Gen Z Is Asking ChatGPT How to Fix Their Credit Scores

Gen Z is not afraid to turn to AI for help. According to a study by Credit One Bank, 32% of Gen Zers say they have used AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot to help improve their credit scores.

Gen Zers like immediate and personalized answers and they’re finding them by reaching out to AI for assistance, according to Credit One.

Consumers across generations also show comfort with AI, with 47% of U.S. consumers saying they would allow algorithms to play a bigger part in their personal finance. These consumers are OK with a card issuer using AI to adjust a credit limit or even an interest rate based on their personal spending and risk data.

And across all generations, 21% of consumers have used AI for spending analysis or budgeting. And an additional 21%, like Gen Z, have used AI for improving their credit scores.

Gen Zers know what they don’t know. Sixty-five percent of Gen Zers believe a mandatory financial literacy course should be required before getting a first credit card.

According to the National Endowment for Financial Education, 29 states have a financial literacy graduation requirement in place for high school students.

Here’s something else to consider about Gen Z from the Credit One study. Gen Zers have watched older friends, siblings, and parents have difficulties with managing debt. And they are looking for good financial tools to help them as they set out along their own financial paths.

Seventy-seven percent of U.S. consumers say carrying a credit card balance from month to month causes anxiety. This is bad news for Gen Z with 52% of Gen Zers carrying a balance at least once in the past year. 

Sixty percent of millennials carried a balance as did 59% of Gen Xers and only 37% of baby boomers carried a balance in the past year. So credit card debt is a reality across all generations.

Gen Z also has fears and worries around their credit scores. According to FICO Score Credit Insights for Spring 2026, 60% of Gen Z report anxiety over credit scores compared with just 17% for baby boomers. And 50% of Gen Zers avoid checking credit scores out of fear, compared with just 11% of baby boomers. 

But all this fear and anxiety has not stopped Gen Z from applying for credit cards. In fact, Gen Z opens credit card accounts at higher rates than any other generation. And 38% of Gen Zers say they would like to open a new credit account as a financial cushion, according to FICO.

According to a study from Bank of America, more Gen Zers are looking to make it without financial help from their families. Just 34% of Gen Zers report receiving financial assistance from family members such as their parents, and this is down from 46% in 2024.

Gen Zers are taking steps to manage rising costs by cutting back on dining out, passing on events out with friends, and getting a side hustle.

“Gen Z knows money stress is real — but they’re meeting it head‑on,” said Holly O’Neill, President of Consumer, Retail and Preferred at Bank of America. “They’re budgeting honestly, cutting back when they need to, and having real conversations about money as they work toward their goals.”

And Gen Zers will need to be careful with their finances. Forty-two percent of Gen Zers live paycheck to paycheck so they don’t have a lot of room for errors when it comes to their financial choices.