Payment habits are changing rapidly and the issue of consumption associated with credit card use has gained prominence. Although it is now an automatic gesture, paying with a card continues to have relevant effects on financial behavior, influencing the way we spend without us often realizing it.
Paying with a credit card, whether in a physical store or online, has become so common that we have almost stopped reflecting on the impact of this gesture. However, several studies, cited by the Spanish digital newspaper Noticias Trabajo, demonstrate that this practice changes the perception of spending and can lead to higher disbursements compared to the use of cash.
A study published in the Journal of Retailing in 2024 analyzed 71 investigations carried out in 17 countries, involving 11 thousand participants, and reached a consistent conclusion. The authors identified a clear “cashless effect”, associated with the use of electronic payments, which translates into an increase in the amount spent compared to purchases made with physical cash.
According to the researchers, this effect is described as “small”, but “significant”, and is repeated consistently among different populations and consumption contexts.
The portal L’Internaute, citing the BBC, recalls the words of Richard Whittle, an economist at the Salford Business School, who states: “The ease of paying by card can lead consumers to spend without thinking and buy things they don’t really need”.
In the same vein, Stuart Mills, professor of Economics at the University of Leeds, adds, cited by the same source, that physical money causes an immediate emotional impact. “Cash money provides an immediate and visible return on investment.” This discomfort when handing over notes and coins works like a psychological brake, reducing the buying impulse.
A topic that deserves further debate
The researchers argue that these conclusions should be widely disseminated, highlighting that the influence of digital payments on consumer behavior deserves academic attention, but also from consumers, sector professionals and policymakers, according to the .
As society moves towards almost entirely digital models, understanding these effects becomes essential to promote more conscious financial decisions.
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