Debit Card & Prepaid Card Market Penetration

Debit Cards

U.S. Debit Card Circulation (in millions):

2011 (March)
 2010 2009 2008 2007
MasterCard 126 123 123 124 113
VISA N/A 418 394 333 321
Total N/A 541 517 457 434

(Source: VISA, MasterCard)

  • Debit card usage fell from 2008 to 2009, with 56 percent of consumers indicating they used a debit card in the month preceding the September 2009 survey, compared to 66 percent of consumers in 2008.
    (Source: Javelin Strategy and Research, February 2010)
  • 71 percent of Americans aged 18 to 24 said that they had used a debit card in the month preceding the September 2008 survey. Just 51 percent of that same age group indicated they had used a credit card in the same period.
    (Source: Javelin, “Credit Card Spending Declines” study, March 2009)
  • 76 percent of Americans aged 25 to 34 indicated they had used a debit card in the month preceding the September 2008 survey. 63 percent of that age group said that had used a credit card in the same period.
    (Source: Javelin, “Credit Card Spending Declines” study, March 2009)

Prepaid Cards

Amount Loaded onto U.S. Prepaid Cards by Year (in billions):

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Total (in Billions) 42.9 57 82 117 167
Change from Prior Yr. N/A 33% 43.9% 42.7% 42.7%

* Figures for 2012 and beyond are projections

(Source: Mercator Advisory Group)

  • The number of prepaid card transactions increased nearly 22% from 2006 to 2009, making prepaid cards the fastest growing form of electronic payments during that time period.
    (Source:  Federal Reserve Financial Services, “2010 Federal Reserve Payments Study,” April 2011)

  • The value of prepaid card transactions increased nearly 23% per year from 2006 to 2009.
    (Source:  Federal Reserve Financial Services, “2010 Federal Reserve Payments Study,” April 2011)
  • The 7 million prepaid cards in circulation as of May 2012 was more than double the amount in circulation in 2009.
    (Source:  Businessweek, “Washington Takes Aim at the Hottest Debit Card Around,” May 2012)
  • Most prepaid cards charge between 7 and 15 different fees, with the median fees ranging from $0.50 to $9.95
    (Source:  Pew Charitable Trusts, “Loaded with Uncertainty:  Are Prepaid Cards a Smart Alternative to Checking Accounts?” Sept. 2012)
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