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.

You seem obsessed with the notion that cashless people are taking advantage of someone. It's nonsense and its very weird.
It's you who seems sensitive and upset.

I use a card sometimes but mainly just use apps.

There is no right or wrong way. People can do as they please.

Cashless to me is an extension of using technology to free up time to do other things I prefer to do.

The new iPhone looks even more complicated to pay with than my not very reliable with a fingerprint one, I still can’t see how it is easier than a contactless card to pay with. I have put another card on my phone and will have another go though to see how I get on with it as everyone is saying how easy it is.

My experience was tap phone, hope fingerprint works, if not put pin in, so no better than card, waft card, hope it works , put pin in if not.

I never carry cash on me. I don't like carrying cash as it is harder to keep track of and I constantly fritter away the odd quid here and there, which all adds up at the end of the day.
I can't recall the last time I've had to use cash. I'd probably just go without if I ended up somewhere that required cash. If I know I'm going somewhere that is cash only, then I will take cash out.

I just take the lock off my phone and tap.

I rarely have cash on me.

Cashless system at work (although we do have ATMs) and I have Apple Pay and my card for anything I want to buy. I get cash out for specific reasons.

I frequently forget if I have cash in my purse, so I’m spending money in Asda or something on my card when I have notes in there!

This thread prompted me and I’ve literally got £25 cash in my purse . I don’t know why, I think it might belong to a child of mine but I just can’t remember

And if you only carry enough cash for what you think you need and find yourself far from a cash point,you'll have to rely on this who carry cash. See where this is going?

Why will I?

If I end up in a situation where I need cash that I don't have, and can't get to a cashpoint, then I'll go without or find another solution. Why would I have to rely on a friend who carries cash? Can you give me an example of when this has happened to you?

I rarely have any cash - I hate it, I pay for everything I can by card and monitor all spending really carefully via the app on my phone (and I'm not poor - just a bit obsessive!).

On payday I take out the cash I need for the month to pay the cleaner, farrier and my chiropractor as they only take cash. Literally everything else I pay on card. I pay for parking locally via an app on phone.

If I am going somewhere where I know I will need cash then I will get cash for it - but if it is unexpected then yes, I'm always the one without cash.

I never go anywhere without my cards though. So I could always buy a train ticket - or get cash via ATM if desperate.

My experience was tap phone, hope fingerprint works, if not put pin in, so no better than card, waft card, hope it works , put pin in if not.

I don't know why it's so complicated for you, I literally just unlock my phone (using my fingerprint scan or pass code) and tap it on the reader. Only if I have used my phone too many times consecutively without using my card (either contactlessly or with chip and pin) will it ask me to put my pin into my phone keypad.

I dont even have to actively go into the AndroidPay app unless I want to change my payment from my default card to another card I have saved in the app.

I still can’t see how it is easier than a contactless card to pay with.

It works for more than thirty quid. It gives you a list of the transactions you've made. Those may or may not matter to you.

then I'll go without or find another solution.

I'm curious about what the other solution is, though.

Going round in circles.

This was posted by someone who claims they don't need to carry cash (or more than necessary) - feel free to correct me if I got that wrong:

Springtrolls Tue 06-Mar-18 23:50:36

So even when out and I haven't got cash, I can pay the person who lends me a fiver there and then.

My comment:
And here you go back to the point of the OP. You need to borrow cash. Someone else had to have the trouble to get cash and carry it for you to borrow it.
And then they have to give you their bank or PayPal or whatever details when you could just carry that tenner with you and save everyone else the hassle of bailing you out.

So, Springtrolls assumes they will be bailed out by people carrying cash. It's great they can be paid back there and then, but they had to be the idiots carrying that cash, don't they?

I'm curious about what the other solution is, though.

Say I go to my yoga class where the payment is in cash, and I haven't managed to get cash out beforehand. I can just PayPal the teacher the money instantly if he gives me his email address. Or his mobile number. I can transfer the cash there and then.

If he didn't have a PayPal account (which I know he does!) and I hadn't managed to get the cash out earlier that day for whatever reason, then I wouldn't go to the class!

But fiddling about with paypal, exchanging email addresses, tracking who has paid what and dealing the inevitable mistakes when someone sends money to the wrong account is a pain compared to just handing a fiver over as you walk through the door.

Not using cash is always going to be easier for you, because you're transferring the effort to other people.

But, if you get to a child and play and it has suddenly gone up 50p and they don't take cards and the nearest cash machine is quite far (there was a thread a while ago with a situation like this, so not making it up), what do you do? Go all the way up to a cash machine? Go back home?

Same thing if you suddenly want a cup of coffee and can't easily get cash. Just go without? For the sake of not carrying a couple of pounds? Why? Just curious, really.

I run groups. I would not accept an instant paypal. Paypal can be reversed within a certain time. You pay cash or you don't get in.

