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!

Monzo are doing a lot to help everyone be able to get a bank account:

monzo.com/campaign/banking-for-all

@Sugarplumfairy65

Daisychains20

@Sugarplumfairy65 hmm wear gloves?!

I don't want to. I would have to change them after each transaction. If people think that their right to pay cash trumps my right to stay safe then they can shop elsewhere. Same goes for my face mask and 2m distance rule.

You do know that requiring every single person to wear a face mask can be considered discriminatory, don't you?

@Sugarplumfairy65 well that’s your choice as it is for people to spend their cash else where. You are only giving the customer one choice which is to pay be card, as where you have the options to wear gloves etc but are choosing not to. Also I have not seen cashiers change their gloves after each transaction they just make sure they don’t touch their faces. The only people I have seen change gloves are in the bakers and they are having no issues.
As someone who also owns a business I would be overjoyed if after being closed for months people actually wanted to come back and spend their money in my shop whether it be my cash or card.

Good luck going forward.

I don't understand why the supermarkets are happy for their cashiers to handle all the (many, many) items I've handled twice (off shelf into trolley, out of trolley onto conveyer belt) but not the notes in my wallet. I prefer to use cash in restaurants, petrol stations and smaller shops - really only use card if I'm spending over £30.

@Fruitloopcowabunga

I don't understand why the supermarkets are happy for their cashiers to handle all the (many, many) items I've handled twice (off shelf into trolley, out of trolley onto conveyer belt) but not the notes in my wallet. I prefer to use cash in restaurants, petrol stations and smaller shops - really only use card if I'm spending over £30.

You clearly have no idea how dirty money actually is. And no, it doesn’t compare to items in a supermarket

Also I have not seen cashiers change their gloves after each transaction they just make sure they don’t touch their faces.

Daisychains20 They should be changing them after each transaction if they’re using them. Gloves are incredibly unhygienic and I would not buy food from any food establishment that had the employees making the food wearing gloves.

@Hingeandbracket

Tax avoidance is legal - one example is an ISA. Tax evasion is the illegal version. The trouble is the government never goes after the real bad guys.

To suggest that having an ISA is tax avoidance is laughable. It is a savings vehicle created by government to encourage people to save and the interest isn't taxed.

I don't understand the posters who claim that cash is more expensive to process. It costs my business 65p for every £100 banked. A credit card costs £2.59 (2.59% transaction value) for the same £100, a debit card is 69p (0.69%). Plus card machine purchase, plus my bank then charges it's own fee for the privilege of receiving the funds. Who's paying for all these fees? You the customer that's who.
Card transactions can also only happen if everything is up and working. Power cut? Forget it. System glitch at Visa? Forget it. Problem with a bank computer system (remember TSB)? Forget it. There are so many points of failure in a card-only payment system. Many a time, our local shop puts up cash only signs when their broadband connection goes down because without it, the card machine wont work.
Mobile data isnt any more reliable either. Cash does not (providing you don't get mugged or lose it) have this problem.
From a bank charges point of view, cheques are the best... 30p to process no matter what value. Pain in the arse otherwise.
The point is though that we all end up paying more because of the processing fees. Most personal bank accounts are fee free/very low fee. Business bank accounts are not and the costs rack up. Bank fees/card processing fees cost my business over £3k a year and 80% of that is card processing. That has to be covered in the price you pay.

The point is though that we all end up paying more because of the processing fees. Most personal bank accounts are fee free/very low fee. Business bank accounts are not and the costs rack up. Bank fees/card processing fees cost my business over £3k a year and 80% of that is card processing. That has to be covered in the price you pay.

Counting cash, recording/checking cash and banking cash also has costs including bank charges, higher insurance, risk of theft, etc.

I'd settle for everything costing to the nearest 10p to get rid of the fekkin small change!

I'm laughing at all these people whose answer to banking problems is to have two cards from different banks and various credit cards.

Yes, some of us don't want to have numerous different cards and accounts.

I have one debit card that I use for all transactions. I don't want a credit card because (a) I don't need to use credit to pay for anything and (b) I don't want the hassle of making sure I pay it off on time in order not to incur interest.

I certainly neither want nor need numerous different bank accounts. It would all feel like too much bother.

I'm happy with my debit card, it does the job and I don't have to pay for the privilege of using it.

I live in Zone 2 and the nearest cash point that isn't a stinger (£2. sodding 50) is a 20 minute walk, usually Out of Order and always looks like the card slot has been hit with a hammer. 😂

Just how dirty is cash then, actually? heartsonacake

@StripeyBananas

Just how dirty is cash then, actually? heartsonacake

Notes and coins carry more germs than your toilet (yes, that includes faecal matter) and viruses and bacteria—including the flu virus—can live on notes for up to 17 days.

