Consumers Like to Pay Bills Digitally, But Are Not Sold on AI as Part of the Process

Consumers are increasingly turning to same-day and real-time payment channels for paying their bills, ACI Worldwide’s 2025 Speedpay Pulse report finds. Overall, 3 in 10 consumers have paid a bill using a same-day or real-time payment channel in the past 12 months, the report says. Gen Zers are the most likely to favor such channels, with 46.6% using them to pay a bill in the past six months, followed by Millennials (37.4%).

Younger generations’ preference for paying bills using same-day and real-time channels highlights the need for billers to align “payment solutions with the expectations of digitally native consumers,” the report says.ACI surveys at least 3,000 unique respondents for each data set within the report. Unique respondents are defined by ACI as respondents that have not participated in the survey within a year.

Among the digital channels consumers use to pay bills,  the biller’s Web site is preferred by most. Some 47.2% of Gen Xers prefer to pay a bill using a biller’s site. Among Gen Zers, 38.4% of prefer that channel, while 38% of Millennials prefer it. When opting to pay using a biller’s mobile app, 38.5% of Millennials prefer using that channel, while 31.9% of Gen Zers say they use that channel. Among Gen Xers, 28.2% prefer to pay using that channel.

“Billers should not assume that generational variances over urgent or same-day payments point to differences in financial discipline,” the report says. “Instead, it’s more likely to signal the way younger consumers are accustomed to managing their finances. They’ve come of age in the era of self-service, same-day delivery, and click-and-collect—they expect billers to be able to provide similar experiences.”

Artificial intelligence is emerging as a tool to streamline transactions, enhance payment security, and increase overall efficiency, but its reception among consumers as part of the bill-payment experience remains mixed.

Millennials are the most receptive to AI, with 46.5% having a favorable view of the technology, followed closely by Gen Zers (42%). Gen Xers are less receptive, with 34.8% having a positive view of the technology and 32% viewing it negatively. Baby Boomers are the least receptive, with 43.6% viewing it negatively and just 22.5% seeing it positively.

The differing views of AI across the generations “suggest that younger generations, who have grown up with rapidly advancing technology, are more comfortable and optimistic about AI’s potential,” the report says.

Still, the vast majority of respondents, 89.2%, still prefer to engage with a live customer-service representative when resolving an issue with a payment, as opposed to engaging with an AI-powered solution. 

That data suggests that billers need to carefully weigh when and where they deploy AI during the digital bill-payment process. “While AI offers powerful tools for streamlining operations and enhancing digital experiences, billers need to be strategic about where and how they deploy it, especially when it comes to front-line customer support,” the report says.