Not Just Another Bank: How Credit Unions Can Reach Younger Members

Credit unions have distinct hallmarks: they are not-for-profit and member-owned. Yet amid the flood of financial services companies in today’s digital landscape, these differentiators can be difficult to convey. While many younger consumers are actively seeking the kind of guidance credit unions excel at providing, they often perceive credit unions as just another bank.

In a recent PaymentsJournal podcast, Velera’s Tom Pierce, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, and Carrie Stapp, Vice President of Marketing, along with Brian Riley, Director of Credit and Co-Head of Payments at Javelin Strategy & Research, analyzed two Velera studies—Eye on Payments and CU Growth Outlook—to distill critical insights into how credit unions can reclaim their brands and stand out in a crowded field.

From Emerging to Standard

Several of the most compelling insights center on how consumers pay. While debit and credit cards have jockeyed for dominance in recent years, usage was nearly evenly split last year. Despite this balance, the two methods tend to serve different purposes. Consumers typically use debit cards for everyday purchases—such as convenience stores, pharmacies and grocery stores—while credit cards are more often reserved for larger purchases at big-box retailers or entertainment venues.

Another notable trend is the continued momentum behind digital wallets and contactless payments. Roughly seven in 10 consumers now use a mobile wallet at least a few times per year, and about a third use wallets multiple times per week.

“Another key finding is about other areas that have moved from emerging payments into payment standards, including buy now, pay later and P2P payments,” Pierce said. “With BNPL, we’ve got 38% of credit union members saying they would be likely to use that type of program if it was offered by their credit union.”

“On the P2P side, three-quarters of consumers say they use these payments at least periodically, and some of the younger generations are using them as a primary payment method,” he said.

As Gen Z ages into adulthood, the preferences of younger consumers are coming into sharper focus. When it comes to payments, digital is—unsurprisingly—the default. Still, this makes it even more critical for credit unions to keep digital capabilities top of mind.

“It calls out the big trio within payments right now, which are digital wallets, BNPL and contactless cards, and those are very important high-growth areas,” Riley said. “They also appeal to younger generations, which feeds right into the significance of Gen Z. One of the common problems with credit unions is the aging level of their members. Making sure that you’re building the business for decades to come is the reason you want to engage the younger age cohorts.”

The Growing Identity Crisis

To establish meaningful engagement, organizations must look beyond payments and understand how younger consumers learn about financial services. For Gen Z, guidance frequently comes from non-traditional sources, rather than established FIs.

“Social media, for the first time across all of our generations, showed up in the top three as most trusted for financial advice,” Stapp said. “Understanding the role that social media plays, understanding where younger generations are getting their information, and how they’re trusting that information is incredibly important for the financial services industry to understand, absorb and adapt to.”

At the same time, younger consumers are experiencing heightened financial stress. Social media can exacerbate this anxiety by encouraging constant comparison, while the growing number of apps, cards and digital payment options can make it difficult to track spending and stick to a budget. Although digital financial management tools exist, many consumers are increasingly looking to their financial institution for support and guidance.

Credit unions thrive in delivering this personal touch, yet many younger consumers remain unaware that this lifeline exists.

“Only 16% of respondents from the Gen Z category said that credit unions are focused on community, and they equally felt that they were profit-driven,” Stapp said. “They’re not understanding what the basis of a credit union is, and that it’s people helping people. It’s creating an identity crisis and an opportunity for the credit union industry to re-educate, and I would go so far as to say rebrand itself.”

The Embedded Opportunities

As part of broader rebranding efforts, credit unions have several key opportunities to consider. First, economic uncertainty in recent years has driven strong interest in credit cards, making competitive credit card offerings an important area of focus.

“I’ve seen some numbers out there that only about 20% of credit union members have a credit card with their credit union, so there is a lot of white space there,” Pierce said. “This year, we had nearly four in 10 credit members apply for a new credit card in the last year and over 50% of Gen Z said that they would look to apply for one in the next year. So, a lot of growth opportunity is there in the credit card space.”

“We also saw nine in 10 folks saying they received real-time approval or denial following application for a credit card, so having that real-time response through origination solutions is critical for engaging that member quickly,” he said.

Outside of card offerings, credit unions should also rethink how they engage with members. In the Velera Eye on Payments study, consumers across all generations expressed a strong preference for online interactions, especially for tasks such as paying bills, adjusting card controls or applying for new accounts or products.

This digital preference is reshaping traditional definitions of financial solutions. Embedded finance, once understood simply as financial products accessible within a website or app, is rapidly expanding into a more comprehensive and integrated experience.

“We’re seeing a lot of the big banks, as well as the fintechs, embedding themselves in the lives of consumers at the point of sale,” Stapp said. “I was buying a birthday card over the weekend and the birthday card aisle had an entire section where you can add a Venmo code inside of the card.”

“This is what we’re talking about when we’re talking about embedded. I’m watching Netflix or Amazon Prime and I can buy whatever’s on that ad right there from my phone or from my TV,” she said. “The definition of embedded goes further than just, ‘Can I access a product or service on a website or my mobile app?’ That’s important to understand, on top of understanding how they’re preferring to pay.”

Bringing Members Along

These shifts in expectations and technology underscore the need for credit unions to revisit the overall member journey and experience.

“What is it that we’re creating that makes their lives easier?” Stapp said. “We now have to meet them where they are instead of them coming to us for a product or solution. When you’re thinking through your digital strategy, when you’re thinking through the products and solutions that you are going to invest in for your financial institution, map out that digital strategy and  experience that your member is going to get with the lens of, ‘Is this enticing to all of the generations, particularly those generations where I’m going to get my growth?’”

As they develop this roadmap, financial institutions must also plan for fraud, which is increasing in both scale and sophistication. Instead of relying on physical tactics like gas pump skimmers, bad actors now deploy advanced impersonation scams to trick consumers into sharing personal data or sending money.

Artificial intelligence has made these fraud attempts more effective, but it also offers powerful tools for detection and prevention. Equally important, consumers themselves are embracing AI. Velera’s Eye on Payments report found that one in three consumers uses AI several times per week, and over half use it for financial planning or budgeting.

While shifting preferences, emerging threats and rapidly evolving technologies present challenges, they also create significant opportunities.

“From an innovation perspective, account card origination is a critical investment area,” Pierce said. “Making sure your members are protected from the evolving fraud and then laying the future for AI are all great areas of focus for investments. On this innovation journey, credit unions have a wonderful opportunity to bring their members along.”

“In Eye on Payments, 85% of respondents—especially the younger generation—said that they would trust their credit union for financial and innovation-related advice,” he said. “As these innovations are coming to market, bringing your members along and being a trusted advisor is key to your success.”