Times I have needed cash this fortnight

[marymarkle]

I know there are some on here who say they never ever use cash. I don't know how they manage. Like most people I use a mixture of bards and cash.
So in the fortnight the times I have had to use cash are as follows.

Buying the Big Issue. I assume those who never use cash never buy the Big Issue.
Paying for drinks at a cash bar at a wedding. Very posh venue, but cash bar only, no cards.
Getting the bus into town. I live in a City where the buses only take cash or a bought bus card. I hardly ever use the bus, so no point buying a bus pass, so I used cash. You can not use a card.
Went to a local vintage fair today. This is a small fair and the best stalls are always some people who do this as a hobby/to make a bit of extra money, and none of them take cards. I assume because of the cost of taking cards.
Paid a tip by cash in a restaurant. I always pay tips in cash so servers get the whole amount. Even the best places take an admin fee.

By refusing to use cash I would have negatively affected my life this fortnight and not supported someone who is homeless.

I am another that never uses cash, but do always keep £10 on me just in case. All transport is card payment, I shop online, all locals shops and restaurants allow me to either pay by contactless or my phone. I did have to pay in cash at my local hairdresser but she has closed down now and the new one takes card. Even the fair I went to recently had card readers.

I forgot to add that I buy a lot of food and drink for homeless people, but again I do that by card.

Don't get me started on cheques ....

Although they are pertinent. At the point of the withdrawal of the cheque guarantee scheme there were all sorts of prognostications of doom. They were, without exception, bollocks. Every change in payment technology over the last fifty years has had a small hardcore of refuseniks - credit cards, debit cards, practical end of cheques, direct debits, chip and PIN, contactless, Oyster cards, the list is endless - who claim variously that it will fail, that they will never use it, that no-one will ever use it, that people will regret it. They construct incredibly complex edge cases to "prove" their point. And then the world ignores them.

The withdrawal of cash payment on London buses (at which point it accounted for a whole 1% of transactions) was accompanied with convoluted argument by people who don't use London buses that the world would end. Oddly, it didn't.

Every now and again MN bursts out in outrage from people who don't live in London and haven't used a bus in decades that it's unimaginable that anyone could do anything other than pay cash for a bus or a tube fare (and the queues at ticket offices at Euston and other gateway stations shows that some people are still unable to grasp the concept of contactless payment). TfL shrug, and the world moves on.

My father in law fought some battle with his bank to refuse having a debit card. Now he pays for his shopping with a debit card. What a fuss about nothing.

I live in Surrey, we have the opposite, most places don't accept cash anymore!! Buses/trains are all contactless or Oyster cards, local trampoline park has no cash at all policy and all shops and parking places accept card payments (infact quite a lot of parking is card only now too!) even the local farmers type market all the sellers have contactless card payment machines. A friend who runs a small beauty business from home uses a card machine - she says it's much easier to keep track or incomings etc in terms of accounts! My husband is paid cash for some jobs he does and it's a massive inconvenience tbh as the nearest bank is now in the main town there's no local ones.

Oh, and there is a pub near me that doesn't take cash. It made their insurance cheaper.

I almost never use cash but I do generally have some on me just in case i need to leave a tip or something.

Forgot to mention all school dinner and trip payments are all online, takeaways are all done online through Uber eats so card only, taxis all have card machines and no I don't ever give money to people begging - I would buy them a drink etc but never give cash as I don't like the idea of funding addiction, I give monthly to a couple of charities through direct debit also.

Forgot to mention all school dinner and trip payments are all online

Is this still a debate? My children's dinner and trip payments were all online, and they left secondary school some years ago.

I agree with you OP. Like so much in life today, I find not carrying cash an alien concept.

At the point of the withdrawal of the cheque guarantee scheme there were all sorts of prognostications of doom. They were, without exception, bollocks. Every change in payment technology over the last fifty years has had a small hardcore of refuseniks - credit cards, debit cards, practical end of cheques, direct debits, chip and PIN, contactless, Oyster cards, the list is endless - who claim variously that it will fail, that they will never use it, that no-one will ever use it, that people will regret it. They construct incredibly complex edge cases to "prove" their point. And then the world ignores them.

The thing with cheques is that there simply is no direct replacement. And until there is, they are here to stay.

Last time I write a cheque was for DWs dentist whose card machine was playing up and who couldn't take payments over the phone.

