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Original poster

Places that encourage cash increasing

130 replies

ItsAllAboutTheDosh · 01/03/2024 22:25

I am finding more restaurants, bars and shops are encouraging cash payments due to the card payment costs. These are always independent places with the owner on site actively involved.
Just wondering if others are finding the same?
Although if you never or rarely go to small independent places that would be helpful to state. I find chains prefer card payments.

OP posts:
hellesbells · 02/03/2024 14:13

ItsAllAboutTheDosh · 01/03/2024 22:25

I am finding more restaurants, bars and shops are encouraging cash payments due to the card payment costs. These are always independent places with the owner on site actively involved.
Just wondering if others are finding the same?
Although if you never or rarely go to small independent places that would be helpful to state. I find chains prefer card payments.

You mean they are encouraging cash so as to avoid tax

DomesticatedSavage · 02/03/2024 14:28

I'm sure I read the other day that 93% of transactions are not cash.
If I'm buying something in a small business, usually butcher or bakery type places, I ask them if they prefer me to pay cash or card. Our local butcher won't take a card payment if it's under £5.
Last year I went in a cafe and tried to pay with cash but the teenager serving me got very confused and in the end she gave me it all back and I used my card.

dottiedodah · 02/03/2024 14:31

The only place accepting cash here is the PO .All meals ,pubs /Restaurants /coffee shops card only

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Judellie · 02/03/2024 15:13

I keep a bit of cash as I thought the chip shop didn't take card payments but it's changed hands and they do now. They take both so I paid with the cash anyway as I'd got it out specially.
When my two were younger, they thought it was a great treat to be handed a tenner each to choose what they liked at Poundland. Nowadays they have cards tho.
I prefer places that take both tbh.

taxguru · 02/03/2024 15:15

WowIlikereallyhateyou · 02/03/2024 13:17

It is definitely a transaction cost issue if you are a very small business. The machine alone and high cost per transaction have gone up massively.

Show quote history

No they havn't. They've fallen massively over the past few years due to competition.

Original poster
ItsAllAboutTheDosh · 02/03/2024 16:01

@dottiedodah I am really surprised at that. There is one chain restaurant in my city that is card only. U have never come across anywhere else except in London.

OP posts:
Original poster
ItsAllAboutTheDosh · 02/03/2024 16:02

@DomesticatedSavage 26% of all transactions are still in cash. This percentage is a reduction.

OP posts:
SerendipityJane · 02/03/2024 16:05

The human cost of businesses using cash is people becoming targets for robberies. Either if a lot of cash is held on the premises, or if some poor sod has the job of taking it to the bank. Especially if the bank is now 3 towns away and only open on a Wednesday afternoon in October.

babyproblems · 02/03/2024 16:06

Moier · 01/03/2024 22:36

Most take away places are cash only.. chinese places especially.
Is this to hide money or the expense?

I think this is the relevant question!! I doubt it’s to avoid card fees…

Donthideyourlight · 02/03/2024 16:07

I haven't noticed this. Tbh, I see more places doing card only as they don't want cash. I'm in the home counties fwiw. Could be regional?

Original poster
ItsAllAboutTheDosh · 02/03/2024 16:20

I think it must be regional. Las Iguanas is the only place I have seen where I live that do not take cash.
Amongst friends, those with an apple pay phone or watch never use cash. Some young people who pay by phone never use cash. But with people my age who are friends and do not have an apple pay, most are like me - use card for larger purchases and cash for small purchases.
A restaurant I go to is cash only and I have to get out cash to go there, although there is a cash machine nearby.

OP posts:
Nohousemove · 02/03/2024 16:20

I’m seeing the opposite.

LordSnot · 02/03/2024 16:22

No, I haven't noticed this. Places not taking cash at all are increasing but not the reverse.

The only place I use that's cash only is the local Chinese and I wouldn't go there if their food wasn't by far the best in the area. It's a pain and I'm fairly certain I'm helping them evade tax.

OddBoots · 02/03/2024 16:47

We live in a town with regular markets - standard market, farmers markets and makers markets so all small businesses - we often buy there and ask if they would prefer cash or card, about half say they don't mind, quarter want cash and a quarter want card.

OutOfTheHouse · 02/03/2024 16:53

ItsAllAboutTheDosh · 02/03/2024 16:01

@dottiedodah I am really surprised at that. There is one chain restaurant in my city that is card only. U have never come across anywhere else except in London.

Really? I can think of 5 places in my town that are card only and I only know about them because I use then fairly frequently. That’s two pubs, two coffee shops and my dentist. And that’s just the ones that come to mind right now.

newnamechangeforthisone · 02/03/2024 17:00

I'm a small business owner and recently started taking card payments as it's easier. Before it was cash or bank transfer. I do like occasional cash as I sometimes need to use cash for my own business purchases, just as I'm a bit of a weird type of business and buy lots of used products so cash is useful to me. I've found this year that hardly anyone uses cash, more than before, which is strange to me. It does annoy me all the costs of using an account and accepting payments but I don't avoid it as it's just the way things are. It does make it easier taking card payments though for accounting.

CrushingOnRubies · 02/03/2024 19:53

That's great but in my home town there are no cash points paper from supermarkets 0.5/1mile out of town.

I'm all for using cash in shops so long as I can go to a ATM to get cash out in the first place

For comparison this a town which pre Covid had 5 banks in town all which had cash points outside them

Original poster
ItsAllAboutTheDosh · 02/03/2024 19:56

@CrushingOnRubies that is bad. Where I am there are still loads of cashpoints and all the big supermarkets have them outside. Even my local small co-op has one. The restaurant I go to that is cash only has a cashpoint two units away.

OP posts:
Original poster
ItsAllAboutTheDosh · 02/03/2024 19:57

@OutOfTheHouse I always pay for the dentist by card, but I know they take cash. But I do not live in a wealthy area. That may have something to do with it?

OP posts:
missshilling · 02/03/2024 20:03

My local pub has a big sign up saying cash payments preferred.

The nearest ATM is over seven miles away.

Original poster
ItsAllAboutTheDosh · 02/03/2024 20:06

@missshilling that is the kind of thing I see increasing. They still take cards and apple pay, they just say they would prefer cash.

OP posts:
Goforitagain · 02/03/2024 20:09

I found this last year in North Yorkshire, in some places there were signs about paying with cash.

OutOfTheHouse · 02/03/2024 20:09

ItsAllAboutTheDosh · 02/03/2024 19:57

@OutOfTheHouse I always pay for the dentist by card, but I know they take cash. But I do not live in a wealthy area. That may have something to do with it?

Nope. Poor as church mice here, far from a middle class town. It’s not a wealth thing.

Goforitagain · 02/03/2024 20:10

Is it something to do with signal as some places we paid with card and it took an age.

candgen625 · 02/03/2024 20:11

Kendodd · 01/03/2024 22:40

I always think cash only businesses are trying to avoid tax or money laundering fronts.

They are. It's so obvious. Can't believe how many get away with it