PYMNTS AI Credit Report: Credit That Meets the Moment: With Thredd

A new PYMNTS Intelligence report, made in collaboration with Thredd, says AI credit only wins if customers can feel it: credit that shows up when needed, priced for the purchase, on terms they choose.

We break down "Credit That Meets the Moment," the September 2026 edition of PYMNTS Intelligence's Future of AI Credit series. It turns from the issuer's side to the customer's: decide-later payment choices, pricing tied to what's actually being bought, clear reasons behind credit decisions, and why younger cardholders reward control over rewards.

• Why more than half of card-linked BNPL users decide after the purchase clears (J.D. Power data cited in the report)
• The 32 million U.S. adults a traditional credit score can't see
• Why explainability is what makes a credit decision fair and contestable
• How Gen Z and millennials say repayment choice at checkout would change their card use
• Why issuers who treat AI as back-end efficiency risk being "routed around"

Report: Credit That Meets the Moment (PYMNTS Intelligence, with Thredd)

Keywords: AI credit, PYMNTS Intelligence, Thredd, buy now pay later, BNPL, credit as a feature, alternative credit data, credit invisible, explainable AI, card issuing, Gen Z credit

#fintech #AIcredit #BNPL #payments #cardissuing #creditscoring #OnlyFintechs