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The Money Desk · Blog
Re:

A “Radical Change” to Credit Cards? The 2021 Story Was About Card Design

The “radical change” reported in 2021 was about portrait-oriented card designs—not a new way to calculate balances or process credit-card payments.
From TheFinanceBase Team2 min to read
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The “radical change” in the headline was about how some payment cards look—not how credit is calculated, transactions are authorized, or card networks operate. A February 14, 2021, BGR report described a shift toward portrait-oriented cards and cited examples from Venmo, Bank of America, and Discovery Bank. That report is a snapshot from 2021, not evidence that vertical cards are now widespread.

What was the change?

The story concerned card orientation: a portrait layout, with the card’s long edge vertical when viewed upright, rather than the familiar landscape layout. It did not describe a new payment system or a change to interest, balances, approval decisions, or card-network rules.

BGR’s 2021 examples included Venmo card designs, Bank of America debit cards, and Discovery Bank credit cards. The report suggested that portrait layouts could suit the way people hold cards at chip readers and use phones for wallet payments. Those examples and explanations describe the report at the time; they do not establish a universal trend or prove that card orientation changes how a payment is processed.

Why did the issuers discuss vertical layouts?

BGR attributed comments to Daniela Jorge, then PayPal’s vice president of design, and April Schneider, Bank of America’s head of consumer and small-business products, in interviews with Bloomberg. BGR reproduced Jorge’s observation: “The world around us is becoming more of the portrait mode and the vertical orientation.”

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Schneider said Bank of America’s debit-card change was about more than appearance, and that the vertical layout distinguished the card while tap-to-pay made checkout faster and safer. These are statements attributed by BGR to the interviewees, not evidence that vertical cards themselves make payments faster or safer. Contactless payment capability and card orientation are separate features.

What has changed since the 2021 report?

Current official information confirms that card design remains a product feature, but it does not confirm widespread vertical-card adoption.

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  • Venmo: Its official debit-card page describes selectable designs and use with Apple Pay or Google Pay. The page does not establish that the available designs are vertical. Venmo identifies The Bancorp Bank, N.A. as the card issuer; check the current page for eligibility and terms.
  • Bank of America: A December 4, 2025 announcement described limited-edition custom designs for two Visa credit cards, with an announced availability period ending in July 2026. That period has passed, and the announcement concerned custom designs—not vertical orientation.

Neither source establishes how common portrait cards are today. The 2021 report also relayed an Experian figure of more than 855 million EMV cards issued by U.S. banks two years after chip-enabled cards were introduced. That historical number concerns EMV cards generally, not vertical cards, and should not be treated as a current adoption count.

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What should cardholders take from the story?

When comparing a card, focus on the terms and features that affect your finances and use: whether it is credit or debit, its fees and rewards, eligibility requirements, contactless capability, and mobile-wallet support. A portrait or landscape design is primarily a visual choice; the 2021 story provides no basis for treating orientation as a change to payment security or authorization.

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