In many countries mobile phones are used for paying for things. Does this development have more advantages or more disadvantages?

The number of apps for mobile phones which allow in-app payments has increased in recent years. Although there are some downsides to using smartphones for purchases, I think that they are outweighed by the upsides. The main disadvantage to using mobile phones as a paying method is a potential insecurity of such transactions. The problem is that if the user's personal data is stolen, the police will not be able to help in many cases, as the user agreed to terms of the app they used. Another downside is total dependence on a smartphone. It is often the case that people use only their phones and do not use cash or physical credit cards, and in case a phone is dead or there is no Internet connection, they will not be able to perform any financial transactions for a while. However, paying via apps is very convenient. It will not be an exaggeration to say that the pace of life has increased dramatically and the ability to do shopping or pay utility’s bill on the go is highly beneficial. This allows people to save time and devote it to the things that really matter. What is more important, people can stop using plastic credit cards and have a digital one integrated in their phones, contributing to saving the planet. It is well known that the amount of plastic waste that humanity produces impacts the environment in a negative way. Hence, this is beneficial not only for an individual, but for the whole world. In conclusion, although there are some security and availability issues that could arise while using apps for purchases, I think that the fact that this payment method makes people’s life easier and it is environmentally friendly outweighed the disadvantages.