To think you still need to carry cash?

[Happinessforever]

Another example of me feeling old and out of touch

More and more people don't seem to carry cash, especially young people in their twenties or under. Need to pay something at work? It's a PayPal transfer, same for splitting a meal. Travel all by app. Same with shopping.

But I can't not have money on me 'just incase'. Always have at least a fiver but usually about £40.

So, AIBU to think you always need cash? Or am I clinging onto an old outdated habit

But being so cool that you never carry cash is going to bite you in the bum at time

What are you on about? Who said anything about being "cool"?

The only thing I find I need cash for is toddler group. Otherwise I don't carry any at all. It's not because I feel "cool", I just don't need it..

Imagine being so insecure you consider yourself ‘uncool’ (and imagine caring!) just because you use cash. Weird.

@mencken how much cash do you carry to prevent a problem if the networks go down? I do have cash in my purse, about £8 (and probably another 50p in coppers). It won't go far.

As pp said it depends where you live. I work in central London and I can pay for everything on card, even my work canteen is card only for speediness. I can go weeks without getting cash out, and for then it tends to be to break notes so I can use change to tip my hairdresser/manicurist etc.

But then we live near Kent and like to spend weekends staying in the neighbouring small villages, or driving to rural Sussex, some of them are very rural with bad signal so only accept cash as the card machines don’t pick up a strong enough signal. And the small village shops tend to be cash only too. So I think it depends where you are.

Personally I prefer card payments as I tend to spend coins just because i have them. And I can track my spending/budget better when it’s all on my online banking. But different strokes for different folks.

Also amazed that people can be so utterly reliant on their fragile giant stealable phones that need daily charging.

Amazed that people can be so reliant on paper that can be burnt, ripped and stolen in seconds...

Lots of small shops round here have a minimum £5 spend before you can use a card or they charge you - our local Spar even had it until recently.

Often I need something small and I don't want to have to spend £5 to get the thing I actually need which only costs £1-2.

I always carry a small amount of cash on me.

I’m actually planning to start using cash more again. I’m on a tight budget and using cash is proven to help people avoid overspending.

I never have cash. I don't go anywhere that I need it for and I can pay by phone or card. If somewhere doesn't take cards, I go somewhere else. Even taxis are all done by app and they encourage you to pay by card.

My workplace is going cash free next year and I have heard of a few other places that are considering it.

I carry some cash but pay by card as a default. The cash is only if they don't take card.

Used cash recently for:
Coffee at an arts centre (cash only)
Sub for dc club

Errmmm...can't think of anything else!

We are booking to go to a rural town in Ireland and just read there is no ATM and some places don't take card...that is not normal!

Outside the bubble which is London, plenty of people use cash for - window cleaners, mobile mechanics, takeaways, markets, smaller shops, gardeners, odd job men (and women).
When we were in Germany and Austria this year, there were plenty of places which didn't accept our Visa cards, including petrol stations and even large restaurants.
Can you use public loos without having cash on you?
Slot machines in funfairs?
Charity boxes?

DD went to Amsterdam on a girls holiday - there were many places that did not take Visa (her only card), only Mastercard or cash - so she had to find a cashpoint.

I was at a rural hospital recently and the vending machine took card!

And a Chinese that was cash only

I never, ever carry cash - and very rarely use it at all. The only things I need it for is to pay for the kids' martial arts classes, to put in the collections at church, to pay the window cleaner and occasionally to stick in a birthday card. If I know I will need it for one of the above things I take some out of the bank and keep it in an envelope, but I never have it in my purse. I pay for everything possible by card or online transfer.

The hairdresser I take DS to is cash only, and I need cash for playgroup when we go. That’s about it. I can’t think of anywhere else that doesn’t take card. And I don’t live in a city, but a little village in Norfolk - hardly ever do I need cash.

I find it amazing that people are happy to completely rely on technology! Have you ever considered that the Internet may/will one day break down completely and will mean no access to any of your precious data? I always keep a good sum of cash in the house just in case this does happen.

The only time I get cash out is to pay my nail lady who works from home. I hate having cash on me, it makes me worry about losing it and just seems pointless when everyone takes card.

I live in a little village about 40mins outside of Manchester, so not in a city.

I never carry cash and it’s never been a problem. I even pay for car park charges through an app now. Actually—I even saw one of those Peppa Pig rides you see outside stores with contactless payment on it.

Even the vending machine at work takes contactless now. I hardly ever have cash on me these days, I just don’t need it.

I don't carry cash. I'm nearly 50.

Superlooper, I live in a rural town (in Scotland) where some places take only cash (although we only have like 5 "places" anyway) and there is no ATM. It's annoying. You have to remember to get cash out when elsewhere, otherwise you can be stuck. A friend didn't have enough cash on her one day and there was some fuck-up with her bus pass so it didn't work - she had to walk an hour to the next town over to get to a cash machine so she could buy a bus ticket to get to work. Only a few months later the buses added contactless, so that won't happen again at least!

I was an avid cash merchant until earlier this year. No cards, only cash

My crappy bank account i have had since i was 13 was being slowly dismantled in terms of usability and changing rules at the desk in banks kinda forced my hand to get a debitable account

Now there's only 1 thing i use cash for and it's a secret it is really easy to exist otherwise without it though, as much as it pains me to say it

I hardly ever use cash these days. I mostly
go out with just my keys and phone these days. Quite a few of the businesses near my office, including our work coffee shop, only take contactless. I keep a pound coin in the car for supermarket trolleys and swimming pool lockers, though.

For various reasons I regularly park at two different NHS hospitals. In the last two years both of them have removed the ability to pay by card and are now cash only.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@easyandy101 You cant leave me in suspense? I'm thinking illegal :)