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 Or am I clinging onto an old outdated habit

I (almost) always have cash on me. A couple of times my Apple Pay didn’t work on my phone (used Debit card instead), but it’s made me nervous if relying on that.

The only things I need cash for are the DC’s piano teacher and DC ‘home clothes’ days & other charity bits.

The local shop takes card, but I pay cash for small bits as the card transactions cost them.

Oh and car cleaning, but that’s not as frequent as it should be!

Whilst car parking can mostly be done by card, I like to have cash just in case. Same with cafes etc.

I'm 45 and never have cash on me. Bacs or PayPal if I owe friends money.

I never ever have cash. Depending on lifestyle and where you live it's perfectly possible to manage without it entirely.

Its fine until an important card reader fails. DD got kicked off the bus on her way to school the other day as the bus card reader wouldn't read her card. She had to find a cash point in the very very heavily pouring rain, wait for the next bus and travel to school soaking wet. Spent much of the weekend in bed unwell....

Thanks First Bus.....

Live in the north east and hardly ever/never use cash. Debit/credit for shopping/bus/metro. App for taxis etc. And as for cheques ... !!!

If "the internet breaks" the resulting anarchy will also render cash useless. You can't eat cash.

I need cash in my town all the time. Cash only places I can think of are the dry cleaners, butchers, nail shop. Need cash for parking. It’s a pain to go to a cash point nowadays but I find it easier to have £20 on me most of the time and some change.

I'm a market trader at a couple of good London markets. As a trader it drives us mad just how many people go to a (vintage) market and expect the traders to all take card. I over hear conversations all the time when members of the public don't even have a couple of quid on them and expect to pay by card for something cheap on a market stall. I know I'll have to get a machine at some point but im digging my heels in and for varying reasons I don't want one as they don't fit in with my routine. Cash is easier (I declare all my earnings so not for dodgy reasons). fortunately what I sell is pretty unique so people nearly always come back once I've told them where the nearest atm is 😁

I live in a major city and still need cash for taxis, some soft play places, farmers markets, craft markets, £1 charity things at work/cake sales, some local takeaways etc. I expect when DD goes to school I'll need bits for that too. DH seems to cope with mostly cards and a couple of notes and doesn't bother with change - but then I'm around for the £1 for the trolley!!

joy thats depressing to read. I'm guessing it was one of those small pop up independent markets? When I'm away Ang go to a local market I always take cash. I'm too set in my ways

DS school only accept cash for school dinners annoying so that's pretty much the only time I ever get money out. Oh and baby & toddler group. Which usually means getting a fiver out and waiting for them to have change.

I can't be alone in doing 99% of my shopping online? People mention small businesses etc that don't accept card, sadly, the small businesses in my area tend to only target premium end of market, price wise, eg 3 or 4 times the price of waitrose, so I just cannot patronise them.

I haven’t carried cash for years. The only reason I draw cash out is if there is something that needs paying for with cash. Examples are the book fair at school and cubs/beavers. I consider cash a humongous inconvenience and burden. I have been known to lose it which is a pain, I’m far less likely to lose my phone.

I can’t remember the last time we parked somewhere that needed cash either, the machines all have contactless. The world is now set up for card payments, I consider cash quite archaic.

Parking costs more if you pay by card, which is ridiculous and I refuse to pay even more for parking.

Never ever have cash. Monzo is the bees knees.

If you apply for a mortgage or loan from your bank they don't only look at your income and credit score but sometimes at what your spending your money on before deciding. Just one example of how your card useage is monitored. That said I use cash infrequently but due to a big belt tightening it's become more of a habit to get some cash out each week and when it's gone it's gone

I always have cash. We go to quite a few toddler groups which are pay when/as you go and our community charity shop only takes cash too.

I think it depends on where you live. I am late 50s and use both. Husband prefers cash for various reasons. He still uses cheques .
One adult kid uses both and the other mainly cash.
But then we don't all have i phones or apps. Husband is totally hopeless with technology and has a basic phone.

Something that occurred to me earlier. A country without cash, or where it's marginalised to the point of being useless, would be a gift to domestic abusers. It's impossible to squirrel away any funds to get out, or buy anything privately, if your abuser can monitor everything you spend via a banking app.

I agree, but I went to a market in London over the weekend and was told it was card only, which surprises me.

I’m not surprised. If they’re using an app, it means the money usually goes straight into an account and they don’t have to worry about carrying large sums of cash about, it becoming lost, stolen, or it being counterfeit. Someone could access their phone if stolen, but most banking apps require a password to access so money would still be safe in that instance.

Something that occurred to me earlier. A country without cash, or where it's marginalised to the point of being useless, would be a gift to domestic abusers. It's impossible to squirrel away any funds to get out, or buy anything privately, if your abuser can monitor everything you spend via a banking app.

Not necessarily. If you have an account in your name only, only you and the banker (after you’ve verified your identity) can see your ins and outs of the account. I have several accounts set up for me and our sons that my husband cannot see. He doesn’t know the amount in them and can’t see them via an app or going to a bank branch. The only thing that we can see is our joint account because both of our names are on it. He can’t access anything in my account without me there and I think bankers are supposed to be trained to look out for people taking out money under duress.

I'm thinking that an abusive partner would simply coerce the victim into giving them their login details. Even if the victim sets up a separate secret account, how do they get any money into it undetected without cash?

Then again, such an abuser would probably also demand every penny of cash be accounted for.