Cover for “Winning Top of Wallet: How Credit Card Apps Shape Choice,” a collaboration between PYMNTS Intelligence and Elan Credit Card. PYMNTS Intelligence finds credit card apps now shape top-of-wallet choice, spending behavior and long-term card loyalty.

69% of Cardholders Say App Quality Shapes Top-of-Wallet Choice

Winning Top of Wallet: How Credit Card Apps Shape Choice

A credit card’s mobile app is far more than a service tool. Based on a survey of 3,198 U.S. adult consumers who hold at least one general-purpose credit card, conducted Feb. 27–March 3, 2026, “Winning Top of Wallet: How Credit Card Apps Shape Choice,” a collaboration between PYMNTS Intelligence and Elan Credit Card, shows that having a mobile app increasingly influences which card consumers use most—and what that means for spend and retention.

Inside the April Report

  • Nearly 7 in 10 cardholders say a card’s mobile app influences which card they use most. The effect is even stronger among younger consumers, especially Gen Z.
  • More than half of card app users say reminders or autopay help them avoid late fees or interest charges.
  • Nearly one-third of app users say they increased spending after adopting their card’s app. At the same time, nearly 1 in 4 cardholders say a poor app experience led them to reduce or stop using a card.

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    Evolution of Consumer Credit Card Use