Abstract: A method and a system for accelerating payment card usage behavior change of a payment card user are provided. The method includes identifying a number of merchant categories associated with payment card usage by a payment card user, and associating payment card usage by the payment card user with an increasing number of merchant categories. The method identifies the natural migration of a consumer across the stages, which is linked to the number of merchant categories they feel comfortable using the payment card. By understanding how a consumer migrates across the stages, the merchant categories that accelerate behavior change can be identified. This accelerate behavior change five stage framework and many of the insights about attitudinal differences between the stages can be applied to markets (e.g., mature, advanced and emerging), and particularly that the number of merchant categories in which a consumer feels comfortable using his/her payment card is an important driver of debit usage.