The dark side of mobile payments: the effect of mobile payments on tourists’ donation intentions in religious tourism
通过三项研究，发现移动支付相比现金会降低宗教旅游中游客的捐赠意愿，感知真实性起中介作用，且该负面效应在外在宗教性高的游客中更强，而将电子货币转换为专用货币可削弱此影响。
With the global rise of digital payment systems, mobile payments are emerging as a new payment method for raising donations in religious tourism. However, little is known about whether mobile payments affect tourists’ donation behavior. To fill this gap, three studies were conducted to investigate the effects of payment methods (mobile payments versus cash) on tourists’ donation intentions in religious tourism. Compared with cash payments, mobile payments reduce tourists’ donation intentions in religious tourism, and perceived authenticity mediates this effect (Study 1). Moreover, a moderated mediation analysis revealed that the adverse effect of mobile payments was stronger for tourists with high (vs. low) extrinsic religiosity (Study 2). The setup of converting e-money to dedicated currency weakened the negative impact of mobile payments on donations (Study 3). These findings reveal the dark side of mobile payments in religious tourism and provide practical insights for tourism managers.