Synchrony is the largest private label credit card provider in the US , and they extend credit to realtors such as Walgreens and Best Buy and make money on the payments. Once a customer signs up for a card, they actually become a customer of Synchrony itself and not the retailer with whom they originally signed up. They also are a bank, so have some elements of traditional banking, and have recently added their Care Credit feature which extends credit to customers faced with medical expenses.