Credit Card Issuers Expand Financing Options and Controls for Additional Users While Promoting Secure Digital Payments

Bank of America and U.S. Bank Tie as Co-Leaders in
Keynova Group's 2026 Online Credit Card Scorecard

WILMINGTON, Del., May 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Keynova Group, the principal competitive intelligence source for digital financial services firms, today announced the results of the 2026 Online Credit Card Scorecard, a best-practices benchmark evaluating the user experience at leading issuers' websites. Bank of America and U.S. Bank tied for first place in Keynova Group's competitive evaluation of the 10 leading U.S. credit card issuers.

"Issuers are continuing to expand beyond traditional credit card functionality, integrating installment financing and other digital options that can help cardholders manage cash flow and rising expenses," said Beth Robertson, managing director, Keynova Group. "Leading providers are also strengthening account and payment controls for authorized card users and trusted advisors, while offering enriched digital alternatives to support cardholders as they navigate today's dynamic payments environment."

Key Findings:

Issuers Innovate Amid a Tight Economy
As economic headwinds continue, many issuers are offering innovative products and features to help cardholders efficiently manage spending and improve their financial well-being. With Bank of America's recent introduction of BNPL, half of Scorecard issuers now offer BNPL associated with credit card purchases, easing cash flow management while offering rewards earnings and card purchase protections not available through many point-of-sale BNPL services. U.S. Bank is unique among Scorecard issuers in offering a BNPL card that splits all qualifying transactions into three no-fee, no-interest installments, with the ability for cardholders to digitally launch longer payback periods as needed. Further, to help users establish or rebuild credit, 60% of issuers offer at least one secured credit card product with most enabling users to apply for and fund these cards online. Introductory 0% APR offers also continue to be used to incent new cardholders to consolidate and pay down their card balances, and some issuers allow available credit to be transferred between their branded cards to better accommodate large or unplanned expenses.

Primary Cardholders Gain Added Controls for Authorized or Delegated Users
Online tools that allow primary cardholders to delegate account access to trusted family members, friends or professional advisors are becoming increasingly important as some consumers seek financial management support or account oversight. Today, 40% of issuers enable tiered digital account access with most enabling primary cardholders to assign account managers for varying permission levels ranging from view-only access to specified transaction authority. Controls that apply to authorized users––whom cardholders are encouraged to add to expand engagement, rewards earnings, and transaction activity––are also becoming more prevalent. Half of issuers now provide transaction visibility by purchaser, with an increasing number allowing distinct credit limits to be set for authorized users, lock/unlock controls for individual cards within multi-user accounts and structured access to the digital account.

Supporting Secure Payments
With digital wallets and other secure checkout methods becoming increasingly valuable to cardholders transacting online, via mobile and at the point-of-sale, prominently positioning these options with product, educational and authenticated online content is key to building awareness and adoption. Half of the evaluated issuers now highlight or link to digital wallet, NFC or other secure forms of payment and related educational resources from their public credit card product webpages, while 40% provide these links directly from the authenticated landing or credit card summary screen. The network-sponsored digital payment solution, Click to Pay, is promoted on the websites of 40% of issuers, while the bank and credit union-sponsored digital wallet, Paze, is detailed by 70% of reviewed issuers. For enhanced security, more than half of issuers also offer an issuer-specific virtual card number program that does not require employing a third-party digital wallet.

About the Credit Card Scorecards
Keynova Group's fact-based Online Credit Card Scorecard evaluates user-facing capabilities, customer experience elements, and best practices to identify evolving trends and insights that drive digital strategy for cardholder acquisition and servicing. The evaluation encompasses the websites of 10 leading U.S. credit card issuers: American Express, Bank of America, Barclays US, Capital One, Chase, Citibank, Discover, PNC, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo. The companion Mobile Credit Card Scorecard, released annually in Q4, reviews the mobile app and mobile web experience for this same group of issuers. For more information about Keynova Group's Credit Card Scorecards, please visit https://www.keynovagroup.com/scorecards/#credit-cards-and-lending.

About Keynova Group
Keynova Group is the nation's foremost competitive intelligence firm providing trusted benchmarking insights and analysis of consumer and small business digital financial services, including banking, credit card, home lending and insurance. Since 1999, Keynova Group's Scorecards have served as the go-to source for leading financial services firms to obtain reliable competitive intelligence and actionable insights. The firm's proven methodology and highly detailed results help its clients maximize the value of their digital channels to deliver a premier experience to customers and prospects.

SOURCE Keynova Group