“Winning Top of Wallet: How Credit Card Apps Shape Choice,” a collaboration between PYMNTS Intelligence and Elan Credit Card, examines how the credit card mobile app is becoming a much bigger factor in card competition. For years, issuers treated the app as a servicing tool, a place for customers to check balances, make payments or review transactions. This research shows that consumers increasingly see it as something more central. The app now helps shape which card becomes top of wallet, how often consumers use it and whether it stays in regular rotation. In a market where most consumers carry more than one card, that shift has big implications. It means issuers are no longer competing only on rates, rewards or brand strength. They are also competing on the quality of the digital experience wrapped around the card.
The report finds that seven in 10 cardholders use their primary card’s app, and 69% say app quality influences which card they use most. The effect is strongest among younger consumers, especially Gen Z, who are far more likely than older groups to say the app shapes both choice and loyalty. The findings also show that apps can influence behavior after adoption. Some consumers say the app helps them stay on top of payments and avoid fees, while others say specific features, such as rewards tracking and redemption, encourage more spending on the card. At the same time, the downside is real. A poor digital experience can reduce usage and weaken retention, particularly in a multi-card market where it is easy for consumers to shift activity elsewhere. Taken together, the findings suggest that the mobile app has become one of the clearest ways issuers can strengthen engagement or lose ground.
In “Winning Top of Wallet: How Credit Card Apps Shape Choice,” learn how:
- Mobile apps are changing card competition from account acquisition to everyday usage. The report shows why top-of-wallet status now depends in part on whether the app becomes part of a consumer’s daily financial routine.
- Different cardholder segments use the app for very different reasons. Rewards seekers, credit-dependent users, convenience users and cash flow managers are not looking for the same value, which raises the stakes for how issuers design and position digital experiences.
- Digital experience is now tied directly to retention risk. The report explains why weak app performance can push consumers to spend less on a card or stop using it, especially among younger cardholders.
About the Report
“Winning Top of Wallet: How Credit Card Apps Shape Choice,” a PYMNTS Intelligence and Elan Credit Card collaboration, is 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, this report examines how credit card mobile apps influence card choice, consumer engagement and spending behavior. It also probes how digital experiences shape long-term card usage and retention. The survey sample was balanced to reflect the U.S. adult population by age, gender, education and income.
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