Federal Reserve Financial Services recently released the 2026 Diary of Consumer Payment Choice, an annual study of U.S. consumers’ payment habits. The findings show that U.S. consumers’ use of payment methods has remained stable amid technological change and other activity in the payments ecosystem.

For the sixth year in a row, cash was the third-most used payment instrument, accounting for about 1 in 7 payments. Debit and credit cards accounted for two-thirds of all payments made by U.S. consumers. Cash also remains a key backup payment option and store of value.

Click Read More to see the complete Fed360 article and to download the study.