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According to a survey sponsored by Visa U.S.A., 90 percent of debit card users believe that debit cards are one of the top innovations that has "made life easier." The recently completed Gallup survey queried 1,252 American debit cardholders who have used their card in the past three months. Based on previous research conducted by Visa, the results indicate that cardholder awareness, usage and attitudes toward debit cards have surged in a positive direction. Paper or plastic? More than 70 percent of debit card users said that they had obtained a Visa- or Mastercard-branded debit card within the past five years. Since obtaining a debit card, 58 percent of cardholders report that they are writing checks less frequently for payment, and 40 percent are using cash less frequently to make purchases. Cardholders cite convenience (31 percent) and ease-of-use (19 percent) as the top benefits of using debit cards over cash and checks. Additionally, nearly a quarter (24 percent) of debit cardholders "always prefer" to use debit over checks in payment situations, while 15 percent of cardholders "always prefer" debit to making purchases with cash. "In addition to the convenience, cardholders are also reporting debit card benefits over cash and checks that include speed, safety and even budget-tracking. Debit cards speak to today's lifestyles -- we're on-the-go, and we need products and services that go with us, not against us," said Jeffery Kann, executive vice president, Consumer Products, Visa U.S.A. Gallup also asked survey respondents to specify whether certain technological innovations have "made your life easier." Of debit card users, 90 percent said that debit cards have made life easier. Here's how they rated the impact of other technologies: • 90 percent -- Debit cards • 77 percent -- Direct deposit • 67 percent -- Mobile/cellular phones • 66 percent -- E-mail • 65 percent -- Fax machines • 63 percent -- The Internet • 58 percent -- Voice mail • 40 percent -- Pagers/beepers • 31 percent -- Shopping on the Internet Cashless future? Forty percent of survey respondents strongly agree that they "quickly adopt new ideas, techniques and devices that will make my life easier," and over half (52 percent) strongly agree that the "electronic age has made our lives more efficient." Respondents also strongly believe that a shift away from paper transactions to plastic transactions is imminent. Of those polled by Gallup, 73 percent believe that they will "use cash less often in the future," while 54 percent believe that "a cashless society is the wave of the future." "Paper-based payment products cannot keep pace with today's increasingly fast-paced way of life -- and they can't be used to make electronic purchases on the Internet or over the phone," Kann said. "Our cardholders have quickly grasped -- and embraced -- the wide range of debit card benefits and uses. And there is still significant room for growth." In 1991, Visa U.S.A. launched its Visa Check card, a debit card with the Visa acceptance mark. Visa Check card sponsored the Gallup survey, which was conducted in September of 1999. The 1,252 adult debit card-users who reported using their debit cards in the past three months were surveyed via telephone. Of those, 1,042 had used their debit card to make a POS purchase, and 210 had used their debit card to withdraw cash from an ATM, but not at point of sale.