New Delhi, June 16 -- Ten years ago, spending Rs.10,000 in a weekend meant withdrawing that exact amount from an ATM, holding the notes, and watching them disappear one by one.

You felt it.

Today, that same Rs.10,000 is a tap on your phone, a fingerprint, or a notification you'll scroll past tomorrow.

This shift isn't just about convenience. MIT researchers found that people pay significantly more for the same product when using a card instead of cash, because the "pain of paying" doesn't register the same way-and a 2024 behavioural study found nearly 75% of digital payment users reported increased spending precisely because the experience carried so little emotional weight.

When money is invisible, spending becomes invisible too. Cre...