To think that we are being forced into a cashless society?

[rockingthelook]

My parents really don't like to use debit cards, especially the contactless ones, however , due to C19 this seems to be the way forward? They like to take their money from the bank and use the cash rather than cards, really don't want to bank or pay for anything online because they don't trust it, but everything seems to be geared towards contactless. They had a walk today and wanted to buy a cup of tea from a takeaway cafe and couldn't, not only because the place wouldn't take cash, but the cards had to be contactless, and their cards aren't (they asked not to have this feature as frightened of them being stolen and used) It seems to be that the banks etc are using the C19 situation to force things through, my mum was even told by the cashier in the bank the other day to use the cash machine in the bank rather than get the cash over the counter because of the 'risks', fgs it's THEIR money, can't believe Age Concern/UK aren't all over this!

I don't understand why anyone would want to give up even more of their privacy and right to anonymity??

I'm guessing no one advocating for a cashless society is in the unfortunate position of being a benefits claimant?? My dad gifts me money each year for Christmas. He lives 20 miles away so thought it would be easier to bank transfer. I never saw any of that money that year. It was deducted from my housing benefit.

We might need to think differently about how we teach budgeting.

My teen son "taught" himself budgeting by having a Monzo account which includes budget functions, i.e. tells you how many days you have left on your current balance based on what you've entered as your budget for different types of spending. Very simple but clever app.

Yes agree and cashless society wont stop money laundering and the likes they will wprk out other ways , it will only affect the average person
Ive had a situation before where my bank had had issue so card not accepted and trolley full of shopping , luckily i had cash to pay
For those that say it helps with budgeting , not always as no physical cash so easier to hand over a peice of plastic and forget what you spend
Kids saving up pocket money helps if cash

Kids saving up pocket money helps if cash

How? Cash is easier to spend on frivolous rubbish. We got our son as child account when he was at primary school. He put all his "spare" cash, birthday/christmas money into it and saved over £2,000 over the years. That was after he'd bought things he wanted like xbox games, apps, etc which he paid for by his bank card!

Cash has had its day.

as no physical cash so easier to hand over a peice of plastic and forget what you spend

I disagree. I have a banking app I check daily. It shows items not yet taken, payments due and it collects spare change and have a saving section.

Much easier to see what you spent and where

@sst1234 the person isnt reading into conspiracy theories they have stated exactly what a cashless society is
I.e no cash given to children for maybe doing odd jobs or grandma giving them a couple pounds
When systems go down no access to your money as no cash back up
If country was hit by a cyber attack would be very open if cashless society
Many places dont get good enough signals for cards constantly
Isnt it much better to have a choice ?

The 1.2 million so-called unbanked individuals are said to pay a “banking poverty premium” because they are missing out on preferential deals and discounts on utility bills, mobile phone contracts, broadband and personal loans

Then we need to explore why some people don't have bank accounts don't we? I thought that new rules were brought in a few years ago to force banks to give "basic" bank accounts to people without good credit history etc - i.e. no overdraft facility, just what is effectively a pre-paid debit card account that they can use in shops, make purchases, direct debits etc etc. That opens up the world of online banking, online only deals etc etc.

www.moneysupermarket.com/current-accounts/opening-a-current-account-with-poor-credit/

Then we need to explore why some people don't have bank accounts don't we? I thought that new rules were brought in a few years ago to force banks to give "basic" bank accounts to people without good credit history etc - i.e. no overdraft facility, just what is effectively a pre-paid debit card account that they can use in shops, make purchases, direct debits etc etc. That opens up the world of online banking, online only deals etc etc.

But you can only get access to a bank account if you have a fixed address - a huge number of people without banks are homeless or exceptionally vulnerable. Putting them in a position where they can't use cash would marginalise them even further.

Cash kinda has had its day but what am I gonna buy drugs with? Goats?

I worked for a bank and remember there being a glitch and multiple banks users couldn't use their bank cards.

Technology is fallible and there's no back up for it in the short interim.

I had calls from people who were stranded with no fuel, couldn't pay for food, were stuck in restaurants etc.

If you had money in your wallet you've always got an easy, infallible, back up.

@GreenTulips and that works for you but not everyone has a phone or uses online banking and i have online banking and an app and its not foolproof , sometimes has technical issues etc and my card has been cloned before and money taken so again your money isnt always safe and not always returned instantly
Isn't it just better that we have a choice ?

The cash from the bank isn't actually 'their' money though, is it. It doesn't go into a vault with their name on, like Gringots. Cash IS undeniably filthy and germ-ridden, there's no way of knowing who and how many have handled it before you.

