Rising Spending, Shifting Card Value and Fraud Concerns Reshape the Credit Card Customer Experience

• 60% of credit card customers now classified as financially unhealthy
• Average monthly credit card spend rises $109 year over year
• Card value becomes a more critical driver of satisfaction

Financial health among U.S. credit card customers is deteriorating, with the share of customers classified as financially unhealthy¹ rising to 60% from 56% a year ago, according to the JD Power 2026 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study,^SM released today. At the same time, the average total credit card monthly spend across all cardholders in the study has increased $109 year over year to $1,167, reflecting financial strength for some customers and mounting financial pressure for others. The findings point to a growing K-shaped divide: Financially healthy cardholders are getting more value from rewards and lifestyle benefits while financially vulnerable customers are feeling greater pressure from debt and rising fees as well as growing less confident in the safety of their cards.

“The widening gap in financial health means value perception with credit cards is tilted toward debt-free rewards hunters,” said John Cabell, managing director of payments intelligence at JD Power. “It’s a tough balance. Issuers should recognize where customers are financially, deliver clear and tangible value to those who can benefit from premium perks and enhance product support for those under greater financial pressure. At the same time, strong, effective fraud protection is a must before customers start looking elsewhere.”

Following are some key findings of the 2026 study:

• Premium cards rise, while value-oriented cards lag: Overall satisfaction among all credit card customers is 613 (on a 1,000-point scale). Satisfaction is highest among airline co-brand cardholders (641), driven by travel benefits and exclusive experiences, not just rewards. The premium card segment ($300+ annual fee) has seen an increase in value satisfaction despite recent annual fee hikes, an indicator that high-end rewards and benefits are still worth the cost in the eyes of cardholders. By contrast, overall satisfaction among cardholders with no rewards or annual fees is 573, significantly below the overall average. The gap highlights a distinctly K-shaped satisfaction divide, with premium, benefit-rich cards at the top and basic, value-oriented cards trailing.
• Financial pressure is reshaping cardholder behavior and sensitivity to costs: Overall outlook for the economy and financial health has declined even as the share of customers carrying a balance remains somewhat steady at 52%, compared with 53% a year ago, pointing to sustained reliance on credit. Financially vulnerable and overextended cardholders have the greatest difficulty meeting basic needs and are more sensitive to costs and fees; 59% of cardholders sometimes abandon a purchase when faced with a retailer surcharge for card use, with the highest occurrences among those under the greatest financial strain. Among customers carrying a balance, nearly one-third (30%) have $2,500 or more in debt. Indebtedness is a persistent challenge, as more than one-third of financially strained cardholders say they would be more inclined to carry debt if their interest rate were capped at 10%.
• Card value is a growing driver of satisfaction as benefits and rewards become harder to leverage: Card value—the combined impact of terms, benefits and rewards—is becoming a more critical driver of satisfaction compared to last year. Benefits are easier to understand but engagement is down, with the average number of benefits used declining to 2.3 from 2.5 a year ago. Meanwhile, rewards are becoming more restrictive, with fewer customers reporting no annual earning cap or rewards expiration. Moreover, just 29% of customers say their card use maximizes rewards earning, suggesting issuers may be leaving value on the table.
• Digital engagement is expanding, but trust is lagging: Digital adoption is increasing across onboarding, account management and customer service, with higher satisfaction among customers using digital channels. Fraud incidence has risen to 13%, while proactive issuer outreach to identify it has fallen to 38% from 42% a year ago. Confidence in the security of customers’ identity and financial information has also fallen 5 percentage points to 37%, with declines both among those preferring to use physical cards and using digital wallet.

Study Rankings

American Express ranks highest in customer satisfaction among credit card issuers for a seventh consecutive year², with a score of 668. Chase (635) ranks second and Bank of America (630) ranks third.

Chase Freedom Flex ranks highest in customer satisfaction among bank rewards credit cards with no annual fee, with a score of 658. PNC Cash Unlimited Visa Signature Credit Card (654) ranks second and Chase Freedom Unlimited (652) ranks third.

The Platinum Card from American Express ranks highest in customer satisfaction among bank rewards credit cards with an annual fee for a second consecutive year, with a score of 720. Capital One Venture X Rewards (705) ranks second and Chase Sapphire Reserve (703) ranks third.

BankAmericard ranks highest in customer satisfaction among bank credit cards with no rewards or annual fee, with a score of 586. Capital One Platinum Mastercard (576) ranks second.

Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card ranks highest in customer satisfaction among airline co-branded credit cards with a score of 715. Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card (702) ranks second and Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card (654) ranks third.

Hilton Honors American Express Card ranks highest in customer satisfaction among co-branded credit cards with no annual fee for a second consecutive year, with a score of 669. NHL Discover it Credit Card (646) ranks second and Costco Anywhere Visa by Citi (643) ranks third.

To view the complete rank charts for each segment, visit: http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2026077.

The U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study, now in its 20th year, measures customer satisfaction with their primary credit card by examining seven dimensions (in alphabetical order): account management; benefits; customer service; new account; rewards earning; rewards redeeming; and terms. The 2026 study includes responses from 40,386 credit card customers and was fielded from June 2025 through May 2026.P

For more information about the U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/u-s-credit-card-satisfaction-study/.

About JD Power

JD Power delivers mission-critical data, analytics and intelligence that help businesses improve customer experience and operational performance with confidence and clarity. Using proprietary, comprehensive data–including millions of consumer interactions and authoritative automotive datasets–combined with advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and deep industry expertise, JD Power enables leaders to respond to market shifts, make smarter decisions and drive measurable performance improvements.

As an objective source of deep insight into real-world customer interactions with brands and products, JD Power provides the independent intelligence organizations need to anticipate change, strengthen customer engagement and advance growth. Learn more at JDPower.com.

¹ JD Power measures the financial health of any consumer as a metric combining their spending/savings ratio, creditworthiness and safety net items like insurance coverage. Consumers are placed on a continuum from healthy to vulnerable.

² JD Power 2023-2026 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study: Credit Card Issuers segment, which included issuers with more than 1,000,000 active accounts, excluding co-branded cards. JD Power U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study ^SM in 2020-2022: National Issuers segment, which included issuers with more than 4,000,000 active accounts. Visit jdpower.com/awardsjdpower.com/awards for more details.

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