30% of Consumers Will Abandon Banks for New Payment Fees, Survey Says

Breaking up just got a little easier to do for banking customers, but it has little to do with innovation and everything to do with frustration.

New debit card fees are motivating consumers nationwide to say they will call it quits with their banks, according to new research from Research Intelligence Group. In fact, the consulting and market-strategy firm reports that roughly one-third of all consumers say they will leave their bank, should it charge a monthly fee for using a debit card. The data compliments an earlier BankRate survey that also found consumers would consider fleeing new fees.

Naturally, saying and doing tend to be two very different things for people. Unless there’s big money involved, consumers’ laziness will likely trump their discontent with their FIs. The more likely outcome of Durbin-inspired checking account fees, though, is that some consumers will change their payment habits as a means of coping, which the research results also indicated. In fact, 43% of consumers polled said they would be more likely to shift to other payment methods rather than run away from their current banks, found Research Intelligence Group. To us, that means the payments landscape is ripe for innovations. If people are willing to change up how they pay for things, alternative payments could feel more usage love. With one large caveat: Consumers slipping into old payment habits. Indeed, 28% of respondents said they’d have a stronger likelihood to pay with cash, while 15% said they’d pay with their credit cards.