US Cash-Back Credit Card Emerging Features Benchmark 2022

How 10 Leading Cards Measure Up for Today’s Digitally Demanding Customer

Report by David Morris  | Aug 5, 2022
Download
Report
Crosstabs
The One-Pager
Deck
Share
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Key Findings
Action Points
Cash-Back Cards Face Innovation Threats—but Greenfield Opportunities Abound
Leading Cash-Back Credit Card Programs in 2022
Customers’ Most Valued Features in 2022
No. 1: Security and Control
No. 2: Earning Rewards
No. 3: Cash Back
No. 4: Shopping
No. 5: Redeeming Rewards
No. 6: Payment Flexibility
No. 7: Advanced Digital Features
Methodology
Glossary
Survey Demographics
Appendix
Read Next
Sources
Media Gallery
About This Report
Our second annual benchmark evaluates 10 leading cash-back credit cards, with no annual fee, across seven feature categories. It weights their scores according to the results of a survey of US cash-back credit card prospects.
Topics
Financial Services
Payments
Credit & Debit
US
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Key Findings
Action Points
Cash-Back Cards Face Innovation Threats—but Greenfield Opportunities Abound
Leading Cash-Back Credit Card Programs in 2022
Customers’ Most Valued Features in 2022
No. 1: Security and Control
No. 2: Earning Rewards
No. 3: Cash Back
No. 4: Shopping
No. 5: Redeeming Rewards
No. 6: Payment Flexibility
No. 7: Advanced Digital Features
Methodology
Glossary
Survey Demographics
Appendix
Read Next
Sources
Media Gallery

Executive Summary

Cash back’s popularity among consumers has spawned a host of new card programs, escalating fierce issuer competition. This second-annual study reveals which of 10 leading cash-back credit cards are best positioned to attract and engage digitally demanding customers, based on our analysis of 49 emerging credit card features.

3 KEY QUESTIONS THIS REPORT WILL ANSWER

  1. What are the most important emerging cash-back credit card features US card issuers can offer?
  2. Which features do cash-back credit card prospects value most, both overall and within key customer segments?
  3. How do 10 leading cash-back credit card programs compare in their support for features that card prospects value most?

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? An analysis of the most in-demand emerging cash-back credit card features an issuer can offer to attract customers. This benchmark evaluates 10 cash-back credit cards, with no annual fee, across seven feature categories; it weights their scores according to the results of a survey of US cash-back credit card prospects. The findings pinpoint product development priorities and marketing opportunities for card issuers.

Top 5 Most In-Demand US Cash-Back Credit Card Features, May 2022 (% of respondents who called each feature
E-Mail ChartDownload

KEY STAT: Security and Control features are in demand among card prospects, with the top two most in-demand features falling into that category. By a wide margin, free identify theft insurance and Social Security number monitoring were the most valued.

Here’s what’s in the full report

4files

Exportable files for easy reading, analysis and sharing.

23charts

Reliable data in simple displays for presentations and quick decision making.

Table of Contents

  1. Executive Summary
  2. Key Findings
  3. Action Points
  4. Cash-Back Cards Face Innovation Threats—but Greenfield Opportunities Abound
  5. Leading Cash-Back Credit Card Programs in 2022
  6. Customers’ Most Valued Features in 2022
  7. No. 1: Security and Control
  1. No. 2: Earning Rewards
  2. No. 3: Cash Back
  3. No. 4: Shopping
  4. No. 5: Redeeming Rewards
  5. No. 6: Payment Flexibility
  6. No. 7: Advanced Digital Features
  7. Methodology
  1. Glossary
  2. Survey Demographics
  3. Appendix
  4. Read Next
  5. Sources
  6. Media Gallery

Charts in This Report

Top 5 Most In-Demand US Cash-Back Credit Card Features, May 2022 (% of respondents who called each feature "extremely valuable")Most In-Demand US Cash-Back Credit Cards (rank out of 10, score out of 100*)
US Cash-Back Credit Cards with the Most In-Demand Features, by Category (rank out of 10)Top 3 In-Demand Cash-Back Credit Card Features, by Category, May 2022 (% of respondents who called each feature "extremely valuable")
Security and Control Feature Rank and Score of Top US Cash-Back Credit Cards (rank out of 10, score out of 100*)Security and Control Features of Top US Cash-Back Credit Cards
Earning Rewards Feature Rank and Score of Top US Cash-Back Credit Cards (rank out of 10, score out of 100*)Earning Rewards Features of Top US Cash-Back Credit Cards
Cash-Back Feature Rank and Score of Top US Cash-Back Credit Cards (rank out of 10, score out of 100*)Cash-Back Features of Top US Cash-Back Credit Cards
Shopping Feature Rank and Score of Top US Cash-Back Credit Cards (rank out of 10, score out of 100*)Shopping Features of US Cash-Back Credit Cards
Redeeming Rewards Feature Rank and Score of Top US Cash-Back Credit Cards (rank out of 10, score out of 100*)Redeeming Rewards Features of Top US Cash-Back Credit Cards
Payment Flexibility Feature Rank and Score of Top US Cash-Back Credit Cards (rank out of 10, score out of 100*)Payment Flexibility Features of Top US Cash-Back Credit Cards
Advanced Digital Feature Rank and Score of Top US Cash-Back Credit Cards (rank out of 10, score out of 100*)Advanced Digital Features of Top US Cash-Back Credit Cards
Glossary: US Cash-Back Credit Card Emerging Features Benchmark 2022Demographic Summary of Respondents, US Cash-Back Credit Card Emerging Features Benchmark 2022, May 2022 (% of total)
Cash-Back Credit Card Features that Are Most Valuable to US Consumers, May 2022 (% of respondents)Types of Purchases US Consumers Feel Provide the Most Value for Earning Cash-Back Credit Card Rewards, May 2022 (% of respondents)
Most In-Demand Cash-Back Credit Card Features, by Category, May 2022 (% of respondents who called each feature "extremely valuable")

Access full deck

View a slide-show representation of this report’s key insights, where carefully vetted data is combined with industry trend analysis, included at no extra cost.
Gain Access to EMARKETER →
Log in to EMARKETER

Access All Charts and Data

Gain access to reliable data presented in clear and intelligible displays for quick understanding and decision making on the most important topics related to your industry, included at no extra cost.
Gain Access to EMARKETER →
Log in to EMARKETER

authors

David Morris

Contributors

Grace Broadbent
Analyst
Tyler Brown
Senior Analyst
Daniel Decea
Researcher, Financial Services
Ona Koehler
Senior Director, Benchmarking
Na Li
Director, Primary Research
Wendy Malloy
Director, Report Editing
Jaime Toplin
Senior Analyst