When it comes to travel, Generation Z consumers and baby boomers, two groups at opposite ends of the digital age spectrum, are behaving more alike than anyone expected.
Both are holding onto their computers even as most consumers now reach for their phones to book a trip.
The finding from the PYMNTS Intelligence report “Consumers Go Mobile-First on Travel Purchases” upends the popular idea that mobile-first travel is strictly a Gen Z phenomenon and instead suggests that device choice depends as much on circumstance and convenience as on age.
Smartphones have become the default way to pay for transportation. More than 7 in 10 U.S. consumers prefer to buy local rides or transit tickets on mobile devices, and nearly 6 in 10 do so for long-distance trips and rental cars. The mobile-first pattern is more pronounced for travel than for retail, restaurants or groceries.
Yet beneath those broad gains are unexpected similarities between the youngest and oldest travelers. Gen Z’s partial retreat to computers (40% still prefer them for booking) puts them closer to baby boomers than to millennials or bridge millennials.
Both groups appear to value the structure and perceived security of browser-based purchases. For boomers, that stems from habit; for Gen Z, it may simply reflect that laptops are already open for school or work.
Advertisement: Scroll to Continue
- Seventy-three percent of consumers who paid for taxis, rideshares or mass-transit fares prefer to use a mobile device, compared with 37% who favor computers.
- For long-distance travel, the split narrows to 59% on mobile versus 54% on computers. It’s evidence that complex bookings still drive many consumers to larger screens.
- Seventy-three percent of digital-first travelers research online before purchasing, but only about half check credit card perks or rewards, leaving potential savings untouched.
Those patterns suggest that while mobile has won the overall booking war, desktop loyalty lingers at the edges where travelers perceive complexity, risk or high cost. Young consumers’ continued reliance on laptops also underscores a subtle shift in the meaning of “mobile.”
Rather than being a single-device identity, it’s an ecosystem of apps, browsers and voice assistants that travelers toggle between depending on the task. About 1 in 10 consumers even use voice-activated devices to complete bookings.
Travel also stands out for how decisively it leads mobile adoption across categories. The report shows that 51% of consumers prefer to buy travel on phones, versus 45% for retail, 42% for restaurant orders and 26% for groceries. Even 28% of baby boomers, which is a high share for any digital-commerce segment, favor their phones for travel transactions.
Still, not all demographics are equal in participation. Only 21% of consumers rented a car in the past year, compared with 36% each for local and long-distance transport. Boomers and Gen Z were the least active buyers overall, likely reflecting life-stage realities, such as retirement on one side, and tight budgets or campus life on the other.
What unites travelers across generations, however, is preparation. Nearly three-quarters research routes, fares and reviews before clicking “buy.”
Yet with just half exploring rewards or financing options, airlines, hotels and credit card issuers may have room to capture more share by linking loyalty perks directly into mobile checkout flows.
For now, the generational gap in travel technology looks narrower than ever. The smartphone may be the ticket to modern mobility, but the keyboard is still along for the ride.
