Consumers Push Banks to Double Down on Real-Time Rails

Consumers expect money to move at digital speed.

Whether it’s a payroll deposit, an insurance payout or a merchant refund, waiting days for money now feels out of step with everyday life.

That expectation is reshaping how banks and credit unions approach instant payments. The PYMNTS Intelligence report “Doubling Down: The Growing Case for Multi-Rail Real-Time Payments,” a collaboration with The Clearing House, finds that reliability is as important as speed, and multi-rail strategies are fast becoming the standard to ensure both.

Consumers Lean Into Instant Disbursements

The scale of consumer demand is hard to overstate. Nine in 10 consumers in the United States say they would prefer to receive payouts instantly if given the choice, the report reveals.

When they do, satisfaction soars. The report finds that 94% of those who accessed instant disbursements say they are highly satisfied with the experience, compared to 80% for those without that option. These numbers illustrate why banks are investing in instant payments infrastructure, not as a nice-to-have but as a critical customer experience driver.

The frequency of payouts further underscores the point. From gig economy wages to government benefits and insurance settlements, U.S. consumers encounter situations every month where a real-time option is not only preferable but often expected. Institutions that fail to deliver always-on accessibility risk losing trust in moments that matter most.

The report finds that 90% of consumers prioritize instant disbursements when available, with reported satisfaction higher than with delayed payment methods. Providing resilient access can transform how consumers perceive their bank or credit union.

With 58% of U.S. financial institutions now connecting to both the RTP® network and the FedNow® Service, multi-rail strategies are becoming the default approach. The ability to reroute transactions when one rail experiences a disruption creates the always-available performance consumers now expect.

The RTP network, with a $10 million transaction cap, supports high-value payments and larger banks. FedNow, which raised its limit to $1 million over the summer, is positioned to better serve a broad base of institutions. With both rail options in play, financial institutions can adapt in real time to serve diverse use cases across consumer and business segments.

A Strategy Built for the Always-On Consumer

Financial institutions once hesitated to commit to a single real-time rail, preferring to wait for a market leader to emerge. That hesitation is quickly fading. A year ago, nearly one-third of banks said choosing between RTP and FedNow was a key barrier to adoption. Today, 17% see the choice as an obstacle, underscoring a growing consensus that “both” is the right answer.

What’s driving this shift is resilience. Downtime is no longer acceptable when consumers expect to see incoming funds in seconds, not hours. A multi-rail strategy ensures that institutions can offer reliable, seamless disbursements, whether it’s a Saturday evening or a weekday morning. That dependability not only reduces operational risks but also reinforces consumer trust in the financial system.

Adopting both RTP and FedNow also extends reach. RTP processes over 1.2 million payments daily, which demonstrates maturity, while FedNow’s rapid market penetration empowers regional banks and credit unions with greater real-time capabilities. By covering both, financial institutions can serve corporate clients requiring high-value transactions as well as consumers expecting instant transfers for everyday scenarios.

Looking ahead, institutions that invest in dual rail capabilities now are best positioned to compete in a payments landscape defined by speed, safety and reliability. Building resilience around consumer expectations for always-on service transforms instant payments from an innovation into infrastructure, an essential utility of modern financial life.