Data and Code for: The Semblance of Success in Nudging Consumers to Pay Down Credit Card Debt
Guttman-Kenney, B., Adams, P., Hunt, S., Laibson, D., Stewart, N.
& Leary, J.
(2025).
Data and Code for: The Semblance of Success in Nudging Consumers to Pay Down Credit Card Debt.
[Dataset]. OpenICPSR.
https://doi.org/10.3886/e209827
We test a nudge in a field experiment on credit cards. The nudge shrouds the Autopay enrolment option for cardholders to automatically pay exactly the credit card minimum payment each month. After six months, the nudge decreases the fraction of cardholders who only pay exactly the minimum by 23\%. However, the nudge does \textit{not} significantly reduce credit card debt. Nudged cardholders often choose Autopay amounts that are only slightly higher than the minimum payment. The nudge reduces Autopay enrolment, which increases missed payments. The nudge reduces manual payments by Autopay enrolees. Cardholders frequently lacking liquid cash best explains our results.
| Item Type | Dataset |
|---|---|
| Publisher | OpenICPSR |
| DOI | 10.3886/e209827 |
| Date made available | 3 October 2025 |
| Keywords | active choice, anchoring, autopay, credit cards, fintech, household finance, liquidity constraints, nudges |
| Temporal coverage |
From To 2012 2018 |
| Geographic coverage | United Kingdom |
| Resource language | Other |
| Departments | LSE |
Explore Further
- U.K. Financial Conduct Authority
- Institute of Consumer Money Management
- Economic and Social Research Council, UK
- Economic and Social Research Council, UK
- Economic and Social Research Council, UK
- Leverhulme Trust
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Guttman-Kenney, B., Adams, P., Hunt, S., Laibson, D., Stewart, N.
& Leary, J. (2025). The semblance of success in nudging consumers to pay down credit card debt. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 17(4), 72 - 105. https://doi.org/10.1257/pol.20230568 (Repository Output)
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8036-6392