74% of Cardholders Push Issuers Toward Flexible Credit Options

Credit products are becoming more configurable, more installment-oriented and more closely tied to real-time consumer behavior.

The shift is forcing issuers to rethink the infrastructure supporting everything from revolving balances to embedded installment plans.

A March PYMNTS Intelligence and Paymentology Tracker, “The Credit Reset: How Unified Platforms Are Replacing Legacy Lending Infrastructure,” found that legacy credit systems increasingly struggle to support the flexibility consumers now expect from lending products. Instead, issuers are moving toward unified, cloud-first platforms designed to support real-time configuration, automated credit management and faster product launches.

The pressure comes as credit demand remains elevated. PYMNTS Intelligence found that among the 81% of consumers in the United States who have credit or store cards, the average monthly balance reached $3,564 in November.

Three key data points stand out from the Tracker:

The share of U.S. credit cardholders who said they would be more likely to use a credit card offering an installment plan was 74%.

By the end of the decade, 45% of all credit cards are expected to be issued on unified infrastructure.

The share of card issuers that cited enhanced performance and profitability metrics as defining characteristics of best-in-class issuing platforms was 67%.

The Tracker suggested the consumer view of credit is evolving beyond traditional revolving balances. Consumers increasingly expect repayment flexibility, including the ability to move purchases into installments, receive real-time alerts and manage payment schedules dynamically.

At the same time, issuers face growing operational pressure because many existing systems were originally designed around simpler revolving-credit products.

“Many issuers have attempted to layer new credit features onto existing debit-oriented platforms, but this approach often produces fragmented customer experiences and slow development cycles,” the Tracker said.

According to Paymentology research cited in the Tracker, traditional debit-oriented processing systems can create friction when issuers attempt to support modern credit functions such as transaction-level installments, dynamic limits and event-based repayment triggers.

Fragmented infrastructure is increasingly becoming a competitive disadvantage. Legacy systems often require manual engineering changes and slow batch processing, making it difficult for issuers to quickly introduce new features or modify existing products.

By contrast, unified platforms combine card issuing and credit-ledger functionality within a single architecture. According to the Tracker, these systems allow issuers to configure pricing, repayment logic and product features more rapidly while reducing dependence on extensive custom development.

The data also pointed to broader industry momentum behind modernization efforts. Juniper Research projected cards issued through modern issuing platforms will grow by 108% between 2025 and 2030, rising from 756 million to nearly 1.6 billion globally.

The operational stakes increasingly extend beyond technology departments. The Tracker said infrastructure decisions now directly affect issuers’ ability to respond to shifting consumer expectations around flexibility, personalization and speed.

Institutions that can modernize credit infrastructure at the ledger and processing level may be better positioned to capitalize on rising credit demand and evolving repayment behaviors. Those still relying on rigid, batch-oriented systems could face growing challenges keeping pace with consumers who increasingly expect credit products to function more like configurable digital platforms than static lending tools.

At PYMNTS Intelligence, we work with businesses to uncover insights that fuel intelligent, data-driven discussions on changing customer expectations, a more connected economy and the strategic shifts necessary to achieve outcomes. With rigorous research methodologies and unwavering commitment to objective quality, we offer trusted data to grow your business. As our partner, you’ll have access to our diverse team of PhDs, researchers, data analysts, number crunchers, subject matter veterans and editorial experts.