持卡者有較多的因素構面，也就是對每一個信用卡特性，偏向於做個別性的評估。而美國持卡者的因素構面則含較多的子因素(contributors)，對信用卡特性，傾向於做整體性的考量。經由一致性係數(coefficients of congruence)的分析，驗證台灣與美國持卡者，對於信用卡特性的評估有顯著的差異。本文最後針對研究結果，提出討論與建議。

　　　　　 Asia-Pacific, the fastest economic growth region yet with cultural traditions totally divergent from the West, has been viewed as a new credit card market opportunity. The cultural differences between the East and the West, in terms of the attitudes toward credit cards, have not been well assessed, and hence this research. The study identifies and analyzes the patterns consumers perceive of the attributes of credit cards. Separate principal component factor analyses with equamax rotations were performed upon data collected from Taiwanese and American graduate students from a large Midwestern university. Cross cultural comparison shows similarities as well as dissimilarities in attitudes toward credit card attributes. Differences seem mostly related to factor structures American card holders tended to include more variables in factors overall, while Taiwanese card holders evaluated credit cards in a more detailed manner, which resulted in more factors with small number of contributors. The implication is that Taiwanese are more likely to judge credit cards by focusing on distinct attributes, rat her than to take a broad categorical perspective. Promotional schemes, composing the first factor, seem to attract Taiwanese card holders' attention most. On the other hard, American card holders their first priority in customer service. A plausible interpretation is that Taiwanese card holders, maintaining their traditional consumption philosophy which is against using future money, are likely to be convenience credit card users, instead of installment users. Without being haunted by unpleasant in-debt experiences with card usage, Taiwanese card holders consequently show more interest in various promotional schemes which are also extremely new to them. American card holders, who have the whole-package concept regarding customer service and are possibly fed up by different sales tricks, concentrate more on the attributes pertaining to "keep the cards", rather than the temporary glamor brought by the attributes of "getting the cards".