This Week in Credit Cards: Stripe Mulls a Major Move

The shortest month of the year comes to a close this weekend, and we’ll enter March, where leprechauns take center stage, spring begins, and a collegiate basketball tournament casts a spell over U.S. sports fans.

But while February is short on days, most of it was full of news in the credit card sphere this year. And the final week of the month was no different. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories we saw across the credit card and payments spaces this week.

Payment processing company Stripe is thinking about purchasing PayPal, according to a recent report. The acquisition may include either the entirety of PayPal’s operations or just parts of it.

If Stripe moves to purchase the entire company, the acquisition would likely gain the attention of regulators. But Stripe could also seek to purchase only the sections of PayPal that would best align with the company’s future plans.

This Week in Credit Cards: Will Stripe take a swipe at PayPal? Tune in to see what else happened this week and read the full article below 👇 pic.twitter.com/N6R8PtzBsU

— CardRates Industry News (@CardRatesNews) February 27, 2026

Of course, Stripe may ultimately decide it doesn’t want to buy PayPal in its entirety or in parts. But the payments landscape is sure to shift if the two companies do strike a deal.

Many credit unions believe that the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) will be more harmful than beneficial to consumers. And America’s Credit Unions — a group that seeks to advance an environment that allows credit unions to succeed — has rolled out a national advertising campaign that aims to compel Congress to say “no” to the CCCA.

America’s Credit Unions supports the idea that the act will eventually make credit less accessible for consumers. The campaign, which includes digital video and online radio spots, comes at a time when more than 6,000 advocates for credit unions are getting ready to head to the nation’s capital for this year’s Governmental Affairs Conference.

United Airlines is bringing more value to its customers as they begin to make their summer travel plans.

Travelers who have either the United MileagePlus credit or debit card will soon be able to earn twice as many miles when they use the cards to book flights with the airline than people who don’t own the cards, according to a press release from the company.

But those aren’t the only updates United is bringing to United MileagePlus cardholders. Beginning April 2, United MileagePlus customers will be able to save a minimum of 10% on United award tickets, and they will also gain access to the award tickets with the lowest prices.

Credit One Bank agreed to settle a lawsuit that centered on the company’s debt collection activities. A group of district attorneys in California allege that the bank — or vendors Credit One worked with — engaged in inappropriate collection practices. American Banker reported that one borrower received in excess of 500 calls over a span of seven months.

The company is likely looking forward to moving past the issue, though in doing so they’ll be paying a significant sum. Credit One has agreed to fork over more than $10 million to settle the case.

The bank denied any wrongdoing in connection with the matter and said in a press release that it entered into the settlement to sidestep the inconvenience and expense of continued litigation.

Clothing retailer Gap Inc. announced the launch of its new membership program, Encore, to bring more benefits to its customers. The company, which runs brands including Banana Republic and Gap, will offer exclusive experiences as well as more traditional rewards through the program.

The Encore credit card allows cardholders to earn points when they shop at Gap Inc. brands and make eligible apparel purchases at other stores. 

The program is now available in the U.S., and customers can enroll in Gap Inc. stores or online.

Two months into 2026, many credit card companies are just getting started with executing their growth strategies for the year. The CardRates team knows you have a lot on your plate on any given day, but you can count on us to keep you updated in this space each week on the stories shaping the industry.