Instant Payouts Turn One-Time Users Into Lifelong Loyalists

he nature of work, and of getting paid, is changing. The familiar two-week pay cycle is giving way to a real-time labor economy where people get paid when they earn, sometimes several times a day. PYMNTS CEO Karen Webster said we’re witnessing the rise of the transactional worker who lives in an on-demand world where payouts are the new paychecks. Joint research by PYMNTS and Ingo Payments shows that 1 in 3 millennials now rely on gig or tip income as their primary source of earnings, while nearly half of Gen Z consumers earn core income from selling products or services online. Those numbers, said Ingo CEO Drew Edwards as part of the series titled “The New Workforce Economy,” redefine what “employment” means. “The moment they get their money after today’s job is the pivotal moment,” he told Webster. The Instant-Pay Expectation The traditional pay cycle no longer fits the realities of modern financial life. “Getting paid in real time isn’t a nice-to-have,” Webster said. “It’s the difference between filling your tank or paying your rent on time.” According to PYMNTS Intelligence data, the use of instant payments for income has surged from 15% in 2020 to about 45% in May 2025. Forty-one percent of workers now receive funds instantly most of the time. Edwards said this shift is about necessity and control, not hardship. “It’s not because they’re poor,” he said. “It’s because they’re managing a business — their personal business — and doing real-time financial management.” Workers now align their income directly with their obligations. “They’ll say, ‘I’m working today to pay my rent,’” Edwards said, or to earn funds to pay for someone’s birthday gift. “They can tell you what job relates to what bill. That’s empowering.” The emotional impact of immediacy is just as important. “Payday still triggers that dopamine,” Edwards added. Now it happens whenever one wants, and not twice a month. That sense of control and immediacy is important. The Rise of the Transactional Worker This workforce isn’t unstable, said Edwards, and indeed there’s a measure of strength in not waiting for someone in a corporate office to decide whether they still have a job. He pointed to his son-in-law, a freelancer who once worked for large firms but now manages multiple clients. “He has unlimited gigs,” Edwards said. He never worries about being laid off — only about how to line up the next week’s work. That flexibility creates new expectations: workers now assume that the payout — their paycheck — should arrive instantly. And many are willing to pay for it. Paying for Speed and Building the Ecosystem PYMNTS and Ingo research shows that 60% of those who rely on gig or tip income as their main paycheck are willing to pay a fee for instant access — four times higher than those who use gig income as a side hustle. The model is not without its critics. “Every time you bring up charging someone for money they’ve earned, people call it predatory,” Edwards said. “But pay for speed has always been part of the economy. You can have it tomorrow for free, or right now for a small fee — that’s choice, not coercion.” He compared it to ATMs or expedited bill payments. We’ve always paid for speed, he said, and as long as the fees are fair and disclosed, it’s a good thing. Behind the scenes, that choice is enabled by increasingly connected payment systems. “We don’t just have one account anymore,” Edwards said. “We have a wallet full of accounts — one for saving, one for investing, one for spending. The same is true for transactional workers.” That fragmentation is giving rise to what Edwards calls “transactional ecosystems.” FinTechs like Ingo and forward-thinking banks are building infrastructure, integrating instant rails, ledgers and compliance tools, that allow workers to choose where and how fast they get paid. This benefits banks too, Webster and Edwards agreed, because it builds deposits, loyalty and relationships around speed. Still, Edwards said the industry is only at the beginning. “We’re in the second inning of this process,” he said. The magic will come as we turn that daily payout into the center of a new financial ecosystem — one built around the worker’s “dopamine moment” of getting paid.

They stock shelves, serve meals and keep the lights on, but their take-home paychecks shape more than their household budgets. The new Wage to Wallet™ Index, a collaboration between PYMNTS Intelligence, WorkWhile and Ingo Payments, reveals how 60 million U.S. workers move $1.7 trillion through the economy each year and details how even minor delays to their pay can ripple into inflation, reduced demand and blunted growth. The stakes for U.S. resilience may be higher than anyone realizes. Inside the October Index The 60 million U.S. workers who earn under $50,000 annually fuel more than $1.7 trillion in consumer spending each year—making their financial stability a key driver of national growth. With savings 40% below the national average, even short pay delays or missed shifts can dampen household confidence and reduce overall demand. More than half of Labor Economy workers choose instant wage access when available, improving liquidity and reducing reliance on costly credit.

In the instant economy, how fast money moves determines how people work, spend and stay loyal. The new “Money Mobility Ecosystem: Meeting Recipient Expectations in the Instant Economy,” a collaboration between PYMNTS Intelligence and Ingo Payments, reveals that speed is no longer a differentiator; it’s a demand. Based on surveys of 340 U.S. business executives and 4,170 U.S. consumers, the report maps the widening gap between how quickly people expect to receive their money and how often businesses actually deliver. Nearly nine in 10 companies have used instant payments for at least one payout type, but most still deploy them inconsistently—a costly blind spot in an era when workers, renters and consumers alike expect their funds now, not later. The data tells a simple story with major implications: speed equals satisfaction. Sixty-five percent of tip earners, 54% of gig workers and 55% of property owners need same-day access to their funds—and when given the option, they overwhelmingly choose instant. Yet only 36% of platforms consistently offer that option, signaling untapped potential to strengthen relationships, improve retention and recycle funds more quickly through the same ecosystem. The findings underscore how making instant the default can transform not only customer experience but also business performance across industries. In “Money Mobility Ecosystem: Meeting Recipient Expectations in the Instant Economy,” learn how: Instant access builds ecosystems of trust. When payments arrive in seconds, workers, vendors and consumers are more likely to stay, spend and re-engage. Businesses misjudge payout priorities. Companies often offer instant payment for low-stakes rebates and rewards but overlook critical income disbursements where it matters most. Closing the instant gap creates a competitive advantage. Firms that align payment speed with recipient expectations can convert payouts into powerful tools for loyalty, differentiation and growth.