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Payment methods in United States

North America
9methods
71banks

The average American online shopper spends US$2,926 a year with e-commerce merchants. The entire e-commerce market is worth almost US$1 trillion.

Market takeaways

  • The average American online shopper spends US$2,926 a year with e-commerce merchants. The entire e-commerce market is worth almost US$1 trillion.
  • Between 2020 and 2022, the proportion of e-commerce transactions Americans paid for using cards dropped from 59% to just 50%.
  • Americans complete 47% of their online purchases using a mobile device such as a tablet or smartphone.
  • US online shoppers spend US$130 billion a year with merchants based outside of the country, up from US$106 billion in 2020.
  • By 2027, the American e-commerce market will be worth almost US$1.5 trillion and the average US online shopper with spend US$4,215 a year with e-commerce merchants.

Population

340M

Online population

315.2M

B2C e-commerce

$819B

Banked population

98%

Credit card population

69%

E-commerce of total retail

17%

Payment method breakdown

  • Card50%
  • Cash1%
  • Bank Transfer9%
  • E-Wallet32%
  • Other8%

Card scheme breakdown

  • Visa59%
  • Mastercard26%
  • American Express8%
  • Local schemes4%
  • Other3%

Cross-border e-commerce

Cross-border shoppers

41%

Share of e-commerce

16%

Cross-border value (est.)

$130B

Featured payment methods in United States

Popular options based on coverage and prominence in this market.

Venmo

Venmo

Venmo is a peer-to-peer wallet that lets users split bills, move money between Venmo and bank accounts, receive early paycheck deposits and customise privacy settings; sending money via a linked bank account or Venmo balance is free (a 3% fee applies when using a credit card)

Apple Pay

Apple Pay

Apple's digital wallet enables easy, secure and private transactions in stores, apps and on the web. It uses device-embedded security features and tokenization; Apple does not store card numbers or transaction details Flow: User taps Apple Pay button, selects card in native sheet, authenticates via Face ID/Touch ID, result returns instantly. Tokenized PAN sent to gateway for authorization.

Buy Now Pay Later (Affirm, Afterpay, Klarna etc.)

Buy Now Pay Later (Affirm, Afterpay, Klarna etc.)

BNPL services allow shoppers to split purchases into instalments without traditional credit cards. While BNPL currently holds a small share of e-commerce payments, it is growing rapidly and leaders like Afterpay and Klarna continue to expand under increasing regulatory scrutiny

PayPal

PayPal

PayPal is widely used for online purchases in Greenland, particularly for cross-border e-commerce where local payment options are limited. Flow: User selects PayPal, a modal or redirect opens. User logs in, confirms funding source, reviews details, authorizes. Control returns to merchant with approved or declined status.

Cash App

Cash App

Cash App is a digital wallet operated by Block; it allows users to send and receive money, access a debit card, invest in stocks or bitcoin and apply for loans. As of 2024 it reported about 57 million users and USD 283 billion in annual inflows

Zelle

Zelle

Zelle is a bank-owned peer-to-peer network available within participating mobile banking apps. Users enrol with an email address or U.S. mobile number and can send money to friends and family; funds are transferred directly between bank accounts, typically within minutes, and 99.44% of linked accounts charge no fee for sending or receiving money

All payment methods in United States

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Sources