Money is exceptionally dirty.

Today 17:30 Gwenhwyfar

Rinoachicken
I support adults with learning disabilities - most of them don’t have cards and use cash only when out and about, especially those who live in residential homes, where they will be given ‘£10 for the day’ on a day out for example.

Yes, but things change with time don't they. Couldn't they be taught to use a pre-paid card with small amounts on it?*

Have you ever met someone with a moderate to severe LD?? I’m guessing not. Some may be able to learn with time, (and I’m talking months to years here). Some never will. It also makes it MUCH harder to teacher the concept of value of money.

When you have coins, they can (with support or alone) count out their money, add it up, know how much they have and therefore what they can buy.

With a card, it’s not money - it’s a bit of plastic.

• Can I use any piece of plastic in a shop? Why just this piece?
• Can I swap it with your piece of plastic because yours is my favourite colour?
• I’m just going to chuck this away because it’s a piece of plastic.
• How do I tell the difference between the piece of plastic that lets me buy things and the piece of plastic that lets me get on the bus?
• How do I know how much invisible money I have inside this piece of plastic? Sometimes it has £20, sometimes it has £10.

But apparently their money isn’t good enough for some companies eh @Sugarplumfairy65

If we suddenly and quickly go cashless - the people I support will struggle massively to by and be a part of their communities.

Quote fail there

@Rinoachicken

* Today 17:30 Gwenhwyfar

Rinoachicken
I support adults with learning disabilities - most of them don’t have cards and use cash only when out and about, especially those who live in residential homes, where they will be given ‘£10 for the day’ on a day out for example.

Yes, but things change with time don't they. Couldn't they be taught to use a pre-paid card with small amounts on it?*

Have you ever met someone with a moderate to severe LD?? I’m guessing not. Some may be able to learn with time, (and I’m talking months to years here). Some never will. It also makes it MUCH harder to teacher the concept of value of money.

When you have coins, they can (with support or alone) count out their money, add it up, know how much they have and therefore what they can buy.

With a card, it’s not money - it’s a bit of plastic.

• Can I use any piece of plastic in a shop? Why just this piece?
• Can I swap it with your piece of plastic because yours is my favourite colour?
• I’m just going to chuck this away because it’s a piece of plastic.
• How do I tell the difference between the piece of plastic that lets me buy things and the piece of plastic that lets me get on the bus?
• How do I know how much invisible money I have inside this piece of plastic? Sometimes it has £20, sometimes it has £10.

But apparently their money isn’t good enough for some companies eh @Sugarplumfairy65

If we suddenly and quickly go cashless - the people I support will struggle massively to by and be a part of their communities.

What happened to SEN people when the imperial system was changed to metric? Or do people with SEN still pay with shillings and pence?

Most of them were hidden and locked away in asylums

I have never ever been this situation (pre-covid, haven't been out recently):

Cashier: " that'll be £155.67 please"

Me: "there you go" hands over the cash

Cashier: "oh sorry your cash isn't working, can you pull it out again and put it back in? Or you could try some different notes?...Still not working, can you take it back and give it a rub? rubs cash Put it in. Put your code in again please.....waits sorry, this machine is very slow today...... waits ..ah, there we go you can take it out again, here's your receipt ".

Most of them were hidden and locked away in asylums. Thankfully these days we don’t tend to do that and instead make every effort to encourage and facilitate independence and a fulfilling life

Also, many who would have been around in the 70s and earlier have since passed away, having dramatically lower life expectancy than the general population.

But I don’t expect you to care about that either

That's horrible hearts but lots of surfaces must be like that when you're out and about? Railings, handles, bus seats, underneath tables, parkimg ticket machines,soft play balls...

@StripeyBananas

That's horrible hearts but lots of surfaces must be like that when you're out and about? Railings, handles, bus seats, underneath tables, parkimg ticket machines,soft play balls...

No, actually bacteria and viruses only live on those surfaces for about 48 hours.

Not to state the obvious that cash is more intimately and repeatedly handled than anything else.

Your parents are being ridiculous.

Rinoachicken

The goods I sell are luxury items that would be of no use and probably dangerous to people with learning difficulties.

And, to the person saying I was discriminatory by insisting on any one coming into my shop wears a face mask. I'm making a reasonable adjustment by offering those who cant wear a mask for medical reasons free delivery. They can browse my website and order online.

There are plenty of places who were cashless before this pandemic. I didn't see a big uproar about them.