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Cash versus contactless mobile payment: The effect of payment modes on donation behaviors

Jingping Li et al.

Economic Inquiry2026https://doi.org/10.1111/ecin.70047article
AJG 3ABDC A
Weight
0.50

Abstract

We examined the effect of different payment methods on charitable donations through a lab experiment. Participants participated in a real donation scenario where they could choose between cash or contactless mobile payments. The results indicate that contactless mobile payment led to higher donation amounts compared to cash. We suggest that the greater familiarity with the payment mode plays a significant role in increasing donation, particularly as the widespread use of contactless payments during pandemic lockdowns likely made people more comfortable with mobile payments, resulting in more generous donations.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/ecin.70047

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@article{jingping2026,
  title        = {{Cash versus contactless mobile payment: The effect of payment modes on donation behaviors}},
  author       = {Jingping Li et al.},
  journal      = {Economic Inquiry},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/ecin.70047},
}

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Cash versus contactless mobile payment: The effect of payment modes on donation behaviors

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.