This Week in Credit Cards: Tucker Carlson Urges Americans to Stop Paying Credit Card Bills

Financial educators probably aren’t too happy with Tucker Carlson this week. The media figure said in a video post on X that he thinks people in the U.S. should stop paying their credit card bills. Carlson also suggested that card companies have a moral duty to avoid sending applications for cards to college students, according to a Newsweek report.

Carlson’s comments come as many people across the country are struggling to stay on top of their credit card payments.

Ever controversial @TuckerCarlson urges Americans to stop paying their credit cards, @RobinhoodApp hands a credit card to agents, a new BTC card in the @fold_app, and more. Catch up in This Week in Credit Cards 💳 https://t.co/RY3mmYrFSC pic.twitter.com/Oqb6Hq2dh7

— CardRates News (@CardRatesNews) May 29, 2026

Credit card balances came in at $1.25 trillion for the first quarter of the year, recent data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reveals. That figure represents an increase of $70 billion over where card balances stood in 2025’s first quarter.

Whether Carlson is planning to follow his advice, or already has, is unclear. Choosing not to pay credit card bills each month may provide people with some short-term financial relief, but it could lead to significant problems down the road. 

Those who put Carlson’s words into action may see their credit scores plunge and have a difficult time accessing credit in the future.

Robinhood is adding agentic purchasing features to its Gold Card for people who want to save time on shopping through the use of AI agents. The company rolled out its Agentic Credit Card product this week, which empowers AI agents to spend on a user’s behalf.

Agentic commerce has been a hot topic in 2026, but not every financial institution is rushing to offer products that hand purchasing power over to AI agents. But Robinhood has built safeguards into the new solution that may give cardholders peace of mind. 

Users set a spending limit on virtual cards connected to their Gold Card accounts, according to the press release. And they have the option to require manual approvals for additional security.

Robinhood also announced that its customers can now access a dedicated agentic trading account, which may appeal to users who want automated portfolio monitoring or rebalancing, though agent-driven trading carries significant risk.

The agentic trading account isn’t just for active traders. People who aim to keep their money in the markets over the long term can direct their agent to analyze their portfolio and rebalance it when necessary.

Fold, a Bitcoin financial services company, has started issuing a new credit card that may please crypto enthusiasts. The Fold Bitcoin Credit Card, which runs on the Visa network, allows cardholders to earn up to 4% back in Bitcoin when they use it to make eligible purchases.

Cardholders can earn up to 0%4% back in Bitcoin on eligible purchases.

Bitcoin hasn’t had the best start to 2026. The popular cryptocurrency is down more than 16% on the year, as of May 28. But anyone who’s followed the ups and downs of the crypto market knows that it is highly volatile and a strong week or two could push Bitcoin’s year-to-date numbers into positive territory.

Though Bitcoin fans may be in a rush to get the new card, they may have to wait a while before they receive it. Fold said in a press release that it is rolling out the card to some people on the waiting list, and the company expects to provide it to others on the list in the near future. 

Some consumers in the market for a new credit card have so many options, it can be difficult to select which one to apply for. Credit card reviews can help them narrow down their choices.

JD Power released studies this week that track satisfaction with credit card mobile apps and online systems. The studies draw from feedback that U.S. credit card customers gave in the first quarter of this year.

American Express came in first place in both the mobile and online studies. Wells Fargo is the runner-up in the mobile app category, while U.S. Bank took second in the online study.

JD Power noted in the release that people who use virtual assistants on credit card apps have higher satisfaction overall with their experience. But only 28% of respondents said they use the assistants on bank and card apps.

Jennifer White, Managing Director of Financial Services Intelligence at JD Power, said in the release that although virtual assistants can bring efficiency to simple tasks, they are less effective when dealing with more complex customer service and fraud cases. 

Fintech company Mercantile has announced it is partnering with the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) to bring interior design professionals a new credit card that runs on the American Express network.

Interior designers can have a lot on their plate in their day-to-day operations, juggling different projects and all the expenses that accompany them. 

The ASID American Express Business Card offers a feature that can help keep credit available for designers by making an automatic payment when card balances hit a limit the cardholder has selected.

Users can also access benefits as well as insurance protections from American Express with the card. And Mercantile is offering cardholders rewards when they use the card on everyday business purchases.

We’ll return next week with a new edition of This Week in Credit Cards. For more updates before then, check out our social media accounts. You can find us on Bluesky, LinkedIn, and X, where we post interviews with industry experts and cover the biggest stories shaping the credit card world.

Be sure to check back with us often for the latest news, insights, and trends that matter to credit card users.