Overview

Given the pace of change in the payments industry, the ability to instantly issue a fully functional debit card in a bank or credit union branch location can be considered ancient technology, since it has been available for over 15 years. Although the capability is tried and true, the marketplace has changed. What used to be a service driven by small financial institutions as a point of service differentiation is now being embraced by large banks for its ability to deliver a proactive, elegant, and customer-focused response in the face of a card data breach as well as to replace a lost or stolen cards.

Mercator Advisory Group’s research report, Instant Issue Debit Cards: A Second Look, makes the case for instant issuance of debit cards. Besides its benefits to consumers, instant issue has benefits for financial institutions, including the opportunity for branch personnel to explain in-person how EMV chip cards operate. As more branches become equipped for instant issue, the competitive pressures will increase for those financial institutions that don’t offer this service.

“In addition to the convenience of instant issue for banking customers, there are some compelling quantitative reasons for it, both revenue generating and cost savings, that help justify the costs of integration of instant issue into branch sales, operations, and technology, as well as a variety of deployment strategies that can be used to maximize the investment,” comments Sarah Grotta, Director, Debit Advisory Service at Mercator Advisory Group, and author of this report.

This report has 21 pages and 12 exhibits, including an overview of market providers.

Companies mentioned in the report include: ABnote, CPI Card Group, FIS, Fiserv, Entrust Datacard, Gemalto, JPMorgan Chase, MagTek, MasterCard, NBS Technologies, PNC, TD Bank, TSYS, and Visa.

Members of Mercator Advisory Group’s Debit Advisory Service have access to these reports as well as the upcoming research for the year ahead, presentations, analyst access, and other membership benefits.

Highlights of the report include:

  • Reasons to revisit the instant issuance value proposition

  • Prevailing deployment strategies and considerations

  • How instant issuance works in the three primary variations: temporary cards, low-integration solutions, and integrated solutions

  • Building the business case for instant issue

  • Market providers of instant issuance technology and services

Book a Meeting with the Author

Related content

January 27, 2026
The Target Circle Card Program: If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try Again

Target Circle Card program is a standout loyalty program for offering credit and debit card products. However, the program is under pressure, and there are lessons to be learned. F...

November 06, 2025
2026 Debit Payments Trends

For decades, the checking account has served as the foundation on which all consumer and business payments have rested. But that stability is now beginning to give way to the seemi...

August 28, 2025
Shifting the Balance: How Consumers Are Using Bank Accounts Today

Consumer payment habits show an interesting blend of change and resilience. As those habits relate to the use of checking accounts—and even fintech offerings that aren’t really che...

Make informed decisions in a digital financial world

Let's Connect