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ACI Worldwide has published new findings on how US consumers pay household bills, indicating that financial strain is driving demand for more flexible payment options.
The company's ninth Speedpay Pulse Report surveyed more than 3,000 US adults responsible for paying at least two monthly household bills. It found that 59% do not have enough savings to cover a USD $1,000 emergency expense, helping explain why many want more control over when payments are made.
More than three in five respondents said it is very or extremely important to control when bills are paid. The report also found that 57.7% would use flexible due dates if offered by a biller, while 30.4% want the option to pause payments during periods of hardship.
The pressure appears strongest among younger and middle-aged consumers. Among Gen Z, 48% reported having less than USD $1,000 in emergency savings, compared with 46% of Millennials. Among Gen X, 40% said they could not cover a USD $1,000 emergency from their bank account.
Debit shifts
The research points to a continued shift towards debit cards for bill payments. Debit usage reached 52.7% in 2025, 11.4 percentage points ahead of credit cards.
Among Gen Z, the preference was even more pronounced: 74.7% used a debit card to pay bills, making it their most-used payment method by a wide margin.
The report linked that shift to tighter household budgeting. Because debit card payments draw on available funds, they can help consumers avoid additional borrowing or overspending.
Automation is also becoming more common. The share of consumers using a mix of one-time and automatic recurring payments rose to 55.4% from 44.5% in 2019, while the share paying bills one by one fell to 30.3% from 43.4% over the same period.
Mobile payment habits are changing too. Four in 10 consumers reported paying a bill through a mobile wallet in 2025, up from 17% in 2019. Gen Z recorded the highest use of biller mobile apps and mobile wallets among the age groups measured.
AI and support
The study also tracked changing views on artificial intelligence in billing and customer support. It found that 53.4% of consumers have used an AI-based billing or support tool.
At the same time, demand for human support remains strong when problems arise. The survey found that 89.1% still prefer a live person to resolve a billing issue, and that share has increased every year since 2021.
Even younger consumers showed limited appetite for automated help with more sensitive issues. Among Gen Z, the most AI-positive group in the report, chatbot and social media support each attracted less than 1% as the preferred way to deal with a billing problem.
Consumer sentiment on AI is also becoming more polarised. Neutral or unsure views fell from 36.8% to 32.2% in a year, the largest shift recorded in the report's AI sentiment data, as both positive and negative responses increased.
Fraud concerns
Another notable finding was a rise in consumer monitoring of credit and identity risks. The report found that 44.7% of respondents had frozen their credit with at least one bureau, up from 38% a year earlier.
More consumers are also checking their credit reports more frequently. One in four now reviews a report more than once a month, compared with 14% the previous year.
Ron Shultz, General Manager of ACI Speedpay, said the findings showed bill payment is becoming more closely tied to broader household financial management.
"When a $1,000 expense can derail household finances, bill payment goes beyond a transaction to become a vital part of how people navigate financial pressures," said Ron Shultz, General Manager of ACI Speedpay.
"Consumers want control over when and how they pay, because for many households, missing a payment has become a real financial risk. When billers provide greater flexibility and predictability in bill payment, they are empowering consumers with better financial autonomy," Shultz said.