I agree that that is a consequence. But I don't think it's the primary motivation.
When I talk to people around me about cash vs cards everyone agrees that paying with card is so much more convenient, especially when you just have to gently tap the reader with your card.
I know many people who have the phone case with space for a few cards. They don't even carry a wallet anymore. They have nowhere to put bulky coins or even bills.
Everything else: Decreased risk of being pick-pocketed, decreased risk of money vans being robbed, increased surveillance, increased control. All those are just secondary concerns.
Oh, individuals who enjoy using credit cards absolutely have convenience as the primary goal.
Regimes working on creating cash-free societies, where there are no legal anonymous payment schemes, on the other hand, simply want to use the threat of turning off your access to the economy as a means of control.
There will always be money around, even if it's not cash dollars
You're talking about people on the edge of society, rightfully so or more they already have many ways of making deals
Meanwhile cashless in a country like Italy could expose the 30% of tax evasion that erodes our freedom as honest and "paying for everybody who's not doing it" citizens
When I talk to people around me about cash vs cards everyone agrees that paying with card is so much more convenient, especially when you just have to gently tap the reader with your card.
I know many people who have the phone case with space for a few cards. They don't even carry a wallet anymore. They have nowhere to put bulky coins or even bills.
Everything else: Decreased risk of being pick-pocketed, decreased risk of money vans being robbed, increased surveillance, increased control. All those are just secondary concerns.