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Purpose This study aims to identify the key determinants that influence users’ acceptance of mobile payment across two markets: the United States and China. It investigates how national context shapes user behavior. Design/methodology/approach This study applies an extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model that includes performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions, along with habit and trust to capture mobile payment behavior more fully. Data was gathered through online surveys from 561 college students aged 18–29 in the USA and China. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate the research model, and Welch t-tests were conducted to compare the two national groups. Findings All six factors positively influenced users’ intentions to use mobile payments. Habit remained the strongest driver, followed by facilitating conditions, effort expectations and trust. In both the USA and China, habit showed the most consistent impact on intention. Facilitating conditions were more influential for Chinese users, while social influence played only a modest role in both groups. Trust also contributed meaningfully across countries. Overall, the updated results indicate that the main factors operate in a similar manner across the two settings, highlighting shared behavioral patterns in mobile payment adoption. Originality/value This study provides a cross-national comparison of mobile payment adoption in the USA and China using an extended UTAUT framework. By integrating habit and trust alongside the core UTAUT constructs, this study deepens understanding of the behavioral drivers of mobile payment use. The inclusion of trust adds conceptual richness by capturing users’ confidence in digital transactions and illustrates how technology adoption may vary across different countries.