Camping World Holdings (CWH +0.09%) has been a tough stock to hold for investors. The RV seller is down by more than 50% over the past year due to stalled growth and paper-thin profit margins. Most of the company's sales growth is coming from used RV sales, and that's not enough to make the stock a buy.
Investors can choose among thousands of publicly traded corporations. If one of them consistently underperforms and has limited growth opportunities, it can be prudent to consider reallocating the funds you have in it to other options.
In this case, better returns may come from credit card companies that make it easier for people to buy goods and services from companies like Camping World. American Express (AXP 0.70%) has been winning over customers from younger generations and looks like it can produce higher returns than the RV specialist from here.
American Express' condition is directly tied to consumer spending
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American Express is one of the three credit card giants, Visa (V 0.70%) and Mastercard (MA +0.14%) being the other two. These companies take a small percentage of every transaction that uses their cards and their payment networks. As consumer spending rises, these companies end up with higher revenues and earnings.
NYSE: AXP
Key Data Points
Resilient consumer spending was a key theme that helped American Express deliver 11% year-over-year revenue growth in the third quarter of 2025. While Camping World Holdings' success heavily depends on RV demand and sales, the size of that market is small compared to the opportunity American Express is pursuing. The RV company's top line is less than a tenth of the financial powerhouse's. And American Express has far more opportunities to make money than Camping World Holdings due to how integrated credit cards and digital payments have become in society.
Gen Z is gravitating toward Amex cards
Businesses that can win over younger generations tend to have staying power. Capturing those customers' loyalty while they still have decades of spending ahead puts them in an advantageous position.
American Express has become popular with many Gen Z consumers, and its gains in that demographic have been a major driver of the lender's financial growth.
Lifestyle choices and experiences drive this group, and the suites of perks and travel upgrades that it offers make its cards particularly desirable for this group.
This formula has been quite successful for the growth stock. American Express shares have more than tripled over the past five years, which reflects how attracting Gen Z customers can translate into high long-term gains.
