Banks Introduce AI Credit Cards with Computing Power and Large Model Membership Benefits

The core credit card customer base is undergoing a generational transition, with the fastest-growing user segment shifting from the 1980-1995 cohort to the 1995-2005 cohort. This shift is driving credit card demands to evolve from pragmatism toward identity recognition, value propositions, and emotional connection. The behavioral differences between the two cohorts are significant, requiring banks to adjust their benefits systems accordingly. For the existing 1980-1995 customer base, banks should retain discounts in livelihood scenarios such as dining, entertainment, and travel to secure their core base; for the growing 1995-2005 segment, banks should build product systems that combine emotional value and digital productivity through emotional IP operations, circle-specific services, and AI benefits.

The 1980-1995 cohort grew up during the early days of internet popularization, with core spending concentrated on home ownership, marriage, and daily consumption. Their credit card choices are highly pragmatic, with decision-making anchored on consumption discounts and lifestyle services. Their high-frequency card usage scenarios include offline areas such as dining, entertainment, travel, and health. Their core need is reducing living costs, and they are highly sensitive to standardized benefits such as cash rebates, spending thresholds with deductions, and consumer coupons. In contrast, the 1995-2005 generation, as digital natives, are mainly students, emerging white-collar workers, technology professionals, and young creators. Their financial pressures center on study, office work, content creation, and self-indulgent consumption. Their credit card needs go beyond money-saving tools, with greater emphasis on emotional connection, identity recognition, and AI attributes. Personalized card designs, IP collaborations, and themes such as e-sports, trendy toys, and cute pets can quickly build resonance, while the application of AI tools in daily study and work has also created demand for new benefits.

Some banks have already launched AI credit cards as a response. Ping An Bank's credit card business has introduced computing power benefits in the points mall of its Pocket Bank app, including mainstream AI vendor products such as Baidu Qianfan Token benefit packages, Tencent Cloud WorkBuddy personal editions, and Alibaba Lite monthly cards, which users can redeem with points. Additionally, Ping An Bank launched the Ping An Yuexiang Platinum Credit Card AI Life Edition, where new cardholders who complete three purchases of at least RMB 88 each via UnionPay QuickPass before the end of the month following card issuance can claim a Zhipu Qingyan VIP membership quarterly card or 50,000 Wanlitong points. In the first year, cardholders who meet monthly spending thresholds can receive redemption vouchers for Token benefit packages from enterprises such as Baidu Intelligent Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, and Tencent Cloud, or memberships for AI photo editing, video editing, and office tools. Earlier, Ping An Bank also cooperated with China UnionPay to launch a dual-product system comprising an AI Intelligent Computing debit card and the Yuexiang Platinum Credit Card with UnionPay Token benefits, marking the first simultaneous launch of both debit and credit card categories.

Since June 2026, multiple institutions including China Merchants Bank, Agricultural Bank of China, and SPD Bank have rolled out new AI credit cards, with the core innovation being the inclusion of AI computing power and large model memberships in the benefits system. Current mainstream AI credit card benefits mainly include complimentary Token allowances, points-to-computing-power conversion, and member recharge discounts, with differences primarily reflecting the range of partner AI vendors; Ping An Credit Card partners with multiple leading vendors. At this stage, AI credit cards remain in a conceptual trial phase, but by offering computing power time and membership benefits, credit cards are beginning to transform toward a "means of production" attribute, creating new high-frequency customer touchpoints for banks. As customers claim AI memberships and use dedicated computing power monthly, bank apps become daily AI tool gateways, while also enabling banks to accumulate desensitized data within compliance boundaries to understand user occupational profiles and consumption preferences.