Credit Card App Quality Emerges as Key Battleground for Issuers, Study Finds

A joint study by PYMNTS Intelligence and Elan Credit Card found that mobile credit card apps have evolved beyond tools for checking balances and making payments. They are now central to issuers’ efforts to secure top-of-wallet status. About 70% of cardholders use their primary credit card’s app, and the digital experience increasingly shapes spending habits and brand loyalty.

The latest research found that 69% of respondents said app quality directly affects which credit card they use most often, while 32% of consumers increased their card spending after using a credit card app. Recent reports also examined how issuers use real-time transaction and spending alerts to win Gen Z customers. The data did not disclose the survey dates, monetary amounts or full sample size.