Does a public campaign influence debit card usage? Evidence from the Netherlands

Do consumers change their payment behaviour after being exposed to a public campaign that encourages them to use their
debit cards more often? We analyse the impact of such a campaign that started in 2007, using weekly debit card transaction
data between 2005 and 2013. The overall results show positive effects of a national campaign to promote debit card usage,
both in the short and in the long run. Debit card usage increased by 2%. The effects are the most significant at the early stages
of the campaign, while appearing to wear off after a few years of interventions. The results suggest that high campaign
intensity had a positive impact, as did a focus on certain large retail chains.

Keywords: debit cards, payment behaviour, social marketing, cost efficiency, safety.
JEL classifications: D24, E42, G21, M31, M37.

Working paper no. 470