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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder why, in 2018, some places don't take cards?

76 replies

AvocadosBeforeMortgages · 04/03/2018 08:48

I rarely carry cash as I rarely need it. Public transport here is cash free. Works canteen is cash free. Almost everywhere else accepts card - even the market stall greengrocer.

And yet every so often I find a shop that won't take cards. I tried to buy a £2.50 item in a shop yesterday. Turned out card minimum was a fiver. Only ATM in the neighbourhood is broken, and I wasn't willing to walk a mile round trip to the next one, so they lost a sale.

Why oh why in 2018 are shops still declining cards as a form of payment?

OP posts:
specialsubject · 04/03/2018 09:45

Because in 2018 running a small business in the UK is very difficult . the charges from the card issuers haven't magically vanished, the business is expected to 'absorb' them. You will howl if the prices go up so it is back to cash.

Taxis and nails are pricey enough to absorb the cost. £3 or less on a sandwich is not.

As cash machines networks crash often, anyone not carrying money is either the queen or rather silly. Even in London.

minionsrule · 04/03/2018 09:50

My dentist takes debit cards but not credit cards which i find weird. I never pay by debit card so have to take bundles of cash or a stone age cheque

specialsubject · 04/03/2018 09:52

Higher charges on credit cards. Why don't you pay on debit card? Same protection and you clearly have the money.

MongerTruffle · 04/03/2018 09:56

My dentist takes debit cards but not credit cards which i find weird.
That's because it's usually cheaper for the merchant to accept debit card payments. HMRC won't let you use a credit card anymore because they aren't allowed to charge you extra for using one.

LadyFairfaxSake · 04/03/2018 10:10

But do you avocado,

Under what legislation is it illegal to charge customers to pay by card? I ask as many shops near me charge 50p per card transaction, even if I spend over £5.

maggienolia · 04/03/2018 10:10

Any ATMs that are installed in our local villages would be ram raided before the glue had dried.

dementedpixie · 04/03/2018 10:14

New legislation came in recently about credit/ debit card charges.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/cards/2018/01/cards-fees-to-be-banned-from-saturday/amp

Stefoscope · 04/03/2018 10:14

We have a minimum card spend of £10 at our shop. As a small business it doesn't make sense for us to take the hit on card charges on lower transactions. Chances are that shop would have lost money on that £2.50 sale when you consider they would have had to buy the item in the first place, pay around 30p per debit card charge, pay rent on the premises, pay staff wages, pay electric for lighting, pay business rates to the council, pay for refuse collection, pay the accountant etc. Even running a small shop is extremely hard work and most business owners like to earn money to pay for their living costs, (extravagant things like mortgage, food, bills etc).

Credit card transactions in particular are high. Factor in competition from larger businesses and the internet selling items pretty much at cost, we had to look for other ways to offer value to our customers. It works and people know to bring cash, or more often than not are more than happy to spend £10 and use their card. I'm sure there are some people who feel aggrieved at not being able to use their card to buy a can of coke and don't come back, but that's life and we don't lose sleep over it!

lljkk · 04/03/2018 10:15

Am I the only one Shock that someone pays £50 for their Chinese takeaway or 4 in a tea-shop?

Both the total price & the willingness to pay it are what make me Shock . We can feed a gluttonous family of 6 for about £24 from our Chinese take-away (do make our own rice & steamed veg, tbf).

BarbaraofSevillle · 04/03/2018 10:19

No, I thought that too. £20-30 at the Chinese we use would be loads of food for a family. They're cash only and don't use just eat etc. Always busy too.

pineapplecrush · 04/03/2018 10:33

I can understand businesses having a minimum amount maybe £5 but as others have said, not taking cards at all is not good for trade. My former hairdresser didn't take cards, a hair colour there for my daughter was £80 so withdrawing and carrying cash around - she would take a bank transfer I think, i.e. online banking when you were there.

Some small businesses just want cash.

Argeles · 04/03/2018 10:57

It’s really impractical for businesses to not take card payments. I hardly ever carry any cash, or if I do, it’s a nominal amount.

I stopped off at a ‘convenience’ store recently with my DD. It was far from ‘convenient’ for me. I wanted to buy 2 soft drinks and a toddler snack. I whipped out my card as I always do, to be told that they don’t take any card payments. This is a shop that sells bottles of wine, boxes of chocolate and sells lottery tickets and washing powder for example. The shop is in West London, and it’s the 21st Century for fuck sake!

I fumbled around in my purse, but was 55p short. I was really frustrated, and told the lady I’d have to leave the items (there was no way I’d have only bought 2 of the items, I’d have rather taken my custom elsewhere). To my total surprise, the lady allowed me to buy all three items, despite being 55p short! I was really thankful. Surely it’d just be in their best interests to just install a card machine?

It’s in an area with a very high crime rate, and I definitely wouldn’t go searching around there for a cash machine, never mind go and use one there. It’d be safer for the shopkeepers to have less cash in their till too surely.

