{"id":3734365,"date":"2026-05-15T04:00:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T08:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pymnts.com\/?p=3734365"},"modified":"2026-05-14T20:37:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T00:37:35","slug":"74-percent-of-cardholders-push-issuers-toward-flexible-credit-options","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pymnts.com\/credit-cards\/2026\/74-percent-of-cardholders-push-issuers-toward-flexible-credit-options\/","title":{"rendered":"74% of Cardholders Push Issuers Toward Flexible Credit Options"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Credit products are becoming more configurable, more installment-oriented and more closely tied to real-time consumer behavior.<\/p><div\r\n\tid=\"article-paywall-overlay\"\r\n\tclass=\"d-none\"\r\n>\r\n\t<div id=\"article-paywall-content\" class=\"my-4\">\r\n\t\t\n<div class=\"wpcf7 no-js\" id=\"wpcf7-f2699550-o1\" lang=\"en-US\" dir=\"ltr\" data-wpcf7-id=\"2699550\">\n<div class=\"screen-reader-response\"><p role=\"status\" 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class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-hidden\" value=\"\" type=\"hidden\" name=\"email\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t<p><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"newsLetterChoice\"><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-checkbox me-1\" id=\"checkNewsletter\"><span class=\"wpcf7-list-item first last\"><input type=\"checkbox\" name=\"newsLetterChoice[]\" value=\"yes\" checked=\"checked\" \/><span class=\"wpcf7-list-item-label\">yes<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"small\">Subscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"small lh-base\" style=\"font-size:.9rem;\">By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our <a class=\"fw-bold\" href=\"https:\/\/pymnts-com-develop.go-vip.net\/privacy-policy\/\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a class=\"fw-bold\" href=\"https:\/\/pymnts-com-develop.go-vip.net\/terms-conditions\/\">Terms and Conditions<\/a>.\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<p><input id='hiddenPath' type='hidden' name='path' value='' \/><input type='hidden' name='userDeviceId' id='userDeviceId' \/><input type='hidden' name='pageTitle' id='pageTitle' \/>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id='formButtonRow' class='container mt-1 px-0'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p><input class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-submit has-spinner btn btn-dark text-uppercase py-2 px-5 small\" id=\"theSubmitButton\" type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"post_id\" value=\"3734365\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"source\" value=\"https:\/\/www.pymnts.com\/credit-cards\/2026\/74-percent-of-cardholders-push-issuers-toward-flexible-credit-options\/\" \/><p style=\"display: none !important;\" class=\"akismet-fields-container\" data-prefix=\"_wpcf7_ak_\"><label>&#916;<textarea name=\"_wpcf7_ak_hp_textarea\" cols=\"45\" rows=\"8\" maxlength=\"100\"><\/textarea><\/label><input type=\"hidden\" id=\"ak_js_1\" name=\"_wpcf7_ak_js\" value=\"81\"\/><script>document.getElementById( \"ak_js_1\" ).setAttribute( \"value\", ( new Date() ).getTime() );<\/script><\/p><div class=\"wpcf7-response-output\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"article-paywall-hidden-content\">\r\n\t\n<p>The shift is forcing issuers to rethink the infrastructure supporting everything from revolving balances to embedded installment plans.<\/p>\n<p>A March <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pymnts.com\/pymnts-intelligence\/\">PYMNTS Intelligence<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paymentology.com\/en\/\">Paymentology<\/a> Tracker, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pymnts.com\/tracker_posts\/the-credit-reset-how-unified-platforms-are-replacing-legacy-lending-infrastructure\/\">The Credit Reset: How Unified Platforms Are Replacing Legacy Lending Infrastructure<\/a>,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Three key data points stand out from the Tracker:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>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%.<\/li>\n<li>By the end of the decade, 45% of all credit cards are expected to be issued on unified infrastructure.<\/li>\n<li>The share of card issuers that cited enhanced performance and profitability metrics as defining characteristics of best-in-class issuing platforms was 67%.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>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.<\/p><div id=\"pymnt-2552784696\" class=\"pymnt-content pymnt-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 50px;\"><p style=\"text-align:center\">Advertisement: Scroll to Continue<\/p><script async type=\"text\/javascript\" id=\"dianomi_context_script\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dianomi.com\/js\/contextfeed.js\"><\/script> \r\n<div class=\"dianomi_context\" data-dianomi-context-id=\"4329\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>At the same time, issuers face growing operational pressure because many existing systems were originally designed around simpler revolving-credit products.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany 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,\u201d the Tracker said.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>The data also pointed to broader industry momentum behind modernization efforts. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.juniperresearch.com\/press\/modern-card-issuing-platforms-to-issue-16-billion-payment-cards-in-2030-as-banks-shift-focus-from-ux-to-cost-efficiency\/\">Juniper Research<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n<p>The operational stakes increasingly extend beyond technology departments. The Tracker said infrastructure decisions now directly affect issuers\u2019 ability to respond to shifting consumer expectations around flexibility, personalization and speed.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p><em>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\u2019ll have access to our diverse team of PhDs, researchers, data analysts, number crunchers, subject matter veterans and editorial experts.<\/em><\/p>\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>\r\n\twindow.pymntsAllowedArticleCount = 1;\r\n\twindow.pymntsPostID = 3734365;\r\n<\/script>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Credit products are becoming more configurable, more installment-oriented and more closely tied to real-time consumer behavior. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content \u2014 no additional logins required. yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today. By completing this form, you agree to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3735629,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","pymnts_footnotes":""},"categories":[61897],"tags":[4744,13328,4146,4453,9206,67393,133069,62117],"class_list":["post-3734365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-credit-cards","tag-credit-cards","tag-featured-news","tag-innovation","tag-lending","tag-news","tag-paymentology","tag-pymnts-news","tag-pymnts-study"],"acf":{"suggested_titles":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.2 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>74% of Cardholders Push Issuers Toward Flexible Credit Options<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Issuers are under pressure to modernize credit infrastructure as consumers demand more flexible repayment options, installments and lending.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pymnts.com\/credit-cards\/2026\/74-percent-of-cardholders-push-issuers-toward-flexible-credit-options\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"74% of Cardholders Push Issuers Toward Flexible Credit Options | PYMNTS.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Credit products are becoming more configurable, more installment-oriented and more closely tied to real-time consumer behavior. 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