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.