Year over year, payment methods are evolving and changing according to the rapidly evolving technology.  For the first time credit took over the top spot as the overall preferred way to pay, replacing Debit as the number-one choice in years past.

• 71% of the consumers surveyed have a single debit card, with the majority of the remaining (39%) respondents reporting they have two.
• Debit cards were the preferred payment option by those in the 18-24 age range, Debit also being preferred by those in the 45-54 age range.
• Credit cards were the preferred payment choice by those with household incomes greater than $75,000, and this group is also likely driven by rewards accumulated for those purchases.
• About the top three payment preferences for stores, consumers prefer debit for daily purchases, including groceries, gas and discount store items, while showing a slight preference for credit for what are typically higher dollar department store purchases.
• Many consumers are concerned about card security; 74% ranked security and fraud protection as their priority, with 26% preferring rewards.
• Credit cards and cash topped the list for in-store purchases and credit cards and PayPal were perceived as the safest for online purchases.