Cashless society and a study on Turkey

Ever since the 20th century, when traditional payment methods were replaced by electronic payment instruments, "cashless society" has been argued as a concept in academic and social environments. It is thought that in the 21st century, the tran-sition to a cashless economy may not be far away thanks to the developing financial technologies. In many developed and developing countries around the world, the use of cash has been reduced, and in some countries authorities have determined target dates for the total elimination of cash usage. In this study, the advantages and disad-vantages of a cashless society has been discussed and Turkey's transition to cashless society is analyzed. Turkey's strengths, weaknesses and opportunies when transition-ing to a cashless economy are described and the factors affecting the Turkey's adop-tion of a cashless society were investigated. In this context, the data collected from 396 participants by the survey method was examined with a research model based on the unified model of technology acceptance and use. As a result of the analysis of the collected data, it's been found that the factors perceived trust, perceived cost and especially perceived usefulness has strongest influence on the intention to use non-cash payment instruments. Another result of the research is, the increase in the edu-cation and income levels of individuals has a positive effect on the use of non-cash payment instruments. Lastly, results were evaluated and recommendations are given on behalf of the widespread usage of electronic payment instruments and reduction of cash usage in Turkey.