Credit cards are the most popular payment method in the US (2024)

FAQs

What is the most popular payment method in the USA? ›

Take credit cards, a major payment method in the US. Cards are still the most-used payment method, with American Express, Mastercard, Visa as large global card schemes.

Credit cards are a safer way to pay than debit cards or cash. Your debit card is connected to your bank account, which is a big risk if it's lost or stolen. Someone could use it and drain funds from your bank account. To be fair, you could report the charges as fraud and get your money back.

Credit cards typically offer all kinds of perks and benefits, including a one-time signing bonus for a new cardholder, cash back for purchases, rewards points, and frequent-flyer miles. Credit cards provide a level of safety for the user that a debit card and cash can't: fraud protection.

Credit and debit cards

Credit and debit cards are one the most common payment methods, especially for online stores. Credit card companies, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover, extend credit to purchasers.

The widespread adoption of international card networks like Visa and Mastercard, along with the establishment of local card schemes, has made card payments a reliable and familiar option for many online shoppers.

Digital banking has become the most common way consumers bank today. The primary method of account access for more than 43% of consumers in 2021 was mobile banking.

Most Common Types of Credit Cards

Of the four main types of credit cards—Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover—Visa is by far the most common, making up 58.3% of cards in circulation.

You can spend up to the pre-specified credit limit without worrying about immediate bill payments. Even after the billing cycle, credit card companies offer a grace period to cardholders for making the bill payments. The interest charges are not levied on the outstanding balance during the grace period.

According to survey data from the World Bank – which stems from 2021, due to a three-year survey released in the summer of 2022 – Canada, Israel, and Iceland were the only countries with credit card ownership higher than 74 percent.

Some of the best modes of payment in worldwide include credit card, debit card, bank transfer, direct deposit, UPI, digital payment, electronic or physical cheques, etc.

What payment method is most safe? ›

Key Takeaways

Credit cards give you access to a line of credit issued by a bank, while debit cards deduct money directly from your bank account. Credit cards offer better consumer protections against fraud compared with debit cards linked to a bank account.

Card payments are common - and often preferred - in the United States. Credit and debit cards are widely accepted and in most places you can make contactless payments with your physical card or a wallet like Apple Pay.

An expanded ranking on the number of instant payments per country places India at the top with a figure that was higher than 43 other countries combined. India is expected to keep this position by 2028, although its predicted CAGR will be lower than Brazil, the United States, and Indonesia.

In general, credit and debit cards are the most widely used payment method.