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.

Same cherry. What are the chances of being mugged in the uk for the average person? Low to zero. Think it's a manifestation of being abit tight.

I have literally never seen anyone use their phone to pay!

I use cash for a local toddler group and dance class in rural village hall and that's it. Everything else goes on my card. It's only once been a problem that I can think of.

My OH is like this. Never carries cash. Always raiding my wallet. When we go out I always have to use my cash. It's a pain.

Can't remember the last time I had cash on me. I never use it. I pay online for everything or use my phone mostly these days..in fact I hardly ever take a purse anywhere any more.

Cash is so clunky and outdated

Because most people use debit cards now. We're moving towards a cashless society.

I always have cash on me, as well as my cards. I feel odd without it.
I’m 42, so I don’t know if that makes a difference?
I like to see cash. With the high usage of cards, people can get lost just getting the card out, and not looking where the money’s going.
I used to work for a bank, and regularly reminded myself what £1,000 looked like, all neatly bagged up, and what my credit card bill was.
The problem with paying by card, is that it’s just numbers, no one looks at it like cash.

I carry cash, umpteen credit cards, a debit card, Apple Pay, always prepared for any scenario, that’s me. Never know if a bank might go down when paying for my shopping.

I still go to places that don't have card machines - exercise classes in the community, church coffee mornings and other fund raisers, parking money (local parking isn't contactless yet). Local public transport has only very recently started accepting cards. Our local station has a ticket machine that only accepts cards, but children without bank accounts and many pensioners still pay on the train.

I also find it easier to keep on top of my spending using cash in these cases because once it's gone it's gone.

Where are all these places that you don't need any cash at all?

I went to Iceland and that seemed a bit cashless, I used my credit card there which I had got specially for abroad has it had no charges, I also took a small bit of Icelandic cash just in case.

I've had no cash on me for the last three weeks, I have to physically go to the cash machine and never seem to bother.The last £10 I had lasted a month. I pay by card or phone so there never seems the need, even the window cleaner takes paypal or bank transfer. Ds and dd are exactly the same and so we transfer money between us if I pick them up shopping or they do for me. The only time I feel awkward if there is a charity collection outside a shop because I never have anything to put in.

I try to keep a little cash to hand, but my purse is often plundered by other members of the family who need cash for something. As a result, I often find myself without when I need it.

I used to use my debit card all the time because the nearest cashpoint I could use was over the bridge, now that my bank let's me use Sainsbury's cashpoint, I prefer cash.

Very rarely have cash on me. The only time I get cash out is for a night out or if I'm getting a taxi somewhere.

I get cash when I need it as cashback at supermarkets when I do my shopping as I don’t like using ATMs in case my card gets robbed from a dodgy one

I like to hear about £40 in cash on me. I never go out without my purse. What if I broke down or ran out of petrol or something? I use cash in the cafe at work (no cards), for parking, to tip the hairdresser, for small bits and pieces. Quite a few of the shops here don’t take cards or won’t for less than a tenner.

What happens though if there is a power cut or tills go down, cards and phone payment are no good then.

With the high usage of cards, people can get lost just getting the card out, and not looking where the money’s going

I think the opposite. When I pay on card, I can see exactly where my money is going because it’s all detailed on my online banking. I can track exactly what I spend my money on. If I pay cash, it’s easiee to fritter. Once it’s out of my account it’s gone from my bottom line (my bank account balance) and then, unless I write down my transactions (which frankly I will never do), I can’t see where my money has gone.

I use cash and I also keep some at home - about £30 in my purse and £200 in the house.

I have 2 teenage kids and a husband who travels away for work, and when I ended up in hospital and the kids had to keep going for a couple of days til DH got home it was invaluable.

Cards are fine - but I would either have had to give them my pin number (difficult if unconscious) and trust them not to wipe us out or they would have had to go round the neighbours asking for help.

I like to make sure worst case scenarios are covered. People laugh, but cash is definitely useful and I'm prepared.

Oh and not carrying cash doesn’t make me tight. I always, always pay my share.

This makes no sense but I always keep an eye on my bank balance. If I take out £20, my bank balance is already down so in my head I’ve spent it. Then just spend it on crap.

I tend to carry a 'float' of £10 note and a few coins unless I'm school running and I don't bring my purse although I'll bring my debit card if I need a few groceries. My car broke down the other day and I needed cash for a bus ticket (as in some places outside London that is how it works). I also need cash for parking and children need cash for school as is their system, I'd prefer that to be online payments though. In small businesses I'll pay cash so I'm not eating into their profits

The only time this annoys me is going out for a meal or somthing as a group and then having to pay in several different transations on hundreds of debit cards, despite making plans in advance and usually having a cashpoint within two minutes walk from the pub or restaurant. Whyyyyyy?

The mugging rates and phone stealing rates have gone down local to me because the likelihood is that there won't be any money in the Purse and the phone can be locked, coupled with Pawn shops needing ID and sharing information etc, it's made things safer. There was an increase in robberies at cash machines for a while, but people just don't use them in dodgy areas at night.

The small business were i shop put a 50p charge on transactions, which i'll pay for the convenience.

I always have £2 in the house, for a tip if we get a takeaway and my Window cleaner charges £2. When i'm getting a taxi home from shopping, i get the needed amount in Cashback.

I've stopped keeping a key etc in my Purse. Just in case I lose it and i have a rarely used bank account that I don't take out the card to. It just means losing your Purse etc isn't a big deal.

I love going to London and being able to tap my Debit Card to get around.

Because it's an absolute pain in the backside. I never carry cash.

Tbf, we live in a world that doesn't need such antiquated practices now it actually puts me off spending money if so where doesn't take card