RBI survey finds women use debit cards lesser than men

Women might be bigger spenders than men, but they use their debit cards less frequently, says a survey by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The central bank had commissioned the survey to assess customer satisfaction in the usage of automated teller machines (ATMs) across the country.

According to the survey, debit cards are mainly used for withdrawing cash and shopping. The use of debit card for shopping was the highest in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Shopping with debit cards was found to be more popular among young spenders. Debit cards are yet to become popular for payment of bills and ticket purchases.

The number of debit and credit cards as on 30 September 2011 was 25 crore and 1.76 crore, respectively. Though the number of outstanding credit cards saw a decline, the volume and value of transactions with credit cards recorded a growth of 13 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively, in 2010-11.