American Express vs Intel: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
American Express reported $72.2B of revenue in FY2025 and $10.8B of net income. Intel reported $52.9B of revenue in FY2025 and a net loss of $267M.
Latest financial snapshot
American Express
- Latest revenue
- $72.2B (FY2025)
- Net income
- $10.8B
- Net margin
- 15.0%
- Revenue growth
- +8.2% a year, FY2016–FY2025
Intel
- Latest revenue
- $52.9B (FY2025)
- Net income
- -$267M
- Net margin
- -0.5%
- Revenue growth
- -1.3% a year, FY2016–FY2025
Financial summary
American Express
American Express reported $72.2 billion in total revenues net of interest expense for FY2025, up 10 percent, and $10.8 billion of net income, or $15.38 per diluted share. The mix is less fee-only than its premium image suggests: discount revenue on merchant transactions was $37.4 billion, net interest income on card member loans was $17.4 billion, net card fees were $10.0 billion and service fees and other revenue were $7.5 billion. Growth in 2025 came disproportionately from the two smaller lines, with net card fees up 18 percent and net interest income up 12 percent against 6 percent growth in discount revenue. Return on average equity was 33.9 percent, the net write-off rate on consumer and small business loans and receivables was 2.0 percent, and the company declared $3.28 per share in dividends while average diluted shares fell from 713 million to 696 million.
Intel
Intel's revenue peaked at $79.0 billion in 2021 and fell to $53.1 billion in 2024, when it posted an $18.8 billion net loss driven by restructuring and impairments. FY2025 revenue was $52.9 billion with a much smaller $267 million net loss, and the year ended with $37.4 billion in cash and short-term investments. Q2 2026 revenue rose 25% to $16.1 billion with a 41.8% non-GAAP gross margin and $0.42 non-GAAP EPS. GAAP net loss for the quarter was $11.0 billion, almost all from a $12.5 billion non-cash mark-to-market charge on shares escrowed for the U.S. Department of Commerce. Intel guided Q3 2026 revenue to $15.8-16.8 billion.
Revenue and profit by year
American Express
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $72.2B | $10.8B | 15.0% | +9.5% | Source |
| FY2024 | $65.9B | $10.1B | 15.4% | +9.0% | Source |
| FY2023 | $60.5B | $8.4B | 13.8% | +14.5% | Source |
| FY2022 | $52.9B | $7.5B | 14.2% | +24.7% | Source |
| FY2021 | $42.4B | $8.1B | 19.0% | +17.4% | Source |
| FY2020 | $36.1B | $3.1B | 8.7% | -17.1% | Source |
| FY2019 | $43.6B | $6.8B | 15.5% | +8.0% | Source |
| FY2018 | $40.3B | $6.9B | 17.2% | +9.4% | Source |
| FY2017 | $36.9B | $2.7B | 7.5% | +4.1% | Source |
| FY2016 | $35.4B | $5.4B | 15.2% | — | Source |
Intel
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $52.9B | -$267M | -0.5% | -0.5% | Source |
| FY2024 | $53.1B | -$18.8B | -35.3% | -2.1% | Source |
| FY2023 | $54.2B | $1.7B | 3.1% | -14.0% | Source |
| FY2022 | $63.1B | $8B | 12.7% | -20.2% | Source |
| FY2021 | $79B | $19.9B | 25.1% | +1.5% | Source |
| FY2020 | $77.9B | $20.9B | 26.8% | +8.2% | Source |
| FY2019 | $72B | $21B | 29.2% | +1.6% | Source |
| FY2018 | $70.8B | $21.1B | 29.7% | +12.9% | Source |
| FY2017 | $62.8B | $9.6B | 15.3% | +5.7% | Source |
| FY2016 | $59.4B | $10.3B | 17.4% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
American Express
- Discount Revenue (Merchant Fees)~52%
Discount revenue is the fee American Express charges merchants on card transactions. It was $37,401 million in FY2025, up 6 percent, and equalled 2.24 percent of billed business. It remains the largest revenue line and moves with billed business, merchant mix and geography.
- Net Interest Income~24%
Net interest income is earned on card member loans and receivables after funding costs. It was $17,364 million in FY2025, up 12 percent, on a net interest yield of 8.1 percent, helped by growth in revolving balances and by lending features added to charge card products.
