67.credit Young Adult Credit Card Report — Q2 2026
Survey of 500 US adults aged 18-35 on credit card usage, preferences, and financial habits. Original research by 67.CREDIT.
Key Findings
67.credit Young Adult Credit Card Report — Q2 2026
Executive Summary
This is the inaugural quarterly survey from 67.CREDIT's research program. We surveyed 512 US adults aged 18-35 about their credit card usage, application behavior, and financial priorities. The results reveal a generation that wants rewards but lacks the tools and knowledge to optimize them.
Key Finding #1: The Credit Score Knowledge Gap
63% of respondents said they don't know their exact credit score. Among 18-22 year-olds, that number rises to 78%. This isn't apathy — 89% said they "care about their credit score" — it's an access and education problem. Most respondents who don't know their score said they "don't know where to check" (41%) or "are afraid to look" (23%).
Implication: There's a massive opportunity for tools that demystify credit scores. Our Card Finder Quiz now includes credit score education in the results.
Key Finding #2: Cash Back Dominates, But Travel Is Rising
When asked "What do you want most from a credit card?", responses broke down:
| Priority | % of respondents |
|---|---|
| Cash back on purchases | 47% |
| Travel rewards (flights, hotels) | 28% |
| Building/improving credit score | 15% |
| Low interest rate | 7% |
| Other | 3% |
Cash back remains king for young adults, but travel rewards grew 6 percentage points from our pre-survey estimates, suggesting post-pandemic travel demand is reshaping card preferences.
Key Finding #3: The Comparison Gap
Only 22% of respondents said they compared multiple credit cards before their most recent application. The majority (54%) applied for a card recommended by their existing bank, and 19% applied based on a single online ad or social media post.
Implication: The credit card comparison market is still massively underserving young adults. Most aren't comparison shopping — not because they don't want to, but because they don't know tools like ours exist.
Key Finding #4: The Annual Fee Divide
The median annual fee willingness is $0 — young adults overwhelmingly prefer no-fee cards. However, a significant minority (34%) said they'd pay up to $100 annually for premium rewards, and 12% said they'd pay $200+ for the right benefits.
The most-valued premium benefit for under-25s was food delivery credits (DoorDash, Uber Eats), followed by streaming service credits and airport lounge access.
Key Finding #5: Declining Is Common and Discouraging
38% of respondents have been declined for a credit card in the past year. Of those declined, 67% said the experience "discouraged them from applying for other cards." Only 12% of declined applicants tried to understand why they were declined or what cards they might qualify for.
Methodology
- Platform: Pollfish online panel
- Dates: May 1-8, 2026
- Sample: 512 US adults aged 18-35
- Demographics: Balanced by gender (51% female, 48% male, 1% non-binary) and US Census region
- Margin of error: ±4.3% at 95% confidence level
- Exclusions: Respondents who completed the survey in under 2 minutes were excluded (likely inattentive)
How to Cite This Report
67.CREDIT. (2026). "Young Adult Credit Card Report — Q2 2026." 67.credit/research/young-adult-credit-card-report-q2-2026. Survey of 512 US adults aged 18-35.
Download the Data
The anonymized survey dataset is available for download as a CSV file for journalists, researchers, and educators: Download CSV
Download the Data
Anonymized survey dataset available for journalists, researchers, and educators.
Download CSVMethodology
Online panel survey via Pollfish, May 1-8, 2026. 512 US respondents aged 18-35, balanced by gender and region. Margin of error: ±4.3% at 95% confidence.