What Is the Survey and Diary of Consumer Payment Choice? A Look at the Atlanta Fed's Comprehensive Payment Trend Tool

May 19, 2026

illustration of three dollar bills speeding together to the right

Understand the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s consumer payment data tool, why it matters, and how to interpret the survey findings.

What is the Survey and Diary of Consumer Payment Choice?

As consumer payments behavior changes, the Survey and Diary of Consumer Payment Choice tool helps users understand the role that consumers play. The tool examines how US consumers purchase goods and services, pay bills, and pay other people. It also reports on which methods they prefer and how preferences change. Essentially, the tool is a detailed look at the ongoing shift in payments trends.

Why is the Survey and Diary of Consumer Payment Choice useful?

As the tool’s page notes, the Survey and Diary of Consumer Payment Choice fills a gap in the research about consumers’ role in the evolution of payment methods.

You can find the reports from each year dating back to 2020 under the "Archived Surveys & Diaries" tab. Prior to 2020, dating back to 2008, reports are available on FRASER, a digital library of US economic, financial, and banking history (particularly the history of the Federal Reserve System). Graphs showcase trends like the share of transactions taken up by each payment method, the share of consumers owning cryptocurrencies, how many consumers paid by mobile phone, and more.

How does the Atlanta Fed conduct the payment survey?

The Fed conducts a nationally representative survey of US consumers and their payment habits. Each year, throughout the month of October, consumers report their use of nine payment instruments, including data points like the location of payment and dollar value paid. Consumers also report on the payment instruments they adopted and have ready for use. They rate payment instruments on security, convenience, and other characteristics.

Thousands of consumers are surveyed each year to produce the annual report.

What does the Survey and Diary of Consumer Payment Choice measure? What types of payments are reported?

The survey reports on purchases, bill payments, and person-to-person payments. Respondents report details, including dollar value, use of any device, and merchant type paid, for every payment. The report includes the following types of payments:

Cash
Checks
Money orders
Debit cards
Credit cards
Prepaid cards
Electronic payments

What has been consumers' recent payments behavior?

The 2024 report found a statistically significant increase in the number of all payments, including in the number of credit card payments. Check out the rest of the 2024 Survey and Diary of Consumer Payment Choice to see the latest data about transactions and payment preferences from the Atlanta Fed.

What are electronic forms of payment?

Electronic payments are transactions conducted digitally, without cash, checks, or other paper methods. These types of payments include credit and debit card payments, wire transfers, instant payments via real-time payments or FedNow, payments from a digital wallet, and any other paperless payment. As the Survey and Diary of Consumer Payment Choice data indicates, electronic forms of payment are growing more popular each year.

Where can I find the Survey and Diary of Consumer Payment Choice and learn more about the data tool?

You can explore the most and least popular ways to pay and see where the future of payments is headed on the Atlanta Fed’s website or with the EconomyNow app.