The convenience of electronic payments and consumer cash demand

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Monetary Economics
Year: 2022
Volume: 130
Issue: C
Pages: 86-102

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 4 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

How does the improved convenience of electronic payments affect consumer payment choice and cash demand? We study the staggered, quasi-random introduction of contactless debit cards by a retail bank. We use account-level data and compare transactions which are eligible for contactless authentication to transactions which are not. We identify a significant convenience effect on debit card use at the intensive margin. The convenience elasticity is strongest among younger clients. Treatment effects increase over time, coinciding with increasing merchant acceptance. The effect on cash demand is economically small and statistically insignificant. We also find no effect on consumer spending.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:moneco:v:130:y:2022:i:c:p:86-102
Journal Field
Macro
Author Count
4
Added to Database
2026-01-24