The rise of digital wallets

E-wallets are giving banks a run for their money as Americans make their finances mobile.

Updated Jul 9, 2021. What changed?

Fact checked

Some 150 million American adults say they’ve swapped cash and credit for digital wallets at least once.

A recent finder.com survey found that an estimated 150 million Americans have used a digital wallet at some point in their lives. Reflecting a rise in e-wallet popularity, that’s 39.8 million (36.2%) more people than just two years ago who said they used an e-wallet with Facebook Messenger, Google Wallet, Venmo and similar services.

In fact, about 66% of those surveyed — or more than 98 million Americans — say they use digital wallets because they’re a more convenient option than carrying around dollar bills and credit cards.

Most common reasons that people use digital wallets

Visual
Data

Reason	% of respondents that have used a digital wallet in the past year
Convenience	66.0%
Greater security	14.8%
Easier to track expenditure	9.9%
Less to carry	7.5%
Other	1.8%

More men than women use digital wallets

Men are not only more likely than women to use a digital wallet, but they also tend to use them more frequently. 62% of men say they’ve used a digital wallet in the past year, compared with 56% of women. They use this technology for more than banking or transferring money to friends and family, and they spend more money than women too: 44% of men who have used a digital wallet in the past year admit to spending more when using a digital wallet, compared with 26% of women who have used a digital wallet in the past year.

Millennials and Gen Z are changing up how we pay our bills

The youngest adult generations have embraced the digital wallet, with 85% of adult Gen Z-ers saying they’ve used at least one e-wallet in the past year. Millennials have the second-highest adoption with 81% of millennials having used a digital wallet. Today, sharing a burrito bill is as easy as ever, creating a digital paper trail that ensures you and your friends are immediately paid up.

Although millennials and Gen Z are leading the pack, the other generations are catching on: 65% of Gen Xers say they’ve used a digital wallet in the past year, followed by 33% of baby boomers.

Generation	% of respondents that have used a digital wallet
Gen Z	84.6%
Millennial	81.3%
Gen X	65.4%
Baby Boomers	33.3%
Silent Generation	16.9%

Digital wallet adoption highest among those in domestic partnerships or civil unions

Of all the relationship statuses, people who said they were in a domestic partnership or civil union were the most likely to have used a digital wallet in the past year (78%). A close second for the highest digital wallet adoption rate were people that were single, but cohabiting with a significant other (77%). This should come as no surprise given the high percentage of millennials who fall into this category.

Considering the number of adult Gen Z embracing this technology, it’s little surprise that the biggest group of virtual wallet users are single and never married (62%). Though they may get more nagging from Mom about being glued to their phones, it’s among the reasons why digital wallets make sense.

Interestingly, most single people don’t spend more with digital wallets than through other options, like credit cards. That distinction goes to those who are married, of which nearly 41% confess to spending more money through their digital wallets than with other payment options.

Payment applications such as Venmo, Facebook Messenger and several others make it convenient for people to transfer money to their loved ones. Instead of waiting one to three business days and facing unnecessary fees, you can instantly transfer and receive funds.

Why switch to a digital wallet?

Money transfers are a cinch. No need to worry whether you and your recipient are within the same bank. Sites like Venmo let you transfer cash to friends for free for delivery within three days.
No keeping track of what you owe. With an e-wallet, you can pay or charge people in real time. Requests are sent immediately, and money exchanges hands in seconds.
Thin out your pocketbook. Streamline your charges, pay directly through your service — and cut out that wallet full of cards and cash.

Taking money mobile

Wallets aren’t the only things going digital. A wave of fintech products like high interest online savings accounts, auto-investing and even shopping apps are helping consumers save money in ways that mesh with their lifestyle. Check out some of our favorite apps helping the digitally savvy save and earn:

Brand	Features
Acorns	Rounds up your purchases and automatically invests them $1 per month or 0.25% per year on accounts of $5,000+ Portfolios built with input from a Nobel Prize-winning economist
Chime	Comes with a spending account and an optional savings account No monthly fees or overdraft fees Award winning app Use your Chime Visa® Debit Card and Chime will automatically round up to the nearest dollar and add it to your savings
Clarity Money	Uses AI to analyze your finances and make recommendations that save you money Eliminate unnecessary services and even get Clarity Money to negotiate for you Basic service is free, Bill Negotiation costs 33% of the savings of your lowered bill Savings account and spending tracking
Current	Earn points on debit card purchases, which can be redeemed for cash Current doesn’t charge ATM withdrawal fees anywhere in the US Basic account is free, but you can upgrade to Premium for $4.99/month to get early access to direct deposits Deposit cash at participating ATMs, but there’s a $3.50 fee per transaction
One Finance	Earn 3% APY on up to 10% of direct-deposits paychecks and debit card round-ups Earn 1% APY on balances up to $25,000 when you set up direct deposit Create dedicated Pockets for specific expenses and share access with other One Finance users Access a line of credit if your balance drops below $0
OnJuno	Earns 2.15% APY on up to $5,000 with the free plan or up to $30,000 with the Metal plan Get 5% cashback on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases with the Metal plan Metal plan typically costs $9.99 per month, but it’s free if you set up direct deposit Customer service is available 24/7, and OnJuno donates 2.15% of its profits to charities in India
Paribus	Scans your purchases in real time to find opportunities to get money back Paribus files claims for price adjustments for you, and delivers you the savings automatically Price Drop service is free
Qapital	Online checking account that actually accrues interest Unlimited transfers between apps No fees and no minimum balances Save automatically with creative rules and goals
Qoins	Rounds up your purchases and pays them toward your debts Pay down debt faster without thinking about it Eliminate debt on average of two years early and save on interest in the process $1.99 per month, withdrawn automatically
Rize	Set goals and work toward them with automatic savings Impressive 0.9% APY Set your own price and pay what you want to use the app Unlimited goals and unlimited transfers in and out of your account
Stash Invest	User-friendly way of investing for just $1 per month Build a portfolio of things to invest in based on what you care about Sign up in 2 minutes and start investing with $5 Learn as you go, so you can get better at investing over time
Truebill	Monitors your recurring expenses to see where you may be overpaying Scans your bills for new charges and increases, notifying you of any changes Proactively requests refunds on your behalf Bank-level security keeps your in-app actions safe
Varo	Get paid two days early if you set up direct deposit No monthly fee, ATM fee, foreign transaction fee or card replacement fee Includes access to 55,000 AllPoint ATMs Get a generous $75 referral bonus when a friend or family member deposits $200 or more in one transaction

Ask the experts…

Chris Tremont

Executive Vice President of Virtual Banking at Radius Bank

With digital wallets, convenience and control are key, so don’t let your bank or any other digital financial entity slow you down. Before going completely digital, it’s important to keep some things in mind:
Maintain your budget
With new tap to pay features, it’s easy to forget or ignore how much you’re actually spending when you’re not physically opening your wallet. Personal financial management tools allow you to log your monthly budgets and expenses in one place. If your current bank doesn’t have these features, consider an upgrade to one that does.
The perks of convenience.
Does your bank integrate with platforms like Venmo where you can send money to your friends at different banks? To us, this feature is essential for any digital wallet user.
Is it safe?
If you have a tendency to lose or misplace your phone, make sure that you have a plan in place for keeping your bank information safe and that you have a backup debit card available.

Methodology

Finder’s data is based on an online survey of 2,059 US adults born between 1928 and 2003 commissioned by Finder and conducted by Pureprofile in April 2021. Participants were paid volunteers.

We assume the participants in our survey represent the US population of 254.7 million Americans who are at least 18 years old according to the July 2019 US Census Bureau estimate. This assumption is made at the 95% confidence level with a 2.16% margin of error.

The survey asked respondents whether they have ever used a digital wallet and, if so, how often they have used a ‘digital wallet’ to send or receive money this year; whether they tend to spend more money when using your digital wallet; whether they use digital wallet more often than other means of transferring money, such as online banking, checks or ATM; and their reasons for using a digital wallet over other means of transferring money.

We define generations by birth year according to the Pew Research Center’s generational guidelines:

Gen Z — 1997–2003
Millennials — 1981–1996
Gen X — 1965–1980
Baby boomers — 1946–1964
Silent generation — 1928–1945

Past digital wallet surveys:

Some 110 million American adults say they’ve swapped cash and credit for digital wallets at least once.
A recent finder.com survey found that an estimated 110 million Americans have used a digital wallet at some point in their lives. Reflecting a rise in e-wallet popularity, that’s 3.5 million more people than just two years ago who said they used an e-wallet with Facebook Messenger, Google Wallet, Venmo and similar services.
In fact, about 75% of those surveyed — or more than 80 million Americans — say they use digital wallets because they’re a more convenient option than carrying around dollar bills and credit cards.
For those who shy away from digital wallets, the No. 1 reason is simply because they prefer credit cards (29%).
Gen Y is changing up how we pay our bills
No group has embraced the digital wallet quite like Generation Y, with three in four saying they’ve used at least one e-wallet in the past year. Today, sharing a burrito bill is as easy as ever, creating a digital paper trail that ensures you and your friends are immediately paid up.
Half of all 18- to 38-year-olds use digital wallets regularly. But other generations are catching on: 40% of Gen Xers say they’ve used a digital wallet in the past year, followed by 17% of baby boomers.
Considering the number of students embracing this technology, it’s little surprise that the biggest group of virtual wallet users are single and never married (53%). Though they may get more nagging from Mom about being glued to their phones, it’s among the reasons why digital wallets make sense.
Interestingly, single people don’t spend more with digital wallets than through other options, like credit cards. That distinction goes to those who are married or in domestic relationships, of which nearly 30% confess to spending more money through their digital wallets than with other payment options.
Payment applications such as Venmo, Facebook Messenger and several others make it convenient for people to transfer money to their loved ones. Instead of waiting one to three business days and facing unnecessary fees, you can instantly transfer and receive funds.
Men are not only more likely than women to use a digital wallet, but they also tend to use them more frequently. Almost half (48%) of men say they’ve used a digital wallet in the past year, compared with 41% of women. They use this technology for more than banking or transferring money to friends and family, and they spend more money than women too: 38% of men admit to spending more when using a digital wallet, compared with 34% of women.
Why switch to a digital wallet?
- Money transfers are a cinch. No need to worry whether you and your recipient are within the same bank. Sites like Venmo let you transfer cash to friends for free for delivery within three days.
- No keeping track of what you owe. With an e-wallet, you can pay or charge people in real time. Requests are sent immediately, and money exchanges hands in seconds.
- Thin out your pocketbook. Streamline your charges, pay directly through your service — and cut out that wallet full of cards and cash.
A survey conducted by finder.com found that over 2 in 5 Americans used mobile payment services like Venmo, Facebook Messenger, Google Wallet and Apple Passbook to send and receive money.
These services are shaking up the banking world by allowing transfers from one bank account to another, some without fees and as fast as in 24 hours. It’s no wonder that so many Americans are taking on the trend. In fact, 57% — or more than 60 million Americans — use a digital wallet more than any other means of transferring money, like an ATM, cash of bank check.
Single millennials are changing up how we pay our bills
No group has embraced the ease of the digital wallet quite like millennials, with 64% using at least one of these services in the past year. Charging your friend for half of a burrito is as easy as ever, and the digital paper trail ensures that you and your friends are immediately paid up.
Half of these 18- to 34-year-olds use them regularly, and other groups are catching on. Although millennials are more likely to spend more than other generations via this method, 40% of Gen Xers have used a digital wallet in the past year, with 17% of baby boomers having done so.
Considering the volume of students and millennials embracing this technology, it should come as no surprise that the biggest group of virtual wallet users are single and have never married (53%). Though this group may get hounded the most by Mom about being glued to their phones, it’s the exact reason why the digital wallet makes so much sense.
If we want to zoom into states, we found through out of those states with more than 40 participants in our survey California is the state where people are most likely to use digital wallets. Nearly 1 in 5 Californians have used a digital wallet at least once.
According to finder.com Money Expert Michelle Hutchison:
Traditionally, US banks have charged high fees for transferring money from your bank account to other people. But payment apps allow you to sidestep those fees by removing the bank as the middleman. For instance, major banks may charge up to $10 in next-day transfer fees, compared to digital provider Venmo, which offers one-day transfers without incurring transaction fees.
That doesn’t mean Mom and Dad aren’t in on the trend. The more kids in a household, the more likely you are to use a digital wallet to send money with ease and potentially no cost. This partially accounts for the 42% of married couples and people in a domestic partnership and the 35% of separated people who use a digital wallet.
Who’s spending more with their digital wallet?
The more income and education you acquire, the more likely you are to use and spend more with a digital wallet. While those who have a master’s degree are more likely to use a digital wallet, students are swiping hard at the online bookstore as the biggest users of the digital wallet (63%), followed by workers (57%), the self-employed (49%) and homemakers (39%). Six-figure earners are also twice as likely to use a digital wallet compared to those making $50,000 a year (30%).
Men are not only more likely to use a digital wallet than women, but they also use them more frequently. Slightly more than half (51%) of men have used a digital wallet in the past year, compared to 39% of women. They tend to use this technology for more than money transfers and other banking purposes, and they spend a lot more. In fact, men are three times more likely to use their digital wallets every day.
Why switch to a digital wallet?
- Money transfers are a cinch. No need to worry whether you have the same bank. Sites like Venmo let you transfer to your friends for free and within 24 hours to three days (depending on the provider and method).
- No need to keep track of what you owe. You can pay or charge people in real time. Requests are sent immediately, and money exchanges within seconds.
- Thin out your pocketbook. You can streamline your charges and pay directly through your service. Meaning you don’t have to carry a wallet full of cards and cash.
This data is from a survey of 2,001 US adults commissioned by finder.com and conducted by Pureprofile in February 2018.

For media inquiries:

Allan Givens
Public Relations Manager
203-818-2928
allan.givens@finder.com

Nicole Gallina
Communications Coordinator
347-677-4931
nicole.gallina@finder.com

Thank you for your feedback!

Olivia Chow

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Olivia Chow specializes in prescriptive consumer and trend research. She's been a founding member of the Hanesbrands Inc. Global Trend and Innovation team, done consulting for the New York Times, and written for VICE and Intel’s Creator’s Project.

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