- Net Card Fees~14%
Net card fees are the annual fees on consumer, small business and corporate cards. They reached $9,993 million in FY2025, up 18 percent, at an average of $117 per proprietary card in force, driven by new acquisitions on fee-paying products and by the 2025 Platinum refresh.
- Service Fees and Other Revenue~10%
Service fees and other revenue was $7,471 million in FY2025, up 10 percent. It covers network partnership revenue from cards issued by partner banks, foreign currency fees on cross-currency spending, loyalty coalition and merchant service fees, delinquency fees, travel commissions and income from equity method investments.
Intel
- Client Computing and Physical AI Group~55%
Core and Core Ultra PC processors, chipsets, and edge platforms; $8.9B in Q2 2026, up 13% year over year.
- Data Center and AI~39%
Xeon server CPUs, AI accelerators, and data-center platforms; $6.3B in Q2 2026, up 59% year over year.
- Intel Foundry (external)small
Wafer manufacturing and advanced packaging for outside customers; most foundry revenue is internal sales to Intel Products and eliminates in consolidation.
- Mobileye and Other~6%
Mobileye ADAS chips and other businesses.
Business model and strategy
American Express
How it makes money
American Express runs a closed-loop payments business: it issues the card, owns the network, underwrites the credit and contracts with the merchant. Visa and Mastercard only move the transaction between an issuing bank and an acquiring bank, so they never see both sides of a purchase.
Growth strategy
Amex's growth strategy is aggressively focused on capturing the next generation of wealthy spenders: Millennials and Gen Z. They have successfully revamped their well-known Platinum and Gold cards with perks tailored specifically for younger demographics (like Uber credits and dining rewards), resulting in rapid growth among younger cohorts.
Competitive advantage
American Express competes on the spending power of its card members rather than on price or ubiquity. Average spending per proprietary basic card member was $25,453 in 2025, which is the argument it makes to merchants who pay a higher discount rate, an average of 2.24 percent of billed business.
Intel
How it makes money
Intel is an integrated device manufacturer (IDM): it designs chips and runs its own fabs in Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, Ireland, and Israel. Since 2024 it reports two halves. Intel Products (client CPUs, Xeon data-center CPUs, AI accelerators) sells to OEMs, hyperscalers, and enterprises. Intel Foundry manufactures wafers and packages for Intel Products and for external customers, competing with TSMC and Samsung.
Growth strategy
Under Lip-Bu Tan, Intel has cut layers and headcount, slowed some fab projects such as Ohio, and tied foundry spending to committed customer demand.
Competitive advantage
Intel's advantages are the installed base of x86 software, deep OEM and enterprise relationships, leading-edge U.S. fabs, and advanced packaging (EMIB, Foveros) that AI chip designers increasingly need. Its role as the main American maker of leading-edge logic chips also brings policy support: the U.S. government became its largest shareholder in August 2025.
Questions about American Express vs Intel
Which company has higher revenue — American Express Company or Intel Corporation?
American Express Company reported $72.2B (FY2025), while Intel Corporation reported $52.9B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, American Express Company is the larger business, with Intel Corporation reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of American Express Company vs Intel Corporation?
American Express Company's market capitalisation stands at $205.8B, while Intel Corporation's is $639.9B. Intel Corporation carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to American Express Company.
Which is more financially efficient — American Express Company or Intel Corporation?
American Express Company generates $940k / employee in revenue per employee, while Intel Corporation generates $621k / employee. American Express Company shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do American Express Company and Intel Corporation make money?
American Express Company and Intel Corporation generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. American Express Company: American Express runs a closed-loop payments business: it issues the card, owns the network, underwrites the credit and contracts with the merchant. Intel Corporation: Intel is an integrated device manufacturer (IDM): it designs chips and runs its own fabs in Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, Ireland, and Israel.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — American Express Company or Intel Corporation?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, American Express Company trades at 2.8x P/S and Intel Corporation at 12.1x P/S. Intel Corporation commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to American Express Company. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is American Express Company bigger than Intel Corporation?
By last reported revenue, American Express Company ($72.2B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to Intel Corporation ($52.9B (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the American Express vs Intel overview