Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship among affective loyalty, perceived benefits, attitude towards co-branded products and the intention to use such products. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 433 valid responses were collected from active bank/department store co-branded credit card holders, from four major Chinese cities. Regression and t-test analyses were used to test the hypotheses. Findings – The findings revealed that affective loyalty to the bank and the department store, as well as perceived credit card benefits, all positively influence consumers’ attitude toward bank/department store co-branded credit cards. Additionally, results showed a positive relationship between attitude and intention. Moreover, gender differences were also found to be significant in affective loyalty to the bank and the department store, as well as with the intention to use co-branded credit cards. Originality/value – The paper contributes to the co-branding literature by gaining a better understanding of co-branded partners in symbiotic marketing collaboration.