Cashless has become a lifestyle, here are tips to avoid spending

JAKARTA - The cashless lifestyle is now part of the daily lives of many young people. Just scan a QR code or tap the screen of a mobile phone, a cup of coffee, a street food, transportation fees, and digital entertainment needs can be paid instantly in seconds.

This ease makes transactions feel almost without obstacles. However, behind its practicality, there is one challenge that is beginning to be widely realized, namely spending that is more difficult to control.

Certified Financial Planner and Founder of Finansialku, Melvin Mumpuni said that the cashless lifestyle is not something that needs to be avoided, but must be accompanied by healthy financial habits.

"Cashless lifestyle can be very helpful if used consciously. The important thing is, users need to regularly check transaction history, limit daily budgets, and distinguish between needs and wants. This simple habit can help keep spending under control even though transactions are now easier to do," said Melvin in his statement to VOI, Sunday, June 28.

This cashless phenomenon is also reflected in the change in people's behavior in using digital payments. For example, according to OVO data, the total transactions on the platform increased by 77 percent compared to 2021.

Interestingly, five years ago, about 68 percent of transactions were still carried out at online merchants, in 2025, the majority of transactions or about 69 percent came from offline merchants.

This change shows that digital payments are no longer synonymous with online shopping. Now, non-cash transactions are embedded in daily activities, ranging from buying lunch, buying coffee before work, paying for parking, to shopping for household needs.

Another interesting thing is that the food and beverage (F&B) category is the largest contributor to transactions at offline merchants, with a share of around 36.7 percent of total transactions in May 2026. Most of them come from small value purchases but are repeated, such as popsicles, chicken rice, crepes, ice cream, to coffee.

At first glance, the nominal amount is not large. However, when it is done almost every day, the accumulation can be a number that can drain the contents of the account at the end of the month.

This phenomenon is often referred to as the "digital money that doesn't feel like it's coming out" effect. Unlike when paying with cash, digital transactions often make a person not really feel the process of spending money so it's easier to make impulsive purchases.

Head of Strategy, Integrated Marketing Communication, Transport, OVO & Bank, Asep Haekal, assessed that transaction convenience needs to be balanced with the ability to manage finances.

"Non-cash transactions are now part of people's daily financial routines. Therefore, transaction convenience needs to be accompanied by financial literacy so that users can be more aware of their spending patterns. Through OVOFinTalk with Finansialku, we want to encourage users to be able to use digital services more wisely, safely, and planned," said Haekal.

He also highlighted a phenomenon familiar to young workers, namely "passing wages". This condition occurs when someone feels that they are not making large expenditures, but the account balance is already depleted before the end of the month.

The cause is often not expensive shopping, but small expenses that are repeated without realizing it. A cup of coffee, afternoon snack, transportation costs, or digital subscription fees may seem trivial when viewed one by one, but can turn into expenses of millions of rupiah a month.

Therefore, one of the simple habits recommended is to routinely check transaction history. By looking back at where the money is being used, a person can more easily recognize spending patterns, evaluate expenses that are not really necessary, to make a more realistic budget.

Apart from spending, digital literacy also includes security when transacting. Given that financial activities are now done a lot through mobile phones, users need to be more vigilant against various digital fraud modes, ranging from phishing to social engineering.

In this case, financial literacy is also needed so that the ability to restrain oneself is the best "digital wallet" so that the financial condition remains healthy.