Is it ridiculous in this modern age to be a business that only takes cash?

[PingpongDingDong]

We sometimes visit a cafe in our city that takes cash only. While you're sitting there you see people realising this and one of them having to take a hike to tie closest cashpoint to pay. While we were in holiday we visited a couple of places like this and it made me wonder why they do this. Are bank charges so high? It seems archaic to me.

As a business owner, I would say that even the cheapest option re card payment need
1- an internet connexion that is reliable
2- a cost of about 2.7% per transaction. That's going wo the 'usual' bank system with something like iZettle.

Now you know when you want to pay with CC over the internet and they charge you more for it? Or at some point when you went to Ikea and they were doing the same?
Well that's because it IS expensive for a small business to accept cards.

When you have a business with a small margin, and customers who are always looking fir the cheapest stuff (and cafe certainly falls into that category), then it makes sense in my opinion.

The ONE thing I would do is to make it very clear to customers before they go in, which is not the case in the one the OP describes.

Btw the 'paying by card only allowed us you spend at least £10' is only valid with high street bank that charge you per transaction.

Oh and did you know that if you have a business account, banks will charge you a fee for every cheques too?

And some time to do a cash deposit.
And for any cheque that is rejected (the issuer is charged too).
And. And. And.

So yes it IS very expensive for a small business anyway and taking only cash helps keeping costs down and under control. It's not just the issue of taking card.

How about parking meters/machines which only take cash ? (Presumably part of NCPs massive tax evasion scheme ). And then, just to rub it it in (1) they only take coins, and (2) don't give change.

Mind you, there is an upside to such situations. Yesterday in the car park in one of our local hospitals, I went to pay, and a person leaving give me their ticket with 3 hours on it. When we left (still 2 hours left) I left the ticket in the machines slot top pay it forward to the next driver. And a couple of weeks ago, the same happened in a local high street car park. So quite community building.

What I love about mumsnet is the hysterical conclusionsp people jump to.

Tax evasion? Please!

Oh and did you know that if you have a business account, banks will charge you a fee for every cheques too?

One thing I have learned, having run a business for 10 years. Is very few people have a clue about business. (Which would be amusing, if they didn't think they could run businesses.). The stand out tale for me, was a younger gentleman who insisted on his bill being explained to him. When he realised that he had to pay more for us to to the job than if he just bought and fitted the parts himself; there was the classic quote : "You're just trying to make money out of people.". Durr ! Well, yes. That's kinda what business is.

I hvae a business account and every single payment in is charged. It is a very expensive business. I am not surprised some people just want cash.

Lurkingdad I said it whiffs of it, not everyone perhaps I am biased based on disingenuous small businesses I have come across.

BreakingDad77

If a business is using cash sales to evade tax, then they really are rank amateurs, and shouldn't be trusted with any form of business.

I don't think it's ridiculous but I do think they should have clear signage on their door, especially in certain locations. A lovely little restaurant I regularly go to in London takes cash only but it's so poorly signposted. I go there lots, so I know now, but felt a bit awkward when the bill came the first time.

Interesting that the thread title includes "in this modern age". Because frankly, paying for small purchases by card is a very recent thing. Small shops used to have signs by the till stating a minimum purchase total if paying by card, usually £5/£10, because the charges they had to pay for your purchase of a newspaper and a Twix meant they were making a loss and not a profit. So, people usually paid for small purchases by cash.

The signs may have gone, but the bank charges haven't. And a cafe will have very tight margins. The increasing use of cards for smaller and smaller purchases must hit small shops and cafes very hard.

Tbh I think its ridiculous that less and less people carry cash my dd puts everything on her card she never has money on her then moans when there is no cash machines around. A few places i uses either only take cash or charge to use the machine

Most places that take cards tend to advertise it anyway, with stickers on the door and a machine on the counter. If you are expecting to pay by card, why not look out for these clues, or ask before ordering?

Paying for the odd couple of quid on a card seems a bit ridiculous TBH.

It's the same with my gp

I do wonder how much money he declares

I am more likely to go into shops with card facilities. I also love contactless transactions.
The less cash used the better imo

Tbh I think its ridiculous that less and less people carry cash

Why ? I hate cash with a vengeance. Most obvious reason being it is - and always will be - a magnet for muggers and thieves.

I'm sure the police are grateful too. Luckily "wages snatch" has entered yesterdays vocabulary. Bit too late for our local post office though. They gave up after the 3rd armed robbery in 2 years, and nobody fancied taking over.

Would you really put a can of cola and a sandwich on your card lurking husbsnd dd walks about with an empty purse and puts silly amounts on her card i am ancient though so i like a just incase tenner

We're talking about carrying around £10/20 or so to pay for parking or a cafe meal, not being paid and round carrying our entire pay packets in cash.

And now most people have contactless cards, if you get mugged or lose your card, the thief can run off and spend £30 a time here there and everywhere until you realise and report it.

Would you really put a can of cola and a sandwich on your card LurkingHusband

Yes.

We're talking about carrying around £10/20 or so to pay for parking

In change, of course ?

And now most people have contactless cards, if you get mugged or lose your card, the thief can run off and spend £30 a time

I predict here and now, that we are not going to see a contactopalypse anytime soon. (We might see a rise in arrests of thick criminals, if that's a bad thing).

If you hadn't noticed, the contactless terminal you need to use to pay, is inconveniently situated by the one place any establishment will have covered by CCTV before anywhere else.

The till.

Sure, you might be able to steal a contactless card. But then you have a limited timeframe (i.e. until it's reported stolen) to quickly get your potential £90 worth of goodies. So can't go too far - and will probably end up having to use the card within minutes of stealing it. Smiling all the while, as you're caught on camera.

That's if your foray into contactless crime is lucky first time. You could have swiped a card which won't work contactless untill it's been re-PIN-verified.

Many parking machines don't take cards, so yes it's annoying to need change, but if you expect to have to pay for parking, you just need to think ahead and keep hold of some change.

I'm sure that more and more parking machines will start to take cards, and charges will rise accordingly to pay for the technology. And then you have the problem of how it would work in remote areas where there is no mobile phone signal? And what about people who don't have debit or credit cards - not everyone is eligible for them or wants to use them.

I am fully aware that there are places where there are no cash machines - so you take cash with you . I can't imagine not carrying a modest amount of cash for day to day spending.

Well, maybe if were I am had the infrastructure for all that e-commerce.

At the moment we deal in cash only, cheques if we have to. iZettle etc might be doable eventually, but we simply don't have good enough wi fi or phone signal. Even when superfast wotsit gets here there won't be much change in that!

No one here uses contactless cards, they see them as voodoo Chip and Pin is just about accepted. Many rural areas are much the same.

And what about people who don't have telephones debit or credit cards - not everyone is eligible for them or wants to use them.

was the argument in the 1970s.

Unfortunately society tends to move at the speed of the median, not the slowest.