to be worried that we are heading towards a cashless society?

[WaitingforGalGadot]

I read an article a few days ago about how the Government would like to phase out cash so that everyone is compelled to pay by card or bank transfer, supposedly to make things easier and quicker and destroy the black market.

I actually think this is really ominous as once there is no more cash, there is no more anonymity and your spending habits and lifestyle can be tracked even if you are not doing anything illegal. Big Brother watching your every more.

It also means the banks can impose negative interest rates (where you have to pay the banks to hold your money) on savings accounts to get people to spend rather than see their savings reduced and of course also means that you don't really have control of your own money since the banks can collapse, bail in your money or appropriate it (as has happened in places like Argentina, not too long ago).

Cash is also really useful and personally I don't find it a faff to use cash. I think this is really scary.

[CrmbleBee]

Ever read the Handmaid's Tale? Single biggest argument against going totally cashless.

[ButchyRestingFace]

I read The Handmaid’s Tale about 10 years ago. Struggling to remember anything around cashlessness...

[WaitingforGalGadot]

CrmbleBee - Yes exactly. It would be giving up all control. I suppose they could make cash transactions illegal but if they do that it will be much more obvious that we are heading towards a Big Brother type Orwellian state where everything you do is monitored and controlled.

[timeforabrewnow]

Really?

YANBU - it sounds very scary.

What sort of timeframe are we talking about? It sounds like a radical change that many people wouldn't like for a lot of different reasons.

[Judashascomeintosomemoney]

I absolutely hate the new five and ten pound notes. They spring out of your purse when you open it as they can’t be properly folded in to it securely. They stick together too. As soon as they came out DH and I agreed one consideration was probably to hope people hated them so much they stopped using them and were pushed towards going cashless

[Tigger85]

Butchy in the handmaid tale going cashless was the first step in taking total control, once the society was cashless all women had access to their finances blocked and all their money moved to their closest male relatives account, they were then all forced out of work and forced to depend on men and be subservient to them.

[Kursk]

A step towards total government control. HRMC can track you down to pennies.

It’s already illigal to have over £5k in cash at any one time.

It would probably be nearly impossible for cash to be withdrawn. People would never hand it over.

[hidinginthenightgarden]

I almost never have cash. I only have cash when I sell something on facebook.

[AbsentmindedWoman]

It's illegal to have over £5k in cash? Really?!

I didn't know this. Not that it affects broke little ole me, but still

[BlessedBeTheFruit]

My first thought too CrmbleBee (makes sense with my username )

Reading the book made me want to keep a stash of cash under the mattress. Haven't done it yet though.

[Viviennemary]

I think there's pros and cons to this. It might help to phase out tax dodgers and criminals and money under the table deals. But the dodgy folk will always find a way round it. But yes it would be a massive invasion of privacy for most people.

[Rubyslippers7780]

All the Royal Bank of Scotland banks are closing. They say we have to use online banking. So can't wait to sit with my aged parents and support tgem every time they need a bank transaction. Also, no idea how local buisnesses will bank their cash at night..but their answer is a mobile bank..a bus twice a week. So if you are working and miss the mobile service you have no cash. Cashless will be in the rural areas first and sod what people need.

[Gingernaut]

I remember reading an article from the Daily Mail (please don't judge) about this very problem

The manufacturers of free ATMs are finding ways to keep them relevant and offer more than 'just cash'.

(The link is to an article the Daily Fail more than likely plagiarised for their article)

[BadLad]

It’s already illigal to have over £5k in cash at any one time.

You have some source for that, I presume.

[goodnessidontknow]

PP, please link to support for the idea that it is illegal to hold more than £5k in cash? There are rules surrounding cash transactions over that amount for anti money laundering purposes but it's not illegal.

If the government tried to force a cashless society people would trade using different currency, historically things like salt and even flower bulbs have been used.

we'd also see more barter trade which is even harder for HMRC to control.

Society will always find a way to work in the way it wants to.

[PaperdollCartoon]

I never use cash, I just don’t need to. The odd occasions I end up with ‘real money’ in my wallet I always forget its there because it’s so unexpected. But I would hate to have no option for cash, as others have said its a slippery slope to losing control.

[MaidOfStars]

I’m am confused by the asserted illegality of having more than £5k in cash too.

[CactusCactusCactus]

But cash is still overwhelming used on a worldwide basis? I was surprised to hear how many transactions are cash but now don't have the figure...

I don't think YABU though. Agree with Handmaids Tale level scary argument.

Also, government, there's a couple of other things you should maybe be prioritising at he moment. Can we just keep a bit of focus please.

[WhooooAmI24601]

I understand that if you're flying you have to declare cash over a certain amount but there's absolutely no way it's illegal to carry over 5K in cash on your person. No way on earth.

[ohfortuna]

It's not illegal to have cash

[DorisDangleberry]

It’s already illegal to have over £5k in cash at any one time.

It should be illegal to spout unsubstantiated bollocks on an internet forum

[KidLorneRoll]

Yeah, it's not illegal to have 5k in cash. Itter bollocks.

[Snap8TheCat]

Kursk that’s rubbish! Don’t make shit up!

[metalmum15]

But surely by constantly using credit and debit cards we're actually contributing to the problem? Sweden is fast becoming a cashless society because they've chosen to stop using it as the majority of the population prefers to use cards, therefore there's very little need for places to accept cash anymore, thus meaning actual money will soon be a thing of the past.

[LunasSpectreSpecs]

All the Royal Bank of Scotland banks are closing

No they are not. SOME are closing. More and more people, me included, are using the website and the app.

It’s already illigal to have over £5k in cash at any one time.

This gem is, to use the technical term, total bollocks.