Loyalty Development
Financial stress widens the U.S. credit-card value gap, JD Power finds
Development analysis
What changed, why it matters, and what leaders should watch.
What changed
JD Power's 2026 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study found that 60% of surveyed card customers were classified as financially unhealthy, up from 56% a year earlier, while average monthly card spend rose $109 to $1,167. The study also found benefits usage fell to 2.3 from 2.5, only 29% of customers said their card use maximizes reward earning, and fraud incidence rose to 13% while proactive issuer outreach fell. The study was released August 13 and fielded 40,386 U.S. card customers from June 2025 through May 2026.
Loyalty and rewards implications
The findings reinforce that a single rewards proposition will not serve both high-value reward maximizers and financially stressed members. Credit unions should make value easier to understand and use, pair card campaigns with financial-wellness and debt-support journeys, and treat proactive fraud communication as part of loyalty retention. Cyder can position its platform around behavior-based, measurable value delivery across card, deposit, and financial-wellness journeys rather than reward issuance alone.