Consumers Favor Simpler Payment Journeys

DALLAS, Sept. 30, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- A new study conducted by Datos Insights, sponsored by SBT, reveals that two-thirds of U.S. consumers expect to complete a payment in three steps or fewer. The research, which surveyed 2,000 U.S. consumers, found that 67% of respondents expect to go from a payment reminder to a completed payment in three steps or fewer. Conversely, 36% of consumers have delayed a payment because the process was too complicated, with 45% of those delays resulting in missed deadlines, and 71% of those consumers having missed a payment more than once due to the same reason.

The study also highlights the impact of complexity on payment experiences. Nearly half of complexity-driven delays have become missed deadlines, and seven in ten consumers within that segment have missed a payment more than once. The research underscores that every extra website, login, or account lookup is a chance for a willing payer to walk away.

Consumers are telling us exactly where their patience runs out: three steps. Most payment journeys ask for far more than that, and every extra website, login, or account lookup is a chance for a payer to lose interest.

The study also reveals that younger consumers are particularly affected by the complexity of payment processes. Sixty-two percent of Gen Z and 56% of younger millennials have delayed a payment because the process was too complicated. This group also reports the highest rates of financial hardship and collections debt.

One in four consumers has delayed a payment because they had to switch to a different app to pay, and text moves consumers to pay faster than email for six of seven obligation types, including student loans, auto loans, and credit cards. The reminder can become the payment for 47% of consumers, and ease wins the tiebreaker. Consumers are twice as likely to pay the creditor that lets them pay by replying to a text rather than requiring a website login.

The Competition for Consumer Payments, a new research from Datos Insights sponsored by SBT, shows that payment is a competition. Forty-one percent of consumers experienced financial hardship in the past year, and when they cannot pay every bill, they prioritize, and creditors compete for their place in line. Financial institutions have historically competed for customers on products, pricing, and terms, but when consumers are managing multiple obligations, the payment experience influences which bill gets paid first. If the path to payment is complex, a creditor risks losing priority to one that makes it simpler to act.

Founded in 2008, SBT serves lenders, servicers, collections organizations, and other businesses where engagement and revenue realization depend on trusted, compliant communication. The full Datos Insights report, The Competition for Consumer Payments: How Payment Experience Influences Consumer Choice and Payment Priority, is available for download.