Financial literacy not only enhances individuals’ levels of knowledge regarding financial concepts and instruments but also makes significant contributions to the development of saving habits and the effective management of financial risks. An increase in financial knowledge supports individuals in making more informed, accurate, and strategic decisions related to budgeting, investment, and debt management. Particularly in today’s rapidly digitalizing environment, technological innovations have transformed the form and scope of financial transactions, enabling services such as internet banking to provide fast, easy, and time- and location-independent access. While the diversification of financial instruments directs individuals toward a wider range of investment and spending options, credit card usage has become increasingly prevalent due to its convenience in payments, reduction in the need to carry cash, the incentives it offers, and the perception of prestige it creates in society.

This study examines the relationships between individuals’ financial literacy levels and their attitudes toward internet banking and credit card usage in Türkiye, and also evaluates the mediating role of digital literacy in these relationships. Within the scope of the research, survey data were collected from 395 participants who use internet banking through a convenience sampling method. The data were analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling approach based on Partial Least Squares (PLS-SEM) within a quantitative research framework. Hypothesis testing was conducted using the SmartPLS 4 software.

The findings reveal that financial literacy has a positive and significant effect on attitudes toward both internet banking and credit card usage. In addition, digital literacy is found to have a direct effect on these attitudes and to play a mediating role in the relationships between financial literacy and the aforementioned attitudes. These results highlight the critical importance of both financial and digital literacy in shaping individuals’ financial behaviors in the digital age and emphasize the necessity of developing strategic policies aimed at improving both forms of literacy in order to enable individuals to make informed financial decisions.