Cash - am I out of touch?

Thats a pretty rare occurrence, unless cafes are going out of business because of all the coffee they have to give away

We have this debate before our "Big" fundraising events at Scouts.

Its more convenient for people to pay by card.
However we would need to buy the card reader(s), and would need WiFi to run them... probably hotspotting of someone's phone, ad we don't usually need Internet access!

We will probably take the plunge, but it is a lot of hassle for 3or4 events a year.

Had a long wait in a queue yesterday because the person at the front of the queue was claiming they couldn't get signal on their phone to pay. She offered the cash, but they didn't take cash. It was only a coffee and in the end the exasperated counter staff told her to just have it.

I am not against different methods to pay, but cashless only works if other things are working (phone, internet etc). Mostly they do, but it's impossible when they don't and cash isn't an option.

I was very anti cash until this year.
Now it seems like every tap and go place here is Australia is charging a surcharge (0.5-1.5% of the purchase price) to use it. Rip off (the finance companies, not the business owners who are just covering their costs).
So I'm going back to paying cash for things and encouraging everyone I can to do the same.

We have business banking - lodging cash costs money - the bank take a cut of that. And then there all the tax that’s not being paid. Also having cash on premises leaves you vulnerable to burglary.
im happy to see the back of cash, coins especially.

I was thinking about this the other day. I haven't had any cash in my wallet since Covid 2020. The times I've been given cash, I've just put it in a drawer and then given it to my kids when they come home for gas money. But, here's the thing, for example when I use Venmo, I know I'm giving them a % of my money every time I put money from there into my bank. But yet, I still keep doing it? The banks must be so happy.

It’s a bit if a nightmare for us at the moment. My son is autistic and doesn't have mental capacity. He never had a bank account as it just wasn’t necessary . Then he moved to a residential placement and I decided he needed his own account and card as so many places don’t take cash. However he has no ID, as his appointee everything is in my name. as he’s an adult I cannot open an account for him and as he lacks mental capacity he cannot open one either. It took a year, lots of faffing around to get him ID (we cannot get a passport for all the same reasons) and a very understanding and helpful bank manager to get him an account. There are many families in the same position. Many homeless people won’t have bank accounts either! Its a slippery slope.

Personally I use cash for everything. I’m trying to make a stand but feel it won’t be successful! I had to laugh the other day as I always leave cash for my teens and they never take it. Daughter phoned in tears because her phone wouldn’t open the bus so she couldn’t access her digital bus pass. I told her to use her card but apparently no one uses cards only Apple Pay 🙄 which won’t open either . Of course she had no cash so she was stranded !

I rarely use cash these days. Normally just have the odd £10 in my purse and some loose change.

I love that my bank rounds up purchases so saves for me as I spend. It amazes me how quickly too.

I do think it's wrong though that they don't offer change. I would just gave rounded down and explained you had no other means of paying and if they can't offer change it's not your fault.

Was there any warning advising of this before you ordered or on display ? Even a mention at reservation? If not that would be my argument as if you had known you would have gone elsewhere

Whilst I like the convenience of cashless transactions, it makes me sad that the bank ends up with all our money.
Imagine you have a £20 note. You pay your grocer. Your grocer pays the £20 note to his supplier. The supplier gives the farmer the £20 for that much worth of vegetables. The farmer pays his farm hand with the same £20 note and that farm hand spends his £20 in your business. Everyone wins.
Nowadays a £20 transaction gets a percentage skimmed in fees. It's now £19.00 with the grocer. The grocer pays the supplier, the bank takes a percentage and it's now it's £18.50. The supplier pays the farmer and it's now £17.80 after the bank charges the transaction fees. With enough transactions, the bank has £20 and the money cannot be spent anymore.

Anywhere I have been that takes card only makes it clear before you order.

Same thing as when a customer has no money at all, I would think, they are in debt to the restaurant. Again I have no experience in law or policy at all, but I'm just not certain that the restaurant is acting unlawfully - unreasonably, yes, but not necessarily illegally.

@StarDolphins As I said earlier, please don't take your anger out on the (probably) minimum wage customer facing worker. No doubt she was following procedures. Please take it up with management instead.

No, but let's look at it this way: the customer has consumed the good, but is prevented from paying in cash. How can the restaurant force payment in card? Let's say the customer genuinely doesn't have a card. (They've just lost it and haven't received a replacement yet. Not that uncommon a thing!) What can the restaurant do if they're not willing to accept cash?

I'm not convinced that's true, I've been to places that refused to accept cash without stating it outright. Do you know that this is an actual law?

Where we live only 2% of transactions involve cash, a majority of those were shown to be at the airport, its very unusual for places to accept cash here. If they do its usually the odd larger department store etc and shops in the airports.

@MereDintofPandiculation My local bus company used to do that. They were legally challenged and now have to provide an official IOU that passengers can take to an office and get their change from.

Same here.

We went back to cash as soon after Covid as we could so we could budget better. We still do the monthly pay day big shops by card but as I much prefer cash we then get out the budget each week for top up shops from the cashpoint.

I had a massive argument today at a local attraction- I bought ice-cream on card then my DD wanted a pack of 20p rainbows & the girl said ‘sorry, card only’, I was like “for 20p” & she said yes so I said I have a 20p here & it’s ridiculous and just looked at her (awkward really as we were just both staring at each other🤣) then another woman came over and told her to take my 20p!

I don’t want the option taken away from me!

Oh and just paid cash for my kebab and beer 😂😂

i still pay for everything in cash wherever possible
if I am somewhere where they only want cash I won’t bother buying anything

I’ve been buying stuff for my sons house and I paid in cash for the carpets and the fitters
i paid cash for the french shuttters
so we’re not talking a small amount of money

Both of them were legit business with shops but had absolutely no problems in accepting cash and I’ve used them before

I always pay cash in restaurants and tip in cash

My beauty therapist I book on line but pay cash when I arrive
Same when I get my nails done
Pay cash for my holiday in the travel agents and they said lots of people still pay cash

I have excellent credit and a few cards with high limits of 15k
but I rarely use them

There used to be various bus companies which said "exact fare only" and would not give change, car park payment machines ditto (and having charges like £1.37p so it's less likely you have the exact change). Displayed in advance, so in theory you could not take the bus, or park elsewhere, but it's not as if a bus from a different company will turn up, or the destination will have two car parks, run by different companies, is it? One thing about card only is you do get to pay the actual price.

They can refuse to take non-card transactions, if they make it clear at the onset. In that way, they can specify whatever form of transaction they want. They could even have a restaurant where they accepted only transfers via Paypal. Customers would be free to accept this or walk away.

The same does not hold for when the restaurant only informs the customer of this after the customer has consumed the order. At that point, the customer is obliged to pay.

You surely see how it is not acceptable for the bill to be say 42.70, but the restaurant demands that you must pay the whole 50 because they won't give change, or you must pay in [restricted method here], which you were never informed about before you ordered?

Should be down to choice. Personally, I take £20 a month out of my bank un cash, so I have money for the pot of meetings I attend. That's it. The rest goes on my card.

I have to take cash on holiday. I hate it. It doesn't feel as safe when travelling here with cash on me as it can be exchanged. I wear a very big waist bag with that for safety with my passport in too.

I am not convinced their policy would stand up to a court case.

On what grounds? Businesses are under no requirements to accept cash - I assume the pub would have had no issues charging the correct amount if OP was paying by card. The pub was being accommodating by offering to accept the cash at all, they could have refused point blank.