Visa USA has been looking at trends among cardholders which measure how committed they are to their cards as a payment method and then how committed they are to their individual branded issuer cards, such as an XYZ Credit Union Visa or a Bank of America Visa, etc. Credit Card Commitment Research, a report prepared by Visa, documented that committed credit card users share certain lifestyle and financial management attitudes. People who feel more successful are more committed to credit cards as a payment method particularly among those who feel pressured for time. Committed credit card users also tend to embrace technology, especially the Internet. They are more likely to say that they are willing to pay for quality, prefer well known brands and are looking for new experiences. Credit card commitment is low, the report found, among consumers who are concerned about household debt. Interestingly, commitment is also low among those who consider themselves in control of their spending. These consumers may rely on other payment methods to control debt. This is supported by the low credit card commitment levels associated with a positive attitude toward using cash. Significantly, consumer commitment to their individual branded credit cards remains low even among consumers who are otherwise committed to card use, ranking just above consumers' commitment to their toilet bowl cleaners. The report blamed the relative similarity between cards as well as the number of cards consumers have for watering down the commitment to any one card. So credit unions that think members will stick to their card over another issuer's card may have another thing coming. The good news is the number of accounts other than other credit card accounts that a consumer has with an issuer hikes the level of commitment significantly. Commitment also grows the longer the consumer has and uses a card but is not particularly helped if the card belongs to an "affinity" group of the cardholders such as an alumni or other group. "Affinity and lifestyle cards tend to engender lower commitment, perhaps because consumers are unaware of the benefits accruing to the affinity organization or because consumers view them as "collector" cards and do not use them much," Visa reported. The research also found that points for airline tickets, giving cash back and having a place for the cardholder's picture were leading elements in boosting cardholder commitment. By contrast, carrying a so-called "smart chip" actually reduced cardholder commitment, the research found.