Cash - am I out of touch?

I rarely used to have cash on me and would repeatedly grumble about having to pay for things at DC primary school in cash.

But now DC are older I’m treated like a reverse cash machine - they don’t like cash (harder to spend in MacDonalds!) so give it to me (usually birthday/Christmas money) and I transfer money into their bank accounts. Kids these days are all using Apple Pay or the equivalent.

YANBU, DS2 went to London the other week and was shocked at how many places don't take cash (we're rural and everywhere does).
But I got caught out yesterday going to pick up a Chinese and it was cash only! Only had my phone, emergency credit card and my emergency cash which was only £35.
Luckily the owner recognised me (never been there before but the family come to my workplace) so I was able to pay part of it and pop back on Monday.
I had ordered on the app and there wasn't a payment option but I assumed I could pay by card on collection. I've got far too used to paying with my phone.
We've got a few barbers in town that are cash only too. It's annoying as there aren't many cash points any more.

I use cash quite a lot. Occasionally there is somewhere that is cashless and I will use my card.

I've never bought anything from vinted, couldn't tell you the last time I used eBay, years since I did an online food shop, months since I used Amazon and this has had zero affect on my life, my family and I function normally, why wouldn't we

And, yes, I use cash every week, but I don't live in MN land where smelling salts are needed if anyone catches site of a fiver

I can't remember the last time I used cash - or in fact a cash machine? Must be years! But I do still think people should have the choice.

I rarely have cash on me. Yesterday there was a charity collector at the supermarket and even they have gotten wise to this - he had a card reader as well as the usual bucket!
It's bizarre to accept cash but not give change though - never seen that!

I suspect any business that is cash only because of the expense of processing card payment is almost certainly not declaring all their income for tax because if they were depositing that cash in a bank (which is easy for a tax inspector to follow), it would likely cost them more to manage than the card fees.

The cost in terms of man hours to cash up, go to the bank and deposit it and go to the bank and get the cash float is significant. Much more than paying the card fees, especially as that role usually has to be done by one of the managers or deputy managers so it's an expensive per hour cost.

Or you try and cut costs by doing it less often and storing cash on site but that is a high risk option! Business insurance policies will generally require cash to be banked regularly and won't cover losses from theft if you don't.

Banks are also much hotter on money laundering now so depositing a lot of cash makes you a higher risk customer for them and in need of more ongoing monitoring/risk assessment so a more expensive/less profitable customer to have.

If power goes down, many shops can't take cash either as items need to be scanned and tills need power to work anyway.

I try to make a point and use cash regularly especially in small retailers who say they prefer it but card is easier for most. I was in The Range last night and one roll was card only and I was surprised how many people couldn’t use it as they were paying with cash.

I do think using card makes it easier to spend more.

I rarely use cash, so it totally throws me when I suddenly need it. Even for collections in work etc, we just send money to someone's account.

People round by me all went nuts when a pub said it was cashless, said they'd boycott it etc. People seem to take cashless places really personally.

I love cash, I always pay small businesses in cash, and as a small business I prefer to take cash. Yes, we're charged for paying it in but I also pay my PAYE employees in cash, pay suppliers with cash, pay myself cash - still PAYE and dividends declared but paid in cash.

We need to keep cash alive, a £20 note is always a £20 note but a £20 card payment becomes less from charges and makes the big banks more money than it makes the small business

I get paid in cash, I don't struggle to spend it but with the self service stills we're universal and accepted all payment types!!!

I find cash makes you think more about the tiny purchases that add up so I do take out money for the week that go towards any extra little treats

I'm on the fence. I ran a fuel station for years, if we stopped using cash and card system went down, which it did do sometimes it would cause huge problems as we would either not release the fuel or have every customer fueling up and in theory with no way to pay. This was an issue occasionally anyway when some heavily relied on their cards which then wouldn't work.
However the otherside was that banking the cash was daily and expensive, also a right nuisance when several people a day would pay for £30 of fuel for instance in one pound coins.

So yeah, both have their issues.

My family’s business recently went to card only payments for the same reason as @Flopsythebunny just the time it takes vs the card and the expense of that.
Personally I rarely have cash, I tend to pay with everything on card for ease.

I hardly ever use cash to be honest. Oh just in the nail salon as they're cash only.

I do always have a little suspicion about cash only places that they're fiddling the books tbh!

I was so pleased yesterday that I had cash on me when the machine at the all-day car park I was trying to pay at refused to recognise my fully-working card. I used it several times in shops later on that day and it was fine. As is the norm now, there was no cash option at the machine. A really kind woman volunteered to pay for my ticket on her card if I had the cash on me, and I did. All £15.50 of it - rip off, but that's another story. If you were that woman and happen to be reading this, thank you so much, I got to my meeting on time because of your kindness.

I find cash tedious. I recently did a collection for a leaving present and just refused cash. I don't have anywhere to spend these small bits of money. I know some people don't like their bank having a record of all their purchases, and even though I have nothing to hide I kind of understand that for them it's the meaning of the thing, but it just doesn't bother me. My Mum still carries cash and she's contantly building up these huge piles of change. Last time I tidied that for her it totalled about £100. It was all over too, not just the jars but in her car, in her furniture, coat pockets, purses. When I used cash I always made sure to use the small change when making purchases, and that too is tedious.

That is nuts!
Most places have( or used to have) a float for change
Whilst I do use my card most of the time, I always keep cash for an emergency taxi( I'm disabled) so I can always get home
My usual taxi company does take cards now but they are charged for transactions

I use cash all the time. Yesterday I used it at the supermarket, B & M and for my kids' sports practice. Nobody has ever said I can't use it or they don't give change. I would have rounded down in that case. Why should they keep your money because they don't give change? If they don't give change they should take £110 rather than £120 if it cost £111.

I'd prefer to pay everything by card. Too many self employed hair dressers, make up artists etc etc only take cash. And it's so obvious it's cos they're not declaring it and claiming benefits too. And the rest of us on PAYE have to cough up regardless.

I agree it should be possible to use cash but in regard to online collections, at my work, it’s done through the accounts department. They gather in the contributions and send out the gift card / gift. Nobody else gets to know individual contributions and it’s part of their job not to gossip about that sort of thing.

It’s done through the business account with a set reference for each collection so if necessary amounts can be checked.

@Anewuser banks charge businesses to deposit cash these days, so it will definitely die off.

They were cheeky in not giving chance. I possibly might have said "that's fine, I'll just round it down to the nearest amount I have then". 😂

It's far cheaper for me to pay the card transaction charge than it is to pay to deposit cash and buy change. I not to mention the time and expense of going to the nearest bank or post office.
I used to go to the post office with all my parcels but it's a 30 minute drive, there's no parking nearby and it costs more to take them to the post office than have them picked up by the postman.

At risk of being accused of drip feeding on a thread i didn't even start, my tattoo studio is cash only aswell. They'll take deposit by card and the rest on the day is cash.