<![CDATA[The acceleration of contactless payment technology in Bali Province has the potential to disrupt household economic resilience and liquidity management. This study empirically examines the dual role of digital payment adoption: as an instrument for spending stability (consumption smoothing) or as a trigger for non-essential spending (zero friction consumption). Using microdata from 6,061 households in Bali Province from the 2023 National Socio-Economic Survey (Susenas), this study applies Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression for aggregate consumption and Huber-White Robust OLS for non-essential expenditure. Results show digital payment adoption is positively and significantly associated with aggregate consumption, with total consumption approximately 41.51% higher among users, confirming consumption smoothing as a liquidity buffer. After controlling for income, digital payment remains significantly associated with non-essential expenditure, approximately 1.38% higher, validating the Zero Friction Consumption (ZFC) phenomenon, in which removing physical payment barriers erodes the pain of paying. Among the control variables, the income elasticity of non-essential consumption (1.184) classifies it as a luxury good, while household size shows a negative effect due to budget reallocation toward basic needs; household head age shows a significant quadratic pattern in aggregate consumption, consistent with the life-cycle hypothesis. The magnitude comparison indicates digital payment in Bali functions predominantly as an instrument of economic resilience rather than a major driver of large-scale impulsive consumption. The Financial Services Authority (OJK), Bank Indonesia, and regional governments should develop practical digital financial education targeting households with variable income.]]>
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