I think we're in a mixed inbetween where different areas and businesses are incentivising different strategies. The buses in my city are all contactless and apps, they've all gone 'no cash except in exceptional circumstances and exact only' whereas when I had to go one city over last month, the buses were all cash and app only, no contactless card payments. It's getting harder where I am to find a free cash machine, the last one in 15 minutes walk went to fee pay during this. I think it will remain mixed with different areas changing for the forseeable future.

Badbadbunny It's been interesting reading your experience as I was just looking at kids' accounts this morning. Some had no contactless or anything beyond being able to use it at cash machines whereas others had everything we'd expect of an adult card to do without overdraft or other functions.

I think it will be very individual, just like with adults - for me, seeing it as numbers makes it easier to budget and cash seems to end up in ether and feels more risky, whereas for others the physicalness works best for them and card use seems intangible and risky.

@vanillaandhoney exactly but people don't care as they prefer banking online etc , but why does it matter to them if we have cash and card and theirs a choice , they can still use their cards etc

I also understand risk of covid maybe from cash although we dontbrealky know this for sure yet ,and people being wary and yes cash is dirty to a degree but we have been using it for years with no real health problems and you can wash your hands ??
Not aware of loads of cash related diseases in the 100's of years we have been using it

I haven't used any cash at all since lockdown started. To be honest all I used cash for before was at the hairdressers, who don't accept card for some reason, and at my nail place who also only take cash. It's so annoying having to make sure I get cash out for both of those things.
I'd love a cashless society. I don't understand WHY your parents don't trust online banking etc. There's nothing to not trust.
And really, the government are welcome to track exactly what I spend if they'd like- I'm not sure how interesting they'd find my grocery shopping and kids clothes orders.
People who are scared and untrustworthy of using cards and online really need to move with the times or they'll be left behind.

Chanjer making it more difficult to buy drugs is a good reason to get rid of cash.

Tbh I'll be glad to see the back of cash. It really isn't needed anymore and I anticipate we will become a cashless society before long. As tough as it is for them, we can't let fear of the unfamiliar, unwillingness to adapt and the paranoia of the tinfoil hat brigade hinder progress.

[quote Notfeelinggreattoday]@sst1234 the person isnt reading into conspiracy theories they have stated exactly what a cashless society is
I.e no cash given to children for maybe doing odd jobs or grandma giving them a couple pounds
When systems go down no access to your money as no cash back up
If country was hit by a cyber attack would be very open if cashless society
Many places dont get good enough signals for cards constantly
Isnt it much better to have a choice ? [/quote]
Yes.

Until recently, I volunteered in a charity shop.

Quite frequently our card machine would go 'down' , usually malfunctioning due to some update or other. Caused staff to take time out to phone tech departments etc.

The charity lost a lot of revenue on those days. One particular customer was purchasing items worth at least £60. I said sorry card machine not working. She said no cash. I said why not go to the cash machine across the road. She said her bank card was at home and she only had phone payment. She couldn't buy what she wanted.

I don't see why anyone wouldn't want a choice.

Those of us without means and reliant on benefits (esp disabled), don't want to give the government any more reason to be tracking our purchases. Don't trust them. Would rather keep my purchases anonymous. Is a tub of Ben and Jerry's deemed non essential?? What about a mascara?? My DC extracurricular activities?? Yes I realise they don't look at individual items .. YET ..

Quite frequently our card machine would go 'down' , usually malfunctioning due to some update or other. Caused staff to take time out to phone tech departments etc. The charity lost a lot of revenue on those days.

Then it's a business decision to move to a more reliable card processing firm, although it's more likely to have been a failure on the part of whichever employee was responsible for keeping the machine/software properly updated, i.e. user error rather than provider error.

If they were so unreliable, there'd be outcrys and the processing firms with faulty systems/equipment would soon be out of business.

For the vast majority of businesses, it works fine for the majority of the time.

Nope. Worked in retail for many, many years and in many different firms.

Card machines go down quite often.

@sst1234 Ah your quick wit really made me chuckle.

Back in the real world, I do all of the above because I escaped an extremely abusive relationship and am terrified of being found and killed.
Don't let that get in the way of your assumptions though.

How often do we hear about someone being robbed and all their cash stolen.

I would say less often than we hear about someone being defrauded purely electronically. Sometimes for six-figure sums for individuals, and even more for businesses. And no, the banks don't always refund. If they blame you for being a victim of crime, or don't believe it was fraud at all, you're in for a difficult legal battle.

"Cashless" may offer advantages, but reduction in crime isn't one of them.