Jessica Bullitt is a seasoned product leader and operator with a track record of scaling complex businesses and launching high-impact products. As Head of Commerce Product at Cash App, she leads a global team of product managers driving the strategy, development, and go-to-market execution for Cash App Pay, Cash App for Business, Offers (rewards and merchant ads platform), and all things Afterpay.
During your time at Cash App, the company has expanded beyond peer-to-peer payments into a broader suite of financial services. What does this expansion say about Cash App’s mission and vision for the future of financial services?
That’s right, what started as a way to let anyone send money to friends and family using just a debit card and a mobile phone has grown. Now through Cash App, customers can receive paychecks early with direct deposit, spend money where Visa is accepted with a personalized Cash App Card, and grow their money with a separate savings balance. Customers can also make purchases with Cash App Pay, trade stocks and buy and sell bitcoin, and pay over time with Cash App Afterpay.
Our core purpose at Block is economic empowerment, and Cash App does that via a one-stop shop for customers to access a range of financial services that we believe are more accessible, transparent, and intuitive than alternatives.
Recent research from Afterpay shows that Gen Z is moving away from traditional credit cards, with many preferring Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) options to manage their finances. Why are pay-over-time products important for consumers, particularly younger ones?
While cash and debit are the most responsible ways to pay, the reality is that many Americans can’t afford to pay for every purchase upfront. That leaves them with tough choices: overdraft fees, payday loans with steep charges, or carrying a credit card balance with high average APRs. At Cash App, we believe consumers deserve a modern, more aligned approach to spending—one that supports their financial health, not undermines it.
- That’s where Afterpay comes in. Over 96% of Afterpay purchases are paid early or on time. We make the majority of our revenue from merchants, not late fees, and we don’t allow additional purchases if a customer is late on payments —so there’s no compounding debt, no spiraling interest.
Consumers are responding to that model. Our research shows that only 35% of Gen Z (ages 18–28) regularly use a credit card, and over half say they can better manage their finances with BNPL than with traditional credit. And we’re already seeing strong adoption: in 2024, 21% of all 18- to 21-year-olds in the U.S. used our Cash App Card. In 2025, a major focus will be making Afterpay work seamlessly with that card—bringing flexible, transparent payment options right to where our customers already are.
Unfortunately, fraud and scams are on the rise across the board, from traditional banks to the IRS. What steps is Cash App taking to protect users, including your partnership on FTA’s Smarter than Scams campaign?
At Cash App we combine various tactics to combat scams and safeguard its users. Some of them include:
- Customer awareness and education – leveraging a combination of targeted education and national, broadly distributed campaigns to reach consumers where they are. This includes participating in projects like FTA’s Smarter than Scams campaign.
- Machine learning trust signals – Cash App uses machine learning models to flag potential scam payments. Models trigger warnings for customers that encourage them to reconsider the payment in question before proceeding, allowing for timely interventions such as warnings, blocks, and escalations for further reviews.
- Evaluating progress – Cash App employs data from the scam reporting flow to understand scams as a percentage of total payment transactions, allowing the team to determine the effectiveness of the protective measures taken. In fact, Cash App has seen a significant decrease in scams on the platform: as of 2024 the confirmed scam rate has been less than 0.01% of all peer-to-peer payment transactions on the platform.
To that effect, April is Financial Literacy Month. How are Cash App and Block working to educate consumers on the best ways to manage their finances and stay safe when transacting online?
Our Weird For Real campaign started in 2023 to educate consumers that if something seems odd in real life, it is probably fishy on the internet too. Our latest iteration has evolved to include what steps and Cash App features can be enabled to keep customers protected from scams at large. Here are some tips on what customers can do to safely transact online:
- Protect your personal information by safeguarding your login details, using different passwords for different accounts, and keeping any sign-in codes or magic links private.
- Be aware of account activity by ensuring your account notifications, such as two-factor authentication and alerts for new device logins, are turned on. Also, if a customer notices something is amiss, they can instantaneously lock or unlock their Cash App Card in the app, whenever they want.
- Pause before you pay, only send money to people you know and trust; ensure you are double-checking all recipient information.
Let’s end with one fun question. What motivates you and keeps you excited about working in financial services?
I’m driven by the opportunity to serve people who have traditionally been underserved by the financial system—and to build products that are more accessible and fair than the alternatives.
What excites me most about fintech is the real utility we can deliver. Innovation here isn’t just about new technology—it’s about solving complex problems by working closely with a wide range of partners. Some of the most interesting ideas come from deep collaboration with legal, compliance, regulatory, design, engineering, machine learning, etc. I’m constantly learning from them, and that makes the work deeply engaging.
But what makes it truly rewarding is hearing directly from customers whose lives are made better—or simply easier—by what we build. Whether it’s accessing their paycheck a few days early, avoiding a late fee, or learning to invest with more confidence, those stories are what keep me motivated day after day.
Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. See Terms and Conditions. Direct deposit and Cash App Afterpay provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Brokerage services by Cash App Investing LLC, member FINRA/SIPC, subsidiary of Block, Inc. Bitcoin services provided by Block, Inc. Investing, and purchasing bitcoin involves risk; you may lose money. Cash App Investing does not trade bitcoin and Block, Inc. is not a member of FINRA or SIPC. For additional important disclosures, please see the Bitcoin and Cash App Investing disclosures.