2025 Prepaid Card Data Book

Open-loop and closed-loop prepaid segments have stabilized, with a slight uptick in overall growth aided by positive consumer behaviors and the introduction and expansion of gaming and gambling stored-value verticals into the evaluation. In 2025, Javelin Strategy & Research expects growth for nearly half of the tracked verticals to match or exceed the industry average of 8%, with only the government and telecom segments likely to fall behind the core Consumer Price Index rate of 2.7%. 

The political shifts with a new administration and Congress seem likely to hamper growth in government-related segments but seem unlikely to affect private categories at this time, Segments anticipated to see short-term lifts include gaming and gambling, flexible spending and health savings cards, in-store gift cards, consumer incentives, and open-loop general-purpose cards, all of which are expected grow at or above 8% in the coming year. Lagging products in the coming year include those tied to the standard cost-of-living increases, such as Social Security and nutritional assistance. In contrast, legislative programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families could see negative outlooks because of political opposition in federal and state legislatures.

Key questions discussed in this report: 

• Which segments are primed for short-term growth in 2025? 
• How can organizations plan properly for the coming five-year period by focusing on key verticals? 
• How will political changes affect the government space in 2025 and beyond?

Companies Mentioned: 

American Express, B4B Payments, Delta, Discover, DraftKings, Mastercard, Mesh Payments, Moody’s, U.S. Bank, Visa