Payment preferences increasingly influence merchant choice
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AI-assisted source synthesis · not an independent investigation.
On October 13, 2026, PYMNTS reported that U.S. consumers are increasingly deciding whether to make a purchase based on whether merchants accept their preferred payment methods. The report showed that 65% of consumers said payment preferences influence their choice of merchants at least to some extent, up from 58% in January 2023. In addition, 60% of consumers have a need for price matching, but only 47% of merchants offer this service, creating a 13-percentage-point gap. In consumers’ most recent purchases, 78% did not encounter payment problems; meanwhile, the proportion of disputes and errors rose to 10%, up from 7% in 2024.
AI-written from reports · updated 6 days ago
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- PYMNTSNearly two-thirds of US consumers let payment preferences influence merchant choice
US consumers are increasingly deciding whether to make a purchase based on whether merchants accept their preferred payment methods, with 65% saying this influences their choice at least to some extent, up from 58% in January 2023. Demand for price matching stands at 60%, but only 47% of merchants offer it, creating a 13-percentage-point gap. In their most recent purchase, 78% of consumers encountered no payment issues, but the rate of disputes and errors rose to 10%, up from 7% in 2024.
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