Credit cards and cash are the favorite ways to pay among shoppers, but a broader variety of payment options, such as digital and mobile, are increasingly in the mix, according to a research study from Blackhawk Network, a prepaid gift card distributor.

"Consumers still have a strong preference for traditional payment methods like debit cards and prepaid cards," said Teri Llach, Blackhawk's chief marketing officer. "Those payments tools are not going away anytime soon, even as interest in and usage of new payment methods grows.

"Our findings prove that payments is not either/or when it comes to legacy payments versus emerging products. It's really about convenience and providing a mix of options."

The study, which surveyed 1,000 American adults in April 2015, reported the following usage of payment methods: 93 percent used cash; 58 percent used debit cards; 68 percent used checks; 67 percent used PayPal; 48 percent used retailer gift cards; 45 percent used Visa or MasterCard gift cards; 33 percent used prepaid debit cards; and 14 percent made mobile payments on smartphones or tablets.

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