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Paper or plastic? the effect of time on the use of check and debit cards at grocery stores

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Abstract

Time is a significant cost of conducting transactions, and theoretical models predict that transactions costs significantly affect the type of media of exchange buyers use. However, there is little empirical work documenting the magnitude of this effect. This paper uses grocery store scanner data to examine how time affects consumer choices of checks and debit cards. On average, check transactions take thirty percent longer than debit card transactions. This time difference is a significant factor in the choice to use a debit card over a check and offers empirical evidence for transactions costs affecting the use of media of exchange.

Suggested Citation

  • Elizabeth C. Klee, 2006. "Paper or plastic? the effect of time on the use of check and debit cards at grocery stores," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2006-02, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedgfe:2006-02
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    2. Zinman, Jonathan, 2009. "Debit or credit?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 358-366, February.
    3. David Bounie & Abel Francois, 2008. "Is Baumol's 'square root law' still relevant? evidence from micro-level data," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(13), pages 1091-1098.
    4. Hyytinen Ari & Takalo Tuomas, 2009. "Consumer Awareness and the Use of Payment Media: Evidence from Young Finnish Consumers," Review of Network Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 8(2), pages 1-25, June.
    5. Wilko Bolt & David Humphrey & Roland Uittenbogaard, 2008. "Transaction Pricing and the Adoption of Electronic Payments: A Cross-Country Comparison," International Journal of Central Banking, International Journal of Central Banking, vol. 4(1), pages 89-123, March.
    6. Hyytinen Ari & Takalo Tuomas, 2009. "Consumer Awareness and the Use of Payment Media: Evidence from Young Finnish Consumers," Review of Network Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 8(2), pages 1-25, June.
    7. Tobias Truetsch, 2014. "The Impact of Contactless Payment on Spending," Proceedings of International Academic Conferences 0702228, International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences.
    8. Ching, Andrew T. & Hayashi, Fumiko, 2010. "Payment card rewards programs and consumer payment choice," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(8), pages 1773-1787, August.
    9. Elena Sinelnikova-Muryleva, 2011. "Innovations in the sphere of payments and the money demand in Russia," Research Paper Series, Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy, issue 157P.

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    Keywords

    Consumer behavior; Checks;

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