[Paper Review] Examining Cashless Payment Services in a Post-Pandemic Environment

Janiya R. Peters, Orissa Rose|arXiv (Cornell University)|Mar 23, 2023

Health, Technology, Consumer Behavior4 citations

TL;DR

This position paper examines the persistence of cashless payment systems in U.S. food services beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, analyzing their continued adoption through platforms like DoorDash and Snackpass. It argues for intentional design and policy interventions to ensure accessibility for marginalized groups, highlighting socioeconomic inequities in digital payment access despite post-pandemic mandates ending.

ABSTRACT

The global pandemic COVID-19 posed numerous challenges for U.S. restaurants and food services. Many businesses adopted contactless ordering and cashless payment policies to comply with emergency health mandates. Even with national and public health emergency mandates set to expire in May 2023, cashless payment services continue to thrive through online ordering platforms such as DoorDash and Uber Eats and social payment platforms such as Snackpass. At present, designers and policymakers must address the socioeconomic politics of cashless payment services and service accessibility for marginalized groups.

Motivation & Objective

• To investigate the long-term adoption of cashless payment services in U.S. restaurants after the end of pandemic-era health mandates.
• To analyze the role of third-party platforms like DoorDash and Snackpass in sustaining cashless systems beyond emergency measures.
• To identify socioeconomic barriers to cashless payment access for marginalized populations.
• To advocate for integrated design and policy approaches that ensure equitable access to digital payment systems.
• To contribute a research agenda for human-computer interaction and policy scholars addressing digital payment equity.

Proposed method

• Conducts a qualitative analysis of post-pandemic trends in food service payment systems using data from industry platforms and policy changes.
• Draws on findings from a CHI workshop on designing technology and policy in tandem to frame its arguments.
• Examines case studies of contactless ordering and cashless payment adoption in U.S. restaurants during and after the pandemic.
• Uses critical design thinking to evaluate the sociotechnical implications of cashless systems on equity and access.
• Analyzes platform-specific features of services like Snackpass and DoorDash to understand their role in sustaining cashless ecosystems.
• Applies a socio-political lens to assess how digital payment infrastructure may reinforce existing inequalities.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How have cashless payment systems in U.S. food services evolved since the end of national public health emergency declarations?
• RQ2 What role do third-party platforms like DoorDash and Snackpass play in sustaining cashless payment ecosystems post-pandemic?
• RQ3 What systemic barriers prevent marginalized groups from accessing or using cashless payment systems?
• RQ4 How can designers and policymakers collaboratively address inequities in digital payment access?
• RQ5 What research and policy priorities should emerge from the intersection of human-computer interaction and digital payment equity?

Key findings

• Cashless payment systems in U.S. food services have persisted beyond the pandemic, driven by continued use of platforms like DoorDash and Snackpass.
• Despite the end of emergency mandates, many restaurants maintain cashless policies, indicating a structural shift in payment infrastructure.
• Marginalized communities, including low-income and elderly populations, face increased exclusion due to reliance on cash and limited access to digital payment tools.
• Third-party platforms have become central to the normalization and expansion of cashless systems, often operating with limited oversight on equity impacts.
• There is a critical need for coordinated design and policy interventions to prevent digital payment systems from entrenching socioeconomic disparities.
• The paper establishes a research agenda for interdisciplinary collaboration between HCI and policy scholars to address equity in digital payment systems.