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How to Quit Smoking With a Commitment Contract: What the Research Shows

By The Remindeeu Team. Published 2026-11-05. 3 min read.

Most smokers know the health facts. The hard part is the gap between wanting to quit someday and not smoking this afternoon. Economists call it time inconsistency, and commitment contracts are designed to close it by making the future cost of a cigarette feel present.

This guide covers what two well known trials found, then turns that into a plan. It is not medical advice. Nicotine replacement and prescription treatments are proven, so speak to a pharmacist or doctor about them.

Trial 1: the CARES savings account

Researchers Xavier Giné, Dean Karlan and Jonathan Zinman offered smokers in the Philippines a savings account called CARES. They deposited their own money for six months, then took a urine test for nicotine. Pass, and they got the money back. Fail, and it went to charity (J-PAL).

What happened:

• About 11% of smokers offered the account signed up.
• Those offered it were 3.3 to 5.8 percentage points more likely to pass the six month test.
• The effect held in surprise tests at twelve months, after the money had been returned or forfeited.
• Even so, most people who signed up did not quit.

In their working paper, the researchers report the effects were comparable to other treatments tested in randomized trials. They also noted they could not separate the effect of the money from the effect of the weekly visits by a bank deposit collector. In other words, regular human contact may have been part of what worked.

Trial 2: deposits versus rewards

A 2015 trial in the New England Journal of Medicine compared four incentive programs among 2,538 people, all worth around $800 (University of Pennsylvania). Some programs paid rewards for quitting. Others required a $150 refundable deposit.

• Every program beat usual care, with six month abstinence between 9.4% and 16% versus 6%.
• 90% of people accepted reward programs, but only 13.7% accepted deposit programs.
• Among people who did accept, deposits were especially effective, which is loss aversion at work.

What this means for you

1. Stakes work best for people who choose them. If the idea of losing money motivates you, use it. If it makes you avoid signing up at all, start with a person instead.
2. Contact matters. Weekly visits were part of the CARES design. A partner who checks in can play that role.
3. Pair stakes with treatment. In both trials, incentives were added to standard support, not used instead of it.

A practical quit plan

1. Set a quit date within the next two weeks.
2. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor about nicotine replacement or medication.
3. Call a free quitline for coaching: 1 800 QUIT NOW (1 800 784 8669) in the US, or the NHS Smokefree helpline on 0300 123 1044 in the UK.
4. Add stakes if they motivate you. A quit smoking stake goal on Remindeeu starts at $5, with daily smoke free dots and a penalty you choose.
5. Add a person. A quit smoking accountability partner checks in daily around your trigger times during the first weeks.
6. Plan for slips. Report them honestly and restart the same day; one cigarette does not cancel the quit.

What the first week looks like

Each smoke free day is a dot on a stake goal, so your progress is visible and your penalty stays at zero.

Vaping instead? The same approach applies; see our quit vaping partner page. For the wider evidence on accountability, read do accountability partners work.

Frequently asked questions

Do financial incentives help people quit smoking?

Yes, in randomized trials. A 2015 NEJM trial found six month abstinence of 9.4% to 16% with incentive programs versus 6% with usual care. Deposit programs worked well for people who joined, but far fewer people chose to join them.

What is a commitment contract for smoking?

An agreement where you put your own money at risk and lose it if you smoke, usually checked by a test or a trusted person. The CARES study used a savings account that was returned only if the smoker passed a nicotine test after six months.

What free help is available to quit smoking?

In the US, call 1 800 QUIT NOW (1 800 784 8669) for free coaching. In the UK, the NHS Smokefree helpline is 0300 123 1044. A pharmacist can also advise on nicotine replacement.

Sources

1. CARES Commitment Savings for Smoking Cessation in the Philippines, J-PAL
2. Put Your Money Where Your Butt Is: A Commitment Contract for Smoking Cessation (Giné, Karlan and Zinman), Innovations for Poverty Action
3. Randomized Trial of Four Financial Incentive Programs for Smoking Cessation (Halpern et al., 2015), University of Pennsylvania

Try it on Remindeeu

• A quit smoking partner who calls when cravings hit
• Make your next cigarette cost you
• Put the vape down for good, with someone in your corner

Keep reading

• Do Accountability Partners Actually Work? What the Research Says
• How to Find an Accountability Partner (and Make It Actually Work)
• Best Accountability Apps in 2026: 8 Tools for Every Kind of Goal