Why, then, do Hispanic credit cardholders appear to prefer other methods of payment, such as cash and debit cards?
It's an issue I've studied for several years as part of an Affiliates Management Company work group. The group counts Corey Skadburg, a credit card expert and the director of credit and risk for Coopera sister company TMG Financial Services, among its members.
“The majority of credit card products on the market today are not geared toward the specific needs of the Hispanic market, particularly for those individuals who may not have traditional credit or for whom fees are a major turn off,” Skadburg said. “It's easy to see how that lack of focused attention and customization can feed an apathetic relationship. But this is a market the industry simply can't ignore. We expect to see more credit cards issuers – both large and small – funnel increased resources toward getting it right with Hispanic cardholders in 2016.”
As Coopera has advised work groups, steering committees and industry associations, it's important to recognize the Hispanic market is multifaceted. We know, for instance, not all Hispanic consumers lack traditional credit. We know there are niche and subgroups who all want different things from their financial products, including credit cards. This will be an important consideration as the credit union and other card-issuing industries evolve to serve Hispanic consumers.
Looking ahead, it's possible we may see Hispanic consumers who own a credit card become more active as digital wallets (at least those powered by credit cards) become more popular. That's because Hispanic consumers tend to over-index on all things mobile. Many are mobile banking users and a sizable percentage say they have used mobile payments in the last 12 months. As Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay are accepted in more places, we may see more Hispanic credit cardholders activate, use and become increasingly loyal to their cards, albeit through a completely separate brand. Of course, credit cards are not the only payment method available to mobile payment users, so it will be interesting to see how Hispanic consumers, in particular, chose to configure their digital wallets.
Source: CooperaConsulting.com, Hispanics Own Credit Cards, But Prefer Other Payment Methods, by Posted by Miriam De Dios, February 18, 2016.