There's a percentage in our 2026 State of Credit Report research that should stop every card program issuer in their tracks.
67% of consumers say they would replace their primary debit card with a flexible credential. A single card that switches between debit, credit, and BNPL at the point of sale, depending on what the purchase calls for. Not an additional card in their wallet. A better version of one they already carry.
Consumers aren't expressing curiosity. They're expressing preference. The gap between what consumers want and what most card program managers offer is widening fast.
What's a flexible credential?
A flexible credential is a single payment card that can behave as multiple payment types depending on context. At checkout, the cardholder can choose to pay with debit, draw on a credit line, split the purchase into installments via BNPL (buy now, pay later), or use a combination of funding sources. The card form factor stays the same. The underlying payment method adapts to the situation.
This isn't a theoretical product. Flexible credentials are live and in market today. The question for card issuers is whether they're positioned to deliver one.
Why do consumers want flexible credentials?
The research reveals that interest in flexible credentials isn't uniform across all demographics. 48% of consumers aged 18 to 44 are interested in flexible payment cards that switch between debit, credit, and BNPL. The appetite is strongest among 18 to 34 year olds, and the research helps explain why. 60% of this cohort started their financial journey with a credit product, making them more attuned to the value of flexibility across payment types than older demographics who established banking relationships first.
The reasons consumers give for wanting a flexible credential are consistent across the research:
- They want to use the right payment method for each purchase without carrying multiple cards.
- They want to access BNPL for larger purchases without opening a separate account.
- They want the flexibility to manage cash flow intelligently at the point of sale, not after the fact.
- They want all of that without the friction of managing multiple provider relationships across multiple cards.
The survey tells us that 71% of consumers with multiple credit cards want the ability to switch between different credit products at checkout. They already have the products. What they don't have is the ability to use them fluidly in a single transaction. A flexible credential solves that problem at the payment infrastructure level rather than requiring consumers to solve it manually.
The cost of not delivering
The research also makes clear that consumer patience with static card products isn't unlimited. Switching behavior is driven by a combination of improved credit scores, life changes, and better rewards or terms elsewhere. What connects those reasons is that none of them are linked to failures. Consumers aren't leaving providers because something went wrong. They're leaving because something better became available.
That's a more challenging competitive dynamic than it might seem. A provider whose product was right for a customer two years ago but hasn't evolved to match their current needs won't lose that customer in a dramatic moment. They'll lose them gradually, one contextual payment decision at a time, as the customer starts reaching for a different card when the situation calls for something the original card can't do. And with flexible credentials becoming more visible in the market, that moment will arrive soon. Customers don't need to go looking for alternatives. They see them in their social feeds, hear about them from peers, and encounter them at checkout. Greater awareness of what's available elsewhere is accelerating the decision to switch.
So, instead of a customer reaching for a different card to access BNPL, they use the same card differently. Instead of opening a new account with a different provider when their credit score improves, they access better terms through the same credential. The relationship deepens rather than fragments.
What the SMB data adds
The flexible credential opportunity isn't limited to consumers. The research found that 60% of SMBs show interest in flexible payment orchestration, with interest rising among growth-stage businesses. For SMBs, the underlying need is slightly different but structurally similar. They want to use the right payment method for each business transaction without managing multiple cards, accounts, and provider relationships.
A business owner who can use a single card to pay a supplier on net terms, split a large equipment purchase into installments, and draw on a credit line for operating expenses is getting something no static card product can offer. The flexible credential is as compelling a value proposition for the commercial market as it is for consumers, and the SMB segment represents one of the largest untapped opportunities in credit right now.
What this means for card program issuers
The data makes a clear argument. Consumer and SMB demand for flexible credentials is real, concentrated in high-value demographics, and growing. The infrastructure to deliver it exists and the market leaders are already building on it.
For card program issuers, the strategic question isn't whether to offer flexible credentials. It's when, and on what infrastructure. The providers that move now will acquire and retain the customers who are actively looking for this product. The ones that wait will find those customers already locked into a flexible credential relationship with a competitor who moved faster.
3 things issuers need to get right
- Infrastructure —
A flexible credential requires a card issuing platform that can handle multiple payment types, real-time decisioning, and dynamic credential switching through a single API integration. Stitching together separate point solutions for debit, credit, and BNPL won't deliver the seamless experience consumers expect. - The credit product underneath — Flexible credentials require a credit infrastructure that's programmable, not a black box. Program managers need to be able to set their own approval models, credit limits, and terms rather than inheriting someone else's risk framework.
- The consumer experience — The switching mechanism at checkout needs to be effortless. If the cardholder has to think too hard about which option to select, the experience fails regardless of how good the underlying infrastructure is.
The 67% is a market signal worth acting on
When 67% of consumers say they would replace their primary debit card with a flexible credential, they're describing a product they would actively adopt if it were available from a provider they already trust. The providers that respond to that signal with the right product, on the right infrastructure, will have a durable advantage in consumer and SMB credit for the next decade.
Download the 2026 State of Credit Report to see the full data behind the shift and what it means for your card program.
