Mumbai, Aug 12: On the occasion of International Youth Day, Kiwi, India’s fastest-growing Credit-on-UPI platform, today revealed insights from its user data that highlight how Gen Z is approaching credit and spending differently from older generations. The data shows younger consumers placing greater emphasis on convenience, using credit for larger-ticket purchases and opting for longer repayment tenures when financing high-value expenses.
Based on Kiwi’s internal data from June–July 2026 covering 25,000 users, Gen Z spends around 20% more on rental and education payments compared to older generations, pointing to a greater use of credit towards essential and recurring expenses. Their preference for convenience is also visible in grocery spending, with Gen Z customers spending 3X more on quick commerce, which accounts for 2.6% of their wallet share, compared to traditional retailers such as D-Mart at 0.85%. This is in contrast to consumers aged 30+, who allocate a larger share of their grocery spending to physical retail stores and local shops.
The data also shows that younger consumers tend to use credit cards more selectively, with a preference for larger-ticket purchases rather than frequent, smaller transactions. At the same time, Gen Z appears less focused on optimising cashback across multiple cards, instead showing a stronger preference for convenience. Kiwi has observed a 10% higher share of wallet among Gen Z users compared to millennials, indicating greater engagement with a payment proposition that combines the convenience of UPI with access to credit.
Siddharth Mehta, Co-Founder & COO, Kiwi, said, “Gen Z is not necessarily using credit more frequently; they are using it differently. Our data shows that convenience is playing a much bigger role in how younger consumers make payment and credit decisions. From choosing quick commerce for everyday purchases to using credit for larger expenses, the focus is increasingly on ease and flexibility rather than simply maximising rewards.”
While EMI adoption is lower among Gen Z, those who opt for EMI tend to make higher-value purchases and choose longer repayment tenures. For Kiwi users, longer-tenure financing can carry interest charges, but the data indicates that younger consumers are willing to opt for longer repayment periods to keep their monthly outgo manageable, even when this may result in a higher overall financing cost.
The trends point to a shift in how India’s younger consumers approach credit, with convenience, flexibility and affordability of monthly payments emerging as important factors in their spending and financing decisions.