Do you still use cash?

I do, dh rarely has cash. He uses his phone/watch to pay mostly, I cba to set that up.

@mydogisthebest well we've had very different experience of life then!

I'll keep using Apple Pay, it's great thanks!

I only use cash for playgroup. I can't think of any other time I use it.

We're trying to move house and our mortgage broker friend recommended trying to use cash for our day to day spending to neaten up our statements. We did this for about three weeks and it was almost impossible. Many places we take our son needed an online booking or didn't accept cash at all. When they did take cash, many of them were still surprised we wanted to use it and didn't have change so asked us if we could use card instead.

Carrying a purse everywhere was a faff. Making sure we each had enough cash within budget if going out alone was a faff. Going to the ATM was a faff. Keeping track whether the cash I had was my personal spending or family spending was a faff. Just not worth the brain space or effort in the end.

They have to take cash as legal tender for a debt.

My son has been mugged twice in south london, I never have but guess he’s a target, young boy, expensive phone. He never had any cash on him

Very infrequently do I use cash. I used to keep some for the dog groomer but now I pay via bank transfer. I have some cash in the house as when the kids get money for things from other people they always ask me to keep it and transfer them the money via the bank. None of them (19 & 16) use cash, I don’t think my 16yr old has ever paid for anything using cash, both use Apple Pay or in school finger print

I don't know anyone who has been mugged and only 1 person, to my knowledge, who has lost their purse.

I lived in London for over 40 years and in some pretty dodgy parts and most of my friends and family live/lived in London and yet none of us have ever been mugged!

Last year I took my husband son and his partner out for a pre Xmas meal
we didn’t realise it was card only as I had previously paid cash on all my other visits to this restaurant

no signs anywhere and nothing mentioned when we booked
meal was around £185 for 4 people and I had
the cash to pay for it and I had already paid a 40 deposit when booking

When I went to pay they told me it was card only
I explained I had cash no credit cards on me only my debit card which wouldn’t have enough in my account to pay

They were insistent on me paying card and in the end called the manager
I just put the £200 on the bar and said you can take this cash now or I am leaving and I will come back with my credit card tomorrow

They took the cash 😂& i told them to keep the cash left over as a tip

I wouldn’t have minded if when I booked or it was mentioned on the menu that It wad card only

But the fact that they had no mention of it anywhere I felt completely fine with standing my ground
and I did have my credit card with me but I wasn’t being bullied into paying by card when they had nothing anywhere to say that they were card only

@NattyTurtle most people make bigger payments by card or phone, and small payments by cash. The stats back this up.

I always carry both on me so I’m prepared whatever happens.

I'm not in the UK, and while the card system does go down it is quite a rare thing.

I'm sure you weren't the only people in the restaurant, what did everyone else do, they can't all have had cash? Why would it have been embarassing, surely most businesses are aware that not many people carry cash? Although this thread has been an eye opener, as I really didn't realise how many people still use cash. I go to the supermarket a lot, and rarely see anyone pay with cash.

Is this common amongst IT people? I know a few who are similar.

I pay for 95% of things via Apple Pay/bank card and 5% cash and that’s only hobby events - I can’t remember the last time I spent cash in a shop.

Do you ever wonder why?

Very foolish....

Family run =/= chain

Another time that we use cash is to pay for building work etc. I find they will always give a good discount for cash.

I agree, it must be rare to spend hundreds? £20 for the meal, £10 for a couple of drinks. Even with your share of starters for the table it wouldn't be much more.

This subject has been flogged to death on numerous threads.
Use cash don't use cash,we have choice.
Use what suits you and your preferences.

@mydogisthebest and you're truly lucky never to have lost your purse or been mugged.

Literally 1000s of people have been.

@Jc2001 Actually one of closest friends, who worked in a bank for most of her working life, keeps almost all her life savings in a fireproof box under the floorboards!

When I went to collect my prescription last week, the system at the pharmacy was down and they could only accept cash payments. Loads of people had to go away without their medication or toiletries because they didn't have cash to pay for anything.

Well you are lucky because apart from the 4 times in the last year there have been quite a few other times when the card machines were not working in shops. One time was in a large Sainsburys. I would not have been happy if I had not been able to get my shopping.

&@mydogisthebest I'm 59 and never had an issue with card machines 🤷‍♀️

In the last year I have been to 2 different shops whose card machines had gone down and 2 different restaurants so it does happen. I had cash each time so no problem for me.

One of the restaurants only had the machine go down after we had eaten so that could have been embarrassing if we had not been able to pay as it was nowhere near a cash machine

Well I am 70 and have never lost any cash!