# Credit union cards win the bills, lose the fun

> A survey of 14,218 consumers and 3,529 SMBs shows exactly which purchases credit union cards capture and which ones they never see.
- Title: Credit union cards win the bills, lose the fun · Pymnts
- Summary: A survey of 14,218 consumers and 3,529 SMBs shows exactly which purchases credit union cards capture and which ones they never see. Credit union cards…
- Keywords: credit unions, payments, credit cards, consumer spending, smbs, business, finance, Credit, union, cards, win, bills
- Source: Pymnts — https://pymnts.com/credit-unions/2026/where-credit-union-cards-can-win-more-spending
- Author: PYMNTS
- Published: 2026-09-15T08:00:52+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: credit unions, payments, credit cards, consumer spending, smbs, business, finance
## Trusted, but not reached for
Members like their credit union. That does not mean the credit union card comes out of the wallet first, and a July 2026 PYMNTS Intelligence report with Velera set out to find where it does.

> Consumers Trust Credit Unions but Don't Always Reach for Their Cards
## The bills belong to them
Credit union cards beat national bank cards on recurring essentials. Rent or mortgage is the widest gap: 23% of credit union cardholders versus 16% of national bank cardholders.
## Utilities, phone, groceries too
The edge holds across the boring stuff. Utilities 37% to 34%, mobile and home internet 35% to 33%, groceries 58% to 57%, basic healthcare 18% to 16%.
## Travel is the big miss
Flip to discretionary and the pattern reverses. Credit union cardholders are 45% less likely to book travel on their card, 11% versus 20%, with electronics, retail, subscriptions and restaurants all trailing too.
## Small builders pick them
On the business side, credit union SMB cards lead in construction and contracting, 20% to 16%, and renovation, 11% to 9%. The edge is widest at firms under $250,000 in revenue and in rural and small-town markets.
## But not the daily operating spend
National banks take the high-volume categories: inventory and basic operating costs both 54% to 49%, marketing 41% to 34%, non-inventory purchases 39% to 35%.

> Winning specialized expenses does not necessarily translate into capturing the purchases businesses make routinely to operate.
## What would change their minds
Consumers who have not gone all in want rewards: 44% cite incentives, against 32% of those already top of wallet. SMBs want lower rates and fees (41%), real credit limits, cash back and budgeting tools.
## Key takeaway

Credit union cards already own the recurring bills. The growth is in discretionary consumer spend and routine business operating costs, and both need a rewards and tools answer.