And agree that for those running the group taking cash is way easier. Checking every payment online as people come through the door would be a headache. I run this as a volunteer so am not going to pay for a card reader.

Still, this whole latest discussion with me was started by someone who, by all accounts, admited they'd borrow cash from others.

Do what you like if you don't carry cash, but if you're proud about it and make a point of it, but then have to borrow cash, you're using the people who make a point of carrying extra cash. If we were all like that you would not have anyone to borrow from.

BTW, I've borrowed and lent cash to people when caught short (usually for to lunch at work and just because we don't want to delay lunch by popping to the cash machine), but it is annoying if it's the sort of person who makes a point of only carrying what they think they need.

I have never needed cash from anyone.

You don't need to paypal or check payments etc. You just need a mobile number which will be in my phone any way.

It is obvious on this thread that many don't understand the technology we now have available to us.
It makes my life much easier, not more complex.

But, if you get to a child and play and it has suddenly gone up 50p and they don't take cards and the nearest cash machine is quite far (there was a thread a while ago with a situation like this, so not making it up), what do you do? Go all the way up to a cash machine? Go back home?

We can't have children, so that particular scenario isn't likely to happen. But if I was taking a niece or nephew out, then I'd make sure I had some cash with me before I picked them up, same as someone who uses cash routinely. I live somewhere surrounded by ATMs, so it's not difficult to get out a few tenners from an ATM on my way to the tube or bus stop when I leave the house.

Same thing if you suddenly want a cup of coffee and can't easily get cash. Just go without? For the sake of not carrying a couple of pounds? Why? Just curious, really.

I live in the capital city, there are very few places that don't take cards if I wanted a coffee. If I'm going out of town and likely to be somewhere where not everywhere is likely to take cards, then, again, I'll make sure I get some cash out when I leave the house, so that I have cash for coffee or taxis or buses or lunch or entrance fees to somewhere that I might need cash for.

Today, I'm not sure where I will get my lunch from. I might go to Leon or Pret or Abokado or Eat and know I can pay with card. Or I might go to Borough market - most stalls take card, but some don't, so if I go for that open, on my walk from the office to the market I will get a tenner out from one of the many ATMs that I pass. It'll be a pain carrying the change I'll get from the stallholder , so once I'm home, the change will go in a coin dish, rather than carry around a load of shrapnel with me.

I run groups. I would not accept an instant paypal. Paypal can be reversed within a certain time. You pay cash or you don't get in.

That's fine that you don't want to accept any kind of PayPal or bank transfer. If I was disorganised enough not to have come armed with cash to your class, it would be totally reasonable to turn me away.

However, on Monday, I know that I have my yoga class - I keep cash in the house so it's there if I need it, so I'll grab a tenner and a couple of coins from the coin dish, and take it with me.

My teacher said he actually really likes the instant payment as he has less to cash up. He said if I want to pay that way going forward, it might be easier all round! All he does is put a tick by my name when I ping the cash to him, same as if I hand the note and coins to him. He doesn't need a card reader, the money goes straight into his account (instead of him having to take the cash to the bank to pay in). He is happy to be paid via either means, so works for us.

I can't think of a single occasion where I've been stuck because of not having cash on me, and had to borrow any from anyone

Different for a business as they have to keep books. The activity I run costs £2. I put the cash in a tupperware box I carry with me and pay costs out of that. I am not going to spend time keeping books.

I always seemed to need a pound for those damn supermarket trolleys though I must admit since the new pound coin not so many use them now, our Asda seems not to now. I did used to put pound coins in the car for them, then would have to go back to the car because I had forgotten it.

blacktea So how do people make payments to you, and how do you check they have paid you?

But fiddling about with paypal, exchanging email addresses, tracking who has paid what and dealing the inevitable mistakes when someone sends money to the wrong account is a pain compared to just handing a fiver over as you walk through the door.

Not using cash is always going to be easier for you, because you're transferring the effort to other people.

Why?

I would never want anyone to pay me cash for anything, because it's putting the effort on me to give them change, or carry a load of shrapnel around, or take the cash to the bank.

If I'm doing a whip round for a leaving gift, I would MUCH rather someone PayPal me the money, than give me a fiver.

If someone wants to be paid cash, then the onus is on me to either pay them cash, or not buy their product or service

But some people find cash much more effort than electronic payments

I have to keep a list of who's paid me what if they give me cash

With any online transactions I can see exactly who's paid me

I've done loads of group presents, or group trips or whatever, and it's much easier to give someone my mobile number or email address and get the exact money from them that way. I don't want to be carrying around a load of fivers and pound coins - or worse have to give someone change.

YOU find cash easier to manage. OTHERS find cash a pain and electronic payments much easier to manage.

Different strokes for different folks.