Tolls that have to be paid online

[Fianceechickie]

We live nearish the new Mersey bridge in Runcorn. You can't pay there and then, there are no booths and you have to remember to go online and pay when to get home. Is it me, or is that a neat way of money grabbing? Cheap for the operator who doesn't have to put in toll booths and people are bound to forget, being tired, busy, other things to do and they can just fine you then. DH been fined twice in the last few months having forgotten to pay the £2 when he gets home on evenings he's used it. On one occasion he paid for one trip that same day but forgot he'd driven across it again. You can set up an account but there's a £10 fee and £20 minimum top up. I've seen this on roads in Ireland too. I've not used it because I just know i would forget to pay!

The point is that we would still need to buy oyster cards for kids,

Or they could use their contactless cards.

11 year olds can not have contactless cards. And do people really give them to 12 year olds?

Dangers of contactless cards.

www.ft.com/content/77144eec-fd3e-11e7-9bfc-052cbba03425

11 year olds can not have contactless cards.

Yes they can. Whatever makes you think they can't? They can have a wide range of pre-paid cards, either in their own name or as second cards on an account you have. They can also simply have a Lloyd Children's account, which is aged 11-17 (I thought it was 12, hence leaving the slight gap: in fact, every child either travels free or can get a contactless card in their own name).

And do people really give them to 12 year olds?

Yes. You should write to Lloyds and complain.

www.lloydsbank.com/current-accounts/all-accounts/under-19s-account.asp

I am not talking about banks giving them, I am talking about parents giving them to kids. How many 11 or 12 year olds have their own contactless cards?

Dangers of contactless cards.

If you can't control your spending, get a pre-paid one. Then you can't spend more than is on the card. Next?

One of the best features of contactless was to give DS my card so he got up to go and get his McFlurry ...

And Lloyds are a shit bank, I would not bank with them.

*meredinto Ah okay, I hadn't realised. Yes that is a lot of people who have not even done the minimum. My DP is one. He gets worried about putting in the wrong account code so wont use it. He has just changed banks as the branch moved, so he wanted a branch that was easy to get to.

Worried in what sense? Surely there are all kinds of situations where he might have to accurately input a number from somewhere else the idea of not using something because you're 'worried' about inputting a number you can literally see and double check seems strange unless it's some kind of dyspraxia that means he genuinely can't cope with numbers.

Some interesting points here I'll come back to from PP regarding why people continue to use certain methods, the idea that generationally new generations are more open to embracing change etc. Will post when I have time.

Many parents on here will not let 11 and 12 year olds go many places if any unsupervised. Which is why I am interested in how many 11 and 12 year olds actually have contactless cards.

I bloody love that you can pay on buses with cards now! My last city only just moved to that while I was living there and it was such a relief not to have to arse around visiting an ATM first, getting change and so forth. Much quicker for passenger and driver.

How many 11 or 12 year olds have their own contactless cards?

There's plenty of school children using them in the shop near here that is on the way between station and school. I haven't asked them how old they are, but "young secondary", so 12 probably.

2010 called. "Surely no-one is going to buy their 12 year old a mobile phone?"

2005 called. "Surely, no-one one is going to buy their 12 year old a computer?"

Could you outline why a contactless card is riskier for a child than cash?

Incidentally I don't believe the figures online about use of contactless cards. I think they are comparing those using debit cards to contactless. Most places I go people are still using cash to buy their pint, or newspaper or pint of milk.

Many parents on here will not let 11 and 12 year olds go many places if any unsupervised.

MN is not the real world.

In the real world, 12 year olds go to school on their own. They buy sweets and drinks on the way.

Because most kids have bank accounts with money given as gifts. No way would most parents want large amounts to be frittered away on rubbish by young kids.

This is why lunch cards are normally topped up weekly or monthly rather than just an amount being loaded on at the start of term.

Most places I go people are still using cash to buy their pint, or newspaper or pint of milk.

To name three transactions which are in terminal decline. 29 pubs a week close, with draught beer sales dropping even faster, newspapers in print form are on life support with sales dropping roughly 10% per year and most people buy milk in bulk from supermarkets.

"People who make transactions associated with older, more conservative purchasers use methods of payment favoured by older, more conservative purchasers" is hardly a surprise. Now, pop and get yourself a cappuccino and watch how people aged under 40 are paying.

No way would most parents want large amounts to be frittered away on rubbish by young kids.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, children are buying music, games and entertainment products online. They are ordering books, and clothes, on line. Parents are paying their children's pocket money by standing order. Sometimes, and I realise I'm going to blow your mind, children have two bank accounts, one for pocket money, one for savings. I know, it's radical stuff.

Older working class pubs are closing. Real ale pubs are opening up. I live in a middle class area that has had new pubs opening up. I said newspaper, but could have as easily said chocolate bar. And I buy milk at the supermarket, and do small top up shops such as buying milk or other items I need. Small top up shops are common. And there are a lot of older people.

You still can't give me figures of number of 11 and 12 year olds with contactless cards.
Sure you can have 2 bank accounts for 11 and 12 year olds. Seems a lot of hassle when you can just give them some cash.

Incidentally the hipsters at real ale pubs do pay by contactless.
And 18% of the population are over 65. That is a lot of people.

Or, how about email/phone at work ?

(runs away)

The vast majority of shops take card for even small transactions. Only some small independent corner shops won't take card under a set amount or they do but you pay a charge. I don't know anyone who'd pay for a bar of chocolate and a magazine using cash unless you're trying to get change from a tenner for the bus that won't take card. If I buy a 40p pack of gum, I pay card. Because it makes more sense than having to add an extra step of getting cash out to keep it on you to pay for something you can just use your card for!

I see lots of people using cash for those small purchases.

And 18% of the population are over 65. That is a lot of people

Bank accounts with cards and contactless are available equally for those over 65 you know. There's no reason at all why being older means you need to make cash payments.