Consumer Payment Systems by Method of Payment, 1990 and 2001,
and Projections, 2005
Updated August 5, 2020 |
Infoplease Staff
| Transactions | Volume | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number (bil.) | Percent distribution | Amount (bil. dol.) | Percent distribution | |||||||
| Method of payment | 1990 | 2001 | 2005 (proj.) | 1990 | 2005 (proj.) | 1990 | 2001 | 2005 (proj.) | 1990 | 2005 (proj.) |
| Total | 73.7 | 117.2 | 132.3 | 100.0% | 100.0% | $2,324 | $5,478 | $6,735 | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Paper | 62.8 | 81.4 | 82.0 | 85.2 | 69.5 | 1,864 | 3,431 | 3,455 | 80.2 | 62.6 |
| Direct check payments1 | 28.0 | 29.2 | 24.9 | 38.0 | 24.9 | 1,188 | 2,250 | 2,056 | 51.1 | 41.1 |
| Cash | 33.4 | 51.0 | 55.7 | 45.3 | 43.5 | 582 | 1,058 | 1,246 | 25.0 | 19.3 |
| Money orders | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 61 | 88 | 114 | 2.6 | 1.6 |
| Travelers cheques | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 22 | 13 | 12 | 0.9 | 0.2 |
| Official checks2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 11 | 23 | 27 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Cards | 10.6 | 33.5 | 44.5 | 14.4 | 28.6 | 441 | 1,771 | 2,535 | 19.0 | 32.3 |
| Credit cards4 | 10.4 | 21.1 | 24.7 | 14.1 | 18.0 | 432 | 1,341 | 1,727 | 18.6 | 24.5 |
| Debit cards | 0.3 | 10.5 | 17.0 | 0.3 | 8.9 | 9 | 384 | 726 | 0.4 | 7.0 |
| Stored value cards5 | — | 1.4 | 2.0 | — | 1.2 | — | 32 | 59 | — | 0.6 |
| EBT cards and food stamps6 | — | 0.6 | 0.8 | — | 0.5 | — | 14 | 23 | — | 0.3 |
| Electronic | 0.3 | 2.3 | 5.8 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 20 | 275 | 745 | 0.9 | 5.0 |
| Preauthorized payments7 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 18 | 200 | 390 | 0.8 | 3.6 |
| Remote payments8 | — | 0.8 | 3.1 | — | 0.6 | 2 | 75 | 355 | 0.1 | 1.4 |
NOTE: (—) represents or rounds to zero.
1. Excludes consumer check repayments and prepayments involving other payment systems as well as all commercial and government checks.
2. Official checks include cashier's checks, teller checks, and certified checks purchased from financial institutions. Excludes those purchased by businesses.
3. Credit cards include general purpose cards usable at all kinds of merchants and proprietary cards usable only at selected outlets. Includes some purchases on personal cards for government, commercial, and business-related spending. Cash advances are excluded.
4. Debit cards include general purpose cards carrying the Visa or MasterCard brand, electronic funds transfer (EFT) brands of regional EFT systems, proprietary commercial cards issued by private firms to drivers in the long-haul trucking and business aviation industry, and proprietary consumer cards issued by supermarkets. Cash withdrawals at ATMs and cash back over the counter are excluded.
5. Stored value cards are used primarily for gift certificates and telephone calls.
6. Electronic benefits transfer cards are replacements for paper scrip food stamps.
7. Preauthorized payments are handled electronically “end-to-end” through an automated clearing house.
8. Remote payments are made using a telephone or a computer and include point-of-sale check conversions and utility-bill payments made at ATMs, self-service clerk-assisted electronic banking machines kiosks and clerk-assisted machines at supermarkets.
Source: HSN Consultants Inc., Oxnard, Calif., The Nilson Report, twice-monthly. From Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2002.
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