I don't mind writing cheques.

Last time we had to pay a cheque in, was because it's the only way the local council can issue payment (with no plans to change). Which is infuriating because we don't have a local branch of our bank making it a special pay-for-parking journey. (Big up for Barclays who now allow you to send a photo of the cheque).

DWs mobile beautician takes a bank transfer.

In terms of cheques, the reason they still exist is because of charities. Banks wanted to do away with them. But older people give much more to charity than anyone else, and a lot of older people still use cheques. So charities campaigned the Government to make sure cheques were not abolished, as they were worried their income would drop significantly.

I have no skin in this game. I give to charity online. But my elderly father who was not that well off, probably gave about a £100 a month to charities, all by cheques.

I only need cash to pay the bin cleaner who comes once a month, the gardener who comes once a fortnight between March and November and the oven cleaner who comes six monthly. I rarely have any cash on me tbh.

I always have about £100 in my purse....but use cash for small purchases under £10. Put everything else on JL card and pay off every month.

I probably have about £10 in the house. I get cash out once a month. I don't use it much, but can't manage without any.

I am still amazed at how poor connectivity is in some areas. Part of my family live down south in a rural area and there are still clear black spots for connectivity. At one relatives, I have to go outside the house onto the road to get any connectivity. And its not just my provider, everyone has the same issue.

In terms of cheques, the reason they still exist is because of charities.

cheques exist because there is nothing to do the same job. A cheque is the only way through the banking system to pay a person, not an account. The closest-next-best-thing would be PayPal to an email address. But that's proprietary, not a banking standard.

Are the faux-baffled posters sneering at the “trendy” cashless unaware that not everyone lives in a tiny rural village?

No more than the trendies living in the cities who can't comprehend life outside them.

I only ever need cash for the pound slot for a trolley at Tesco. Kids and I do lots of hobbies/class and payment for all of them are PayPal, gocardless, bank transfer or direct debit. Our city even has a contactless point to donate to rough sleepers.

I get cash out for specific things, so a day trip (parking costs/snacks/drinks/gift shop etc), or to pay for Brownies. I usually have £2 or so in my purse. We keep a jar in the kitchen with between zero and £10 in.

I direct debit regular payments including charitable giving as it helps us budget. When we were really tight, I would do everything else in cash and withdraw it all at the start of the month after payday.

I live in a city and need some cash. Not much, but there are things I can not do without it.
So tonight I am going to a pub quiz. You pay to enter in cash. I will pay for drinks at the bar using a card, but need cash to enter the pub quiz.
I think those who literally never use cash ever, not even a few pounds a month, must live a very different life to me. Its not to do with living in a city, its to do with being able to live your life,

Hilarious how aggy OP is about people not using cash

I have about £3 in my purse and it’s the same £3 that’s been there for months. I use Apple Pay for everything. Can’t remember the last time I needed cash!

Shirley I am not at all "aggy" - I assume you mean aggressive? I just don't understand it. But I see you use applepay, so that makes more sense. I have an android phone. I suspect that everything I NEED cash for, you use applepay for.

I only ever need cash for the pound slot for a trolley at Tesco.

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I'm a Guider and we take online payments but some parents still pay by cheque.
I have a cash box too (and many parents bring cash), all subs are online but this is for trips etc.
Though most of our parents would have a debit or credit card, some don't have or use online banking (they have to go into a branch to set up subs payments) and we can't take cards without loads of extra expense.
Annoyingly one of my fellow Guiders locally doesn't use cash at all - just cheques - which is a pain if we are going out together with her unit as I have to dig into my cash box!

I always have some cash handy. I've seen blackout you would be well fucked if there was no electricity for a while.

Are the faux-baffled posters sneering at the “trendy” cashless unaware that not everyone lives in a tiny rural village

But there are plenty of places that are not 'tiny rural villages' where you won't get far with no cash.

Like my nearest (fairly large) seaside town where all the fish and chip shops, amusements ice cream shops, deck chair rentals, beach huts and cafes on the sea front are cash only. I don't know if it's because they're all at the bottom of a cliff compared to the main town, so unreliable mobile phone signal.

Many (very busy) walking and hiking areas are cash only on the parking meter and the pubs and cafes won't take cards for less than £5/10.

Would people really buy a single stamp, mars bar or packet of crisps with a card?