My DH also doesn’t carry cash. He works in Central London and hardly ever even uses cards anymore - he uses Apple Pay.

Fleurchamp · 04/03/2018 10:58

My local beauty salon doesn't take cards and it catches so many people out. The cheapest treatment is an express manicure costing £15.
They are always busy and have 5/6 staff. I cannot believe that the cost of transactions is the reason for not taking cards (the previous owner did).
I am cynical and think that by being cash only they can "manipulate" their figures for HMRC.

strawberrytheguineapig · 04/03/2018 11:11

As a small business owner I think it’s very short sighted of businesses not to take card payments (or payments on less than £5).

Yes it is costs to use a card. But I also have to pay my bank to pay in cheques and cash.

You have to accept that it’s all an outgoing for your business.

The person who is allowed to pay by card for £2 one day, might then come back another day and spend more.

And if you don’t take card payments at all, you are heading for trouble. People just don’t carry cash any more these days. There’s a thread on here about this very subject today.

madsiemoomoo · 04/03/2018 11:40

As cash machines networks crash often, anyone not carrying money is either the queen or rather silly. Even in London.

Well this is another reason I rarely carry cash - trying to find ATMs that are working is often a challenge!

Also someone mentioned that there are issues with banks occasionally. I have my personal bank account with one bank and the joint account with another so if there are problems with one banking group and their debit cards there isn't a problem

Bardolino · 04/03/2018 11:54

Clearly you don't live in a rural area. Lots of small businesses up here do take cards, when they can, but the broadband connection is so poor that the connection regularly times out - that's when they've been able to make the connection in the first place. So, abysmal broadband, no 3G network (4G, what's that?). Add on bank fees, buying the equipment, paying for internet (still costs, even if it is crap), frustration of both staff and customer - it's really not worth it for many small businesses.

SandyDenny · 04/03/2018 12:01

It's not hard to understand that having a card machine costs money, I don't suppose small businesses do it to annoy you, they've probably worked out that overall the loss of your couple of small transactions is less than the cost of taking cards.

Personally I think it's odd to never have any cash, my DC do several different activities that I pay for in cash weekly but I don't live in London, us rural folk are so last century.

SilverySurfer · 04/03/2018 12:29

I'm the reverse, its inconceivable for me to leave home without any cash and would never consider using my card for such a small amount as £2.50.

expatinscotland · 04/03/2018 12:36

'Am I the only one shock that someone pays £50 for their Chinese takeaway or 4 in a tea-shop?'

No, you're not.

Firesuit · 04/03/2018 12:56

It's not hard to understand that having a card machine costs money, I don't suppose small businesses do it to annoy you, they've probably worked out that overall the loss of your couple of small transactions is less than the cost of taking cards.

As far as I can tell from google, it costs at most 3p to process a one pound transaction. The percentage cost will be lower for higher transactions. (And higher for lower ones.)

It doesn't seem like an impossibe overhead to just build into your prices.

Rednailsandnaeknickers · 04/03/2018 12:59

Yes it's a cost to small businesses but if they don't take cards they are going to lose out overall I think.

Nice coffee shop opened in local busy market town (think population over 20.000), cash only no cards. I went once, didn't realise, embarrassing at the till and had to make detour to get cash from supermarket atm. I only ever take my phone with cards in the holder out with me. Same for friends. Plenty other choices of places to meet that do take cards. They closed down within months. Crazy! Confused

specialsubject · 04/03/2018 13:00

the card machine won't be free to install, buy/rent, whatever they do.

It is common sense to have some cash on you and some kept in the house. We work on enough for a taxi to the nearest hospital - which as we are not-London is not very near, and there's no other public transport to get there. This is in case we can't use the car which is always a possibility.

BTW check your stash for old notes.

Dungeondragon15 · 04/03/2018 13:03

I usually have cash for small purchases as I know the shop may be charged a flat fee. I find it irritating if they don't accept cards whatever the cost as happened recently to me. They wouldn't accept card even though most customers pay at least £50 for their services. The worst thing was that they didn't even tell me until it was too late (they had already provided the service) and they then expected me to walk to a cashpoint.

Lovestonap · 04/03/2018 13:05

I don't really mind a £5 minimum spend, I am one of those shoppers who will buy tat to bulk purchase out- but if you don't accept card I'm unlikely to complete my purchase with you. You can helpfully direct me to a cash point all you want, I will leave your shop/cafe and visit a competitor that does take card. I won't come back to you again.

TalkinPeace · 04/03/2018 13:08

Card Companies charge around £30 a month just to have the machine
and then they take a cut of every transaction
lower ratefor Debit cards
Higher rate for Credit cards
sky high rate for Amex
if you are in a seasonal area, the card machine has to be paid for even when there is no trade

then again the Italian Restaurant in York that is cash only when taking many, many thousands of pounds a night is, I suspect playing a diffferent game Grin