Banking apps reach a plateau: Satisfaction up, innovation urged

Apps and websites are all starting to look alike

By Truman Lewis of ConsumerAffairs

May 30, 2025

• Customer satisfaction with banking and credit card digital platforms is at an all-time high, but apps and websites are becoming indistinguishable.

• Multifactor authentication has emerged as a surprise driver of satisfaction, while virtual assistants lag behind user expectations.

• J.D. Powers 2025 rankings highlight Bank of America, Capital One, and American Express as top digital performers.

As mobile apps and websites continue to dominate how Americans manage their bank accounts and credit cards, the latest J.D. Power studies reveal a paradox: satisfaction is rising, yet innovation is stagnating. The digital experiences offered by major banks and credit card issuers have become so similar that customers find little to distinguish one brands app or website from another a trend that could spell trouble as consumers demand more than just functionality.

Released today, the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Digital Banking and Credit Card Studies show a narrow performance gap between the best- and worst-rated platforms, underscoring the industry-wide adoption of design best practices and a growing sameness that could blunt brand differentiation.

The digital customer experience is plateauing, said Sean Gelles, senior director of banking and payments intelligence at J.D. Power. With generative AI and other tools reshaping consumer expectations, banks and credit card companies are under mounting pressure to break new ground.

Satisfaction rises, but the Wow factor is missing

Customer satisfaction scores ticked upward across the board in 2025. National banking apps earned an average score of 669 (out of 1,000), up 18 points from 2024, while credit card apps improved to 659, up 10 points. The gains reflect improved navigation, faster login speeds, and sleeker interfaces.

However, while the basics are improving, innovation is lagging. Many digital experiences feel highly consistent but unmemorable, the report notes.

One standout area of improvement: multifactor authentication. Once viewed as a login burden, it now boosts satisfaction by 16 points on average, driven by better design and growing consumer concern about security.

Virtual assistants miss the mark

Despite widespread deployment, virtual assistants have seen both usage and satisfaction drop this year. Banks have rolled out basic chatbots, but many lack the conversational depth and functionality consumers expect especially in an age when ChatGPT and other generative tools are setting new standards.

Utility alone is not the only factor, said Jon Sundberg, J.D. Powers director of digital solutions. To keep pace with consumer expectations, banks and credit card companies must innovate beyond todays baseline.

The top performers of 2025

The studies, based on responses from 16,781 U.S. customers collected between January and March 2025, reveal the top digital performers in banking and credit card services:

National Banks:

• Mobile App Satisfaction:

  1. Bank of America 678

  2. PNC 675

  3. Chase 673

• Online Banking Satisfaction:

  1. Capital One 684

  2. Chase 681

  3. Bank of America 670

Credit Cards:

• Mobile App Satisfaction:

  1. American Express 687

  2. Wells Fargo 676

  3. Discover 674

• Online Credit Card Satisfaction:

  1. American Express 704

  2. Wells Fargo 693

  3. U.S. Bank 690

Regional Banks:

• Mobile App Satisfaction:

  1. Fifth Third Bank 667

  2. Santander 666

  3. M&T Bank 660

• Online Banking Satisfaction:

  1. Regions Bank 683

  2. Huntington 683

  3. Citizens Bank 667

Whats next for digital banking?

With foundational user experiences largely optimized, the challenge ahead for financial institutions is differentiation. As customers become more accustomed to sophisticated AI and hyper-personalized service in other areas of their digital lives, banks will need to elevate their game or risk becoming interchangeable utilities.

Visit J.D. Powers website for more on the 2025 Digital Banking and Credit Card Satisfaction Studies.

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