Low-income consumers and payment choice

Oz Shy

Research in Economics, 2020, vol. 74, issue 4, 292-300

Abstract: Low-income consumers are not only constrained with spending, but also with the type and variety of payment methods available to them. Using a representative sample of the U.S. adult population, this short article analyzes the low possession (adoption) of credit and debit cards among low-income consumers who are also unbanked. Using a random utility model, I simulate the potential consumer welfare gains associated with policy options suggested in the literature to provide unsubsidized or subsidized debit cards, or subsidized prepaid cards to this consumer population. Simulation results show the relative improvement in consumer welfare among all three policy options.

Keywords: Consumer payment choice; Household income; Financial inclusion; Unbanked consumers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D9 E42 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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Working Paper: Low-Income Consumers and Payment Choice (2020)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:reecon:v:74:y:2020:i:4:p:292-300

DOI: 10.1016/j.rie.2020.09.001

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