People who don’t carry their bank cards with them

Yeah, me too. I don't need to carry anything extra because they're in my phone case (between the plastic cover and the back of the phone) but I always have a way of paying in an emergency

Because it’s utterly delightful to pop to the shops child free and with nothing but a phone and car key in your pocket.

My anxiety would not let me go and do a full shop without a backup that’s for sure. But I would assume the card system is the same as the phone pay system. So the sainsburys thing is just a problem with the phone payments then?

No excuse for shouting at someone though.

I always take my card (old school, used to still take my cheque book for ages when chip and pin first became a thing!) but rarely need to use it.

Regardless of attitude to risk of systems being down, the woman was way out of order.

Systems going down like this happen not very often but when they do it’s awful.

Awful? Nobody died. It is a relatively minor inconvenience on the very rare occasions it happens. Abandon your shopping trolley, go home get your card/go to another shop. It is more awful for the staff/shop than the customers.

Exactly.

I was in a shop the other day whose whole system had gone down and they were only accepting payments in cash. I wouldn’t start calling people ‘stupid’ as you did OP for not carrying enough cash with them for those sort of uncommon situations.

I don’t carry my card, if the system was down the system so be it, I’d just not scream at managers etc and come back when it’s back up.

Totally agree, it’ll be a terrible day when we lose cash. I always carry it in a desperate attempt to try and contribute to keeping it alive.

I do! Just in case my phone is out of charge or something, I also carry an emergency £20. Bank card and emergency £20 are in the back of my phone case so at some point I wll lose it and all my careful planning will be for naught.

If the systems are down, how would having a bank card help? 🤷‍♀️. Using a phone and using a card is the same technology.

I’d have been caught out if I’d gone to Sainsbury’s today without checking. I nearly always just have my phone on me now. I know which places tend to need a card (eg some car parks) but for the last 2-3 years I’ve used my phone with not a single problem ever in many many places, never had an issue in a supermarket. So I just don’t see it as a risk and it means I don’t need to take a bag or anything- my phone is always on me but I sometimes have to hunt around in the house for my wallet cos I hardly ever need it.

I’ll likely be more cautious in future after this event though.

I feel like the more pertinent question here should be "why don't people just not act like total bellends"?!

If I'm in a shop and electronics go down so I can't pay using my phone then it's simply me who is inconvenienced, I wouldn't be in any way frustrated or annoyed at staff, because I'm not a total prick!

People should carry cash.

Same.

I'd have summoned DH with my card in this scenario though! Or gone home and returned in a bit!

It wasn't great.

Luckily I'd heard about it before I went, I always have my card holder in my bag but 9/10 times if I'm running into a shop I only have my phone. It's just more convenient. I literally have my PIN number saved on my notes app because I don't know it. The world is changing. Thankfully things like this don't happen that often

Because why carry two things (card & phone) when you can simply carry one (phone). Currently, the amount of times contactless payment isn’t available is vanishingly small. A card isn’t necessary 99% of the time.

Times change and technology moves on. Cards are old fashioned. It's another thing to find a pocket for and try not to lose.
I don't even carry a key anymore as we've added a fancy digital lock to the front door.

Because I often don’t take my handbag if I’m just popping out to the shop. Just my phone in my pocket. Apple (and presumably Android) pay don’t ask you to enter your card. Obviously in the case of total IT failure i’d be going home disappointed, but them’s the breaks!

I’m with you. Mainly because I work in retail and sick of people being dicks to me and my colleagues for things that are out of our control. Like what is happening in Sainsburys today.

You're saying that people should carry bank cards in case the banking system goes down but they can still use chip and pin?

Why are you not suggesting that people carry large amounts of cash around for the same scenario?