To wonder why so many people don't carry any cash on them?

[InHibernationTilISummer]

Excluding people who are skint and the Queen, obviously.

I've had so many examples of this in the last few weeks:

• Colleague who came into the work in the bad weather. Lots of delays and problems on the bus route they normally get so wanted to get the train instead but had no money for a ticket because they had come in with their season bus pass and lunch and hadn't expected to be spending any money.
• Friend turning up for exercise class but hasn't realised that the price has gone up 50p since she last came - and she only brought the exact money she thought she would need.
• Another friend dropping older child off at sport class finds that there's a fair going on at the sports centre with stalls and activities that her younger child (who was with her) would have enjoyed. Complains that she wishes she had known about it in advance as she would have taken some money out with her.

Is this becoming more common or is it just the people I know? If you aren't skint but don't routinely carry money on you, why is that?

I've been in situations where I haven't expected to be spending any (or much) money and some problem has occurred or plans have changed for some reason (e.g. having to accompany someone to A & E or the last bus not turning up) and I would have been really stuck if I hadn't taken some spare 'emergency' cash.

I hate having to have cash on me. I always end up taking too much out to make sure I have enough and then fritter away the rest. At least when paying with a card I only spend what I need to.

I just pay for a lot of stuff with a card. I don’t deliberately not bring cash but often don’t bother going to cash machine or don’t realise I’ve run out of cash as use card for nearly everything

I rarely have cash. My DH even less so. It is annoying when you need it and haven’t got any though so I should make more of an effort to get some, maybe once a week.

I hardly ever have cash; I think the last time l had any was over Christmas. My DH and I use Apple Pay for small/ad hoc payments.

What Harry said. I spend cash like it's never ending.

I don't routinely carry cash - it's much easier for me to keep an eye on my budget by paying for everything by card, as then I can easily check online banking for anything where seemingly small amounts are building up. With cash, I find it's much harder to look for trends of that kind.

I'm forever finding myself without cash - almost every time I want to get the bus I have to raid either DH's wallet or our change jar. It's not a policy decision - I haven't declared myself cash free - it's just that I find I get through cash so quickly, and then I forget/don't think to get any more out. I use cash so rarely (other than the buses - and can't wait until they all go contactless like London buses, which is surely a matter of time) that I tend not to think about the fact I don't have any until the exact moment I need it.

if you drop cash its gone forever ditto if you are mugged or your bag is taken. Its not really very safe. I get a tenner out here and there sometimes to use in places they dont take card (live in a rural area) but id never carry any more cash than that on me. You can even pay by card in most car parks now and in phone boxes!

I do carry cash. But then dd needs some. And there's a collection at work. And I need change for car parking . And tea money is due. And I nip into Waitrose for milk and spend £27 quid and it's all gone and I'm cashless.

I find it difficult to maintain a steady flow of change as you don't get much back from £10 or £5 these days. More than £10 is usually done on contactless.

I don't like having a large amount of cash as it's easier to fritter and not easily accounted for by sight on a bank statement. It seems to disappear so much quicker than a few years back thanks to the joys of inflation.

I carry cash - I'm literally the only one out of my family and friends who do which is why everyone asks me for change.

The times I don't are the times at work I don't take any card or money, usually because I forget, and everyone decides to get lunch out! So I have to lend it until the next day. I find cash a lot easier to use and I was in a well know store today and when I paid for a new jacket in cash the cashier said she's hardly handled cash at all this year and autopilots to card payments!

I never have cash on me. It stops me buying bacon rolls every day at work

I never have cash, no need. Pay on my phone or card.

And in your scenarios 1&2 I'd fully expect to be able to pay by card anyway - surely the person paying for a train could? Unless you meant that she didn't only not have cash, she had actually not even brought her purse with her?

I do carry cash but often find myself without any. Most things are paid for by card or my phone, so I don't need it all the time.

I don’t need to have cash on me, I don’t use parking that requires cash, paying tiny amounts in the post office can be done with contactless, I don’t have kids so no subs or schools demanding money etc. If I’m going somewhere like the airport collection that you have to pay £1, I will find one in an old coat or reluctantly withdraw cash, but it’s out of my way to go to an ATM, and i don’t need it.

I’ve been cloned twice I assume taking cash from a machine, it puts me off getting money out. Although I pay almost everything by card I do like having around £10 in cash on me.

I draw £200 out fit he bank and always have a tenner in my pocket for coffees etc. I only use it for small purchases, everything else is on the cc.

Out of the bank, obviously

I carry an 'emergency £10' and a couple of coins, probably totalling no more than £2. I always use my card to pay for things, find it easier and think it keeps me more accountable, since any purchases I make will appear on my statement.

I don't think I'd go anywhere completely cashless though, always like to have a tiny bit of cash with me just in case I find myself in a situation where I can't pay for something by card, though this is incredibly rare nowadays.

I use ApplePay so I don’t even have cards with me most of the time, and I have 20p hidden in my gym bag for the locker but otherwise I don’t really ever need cash.

I rarely carry cash, and am increasingly not carrying a purse. I use my bank card which I keep in my phone case, it means I don’t need to take a bag out. Also my nearest cash machine is 15miles away, so I can’t just pop by for cash. The invention of contactless and the recent law that stops places charging you money if you use your card under a certain amount has also reduced my need for cash.

It’s true what a pp pointed out - you don’t get much change from a tenner now either, so at least if I have my card I always have the correct money.

I never have cash. I even pay my window cleaner and the man who cleans my bins via online banking
Everywhere takes card payment and more and more places taking Apple / android pay I'm even using my card less and less and using my phone.
The only time I lift cash is if I've to hand money into the school for whatever reason. Or for our local Chinese... other than that I have no need for it

My change always gets used up on the kids and I don't like to carry notes as I am seriously careless with my purse.