Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if going cashless is a good thing.

322 replies

smittenkittten · 14/08/2021 15:34

Most people I know don’t want to go cashless, but it seems to be inevitable that we are heading that way. Personally I hate the idea. There’s so many occasions when cash is needed, too many to mention, but it’s the little things mainly. Treating the grandkids, summer fetes, bring and buy sales, car boots......all the things where you usually use cash..
Will it just be digits in a bank account? What if you lose your phone? ...What do people think of it all?

OP posts:
VeryQuaintIrene · 14/08/2021 17:27

I love cash and find it much easier to budget for day to day small expenses than constantly having to check online for where I've spent a few dollars here and there. $100 in my wallet and I know exactly where it's going without any fuss at all. If you don't want to use it then don't but why impose your choices on others? As many PP have said, there are many good reasons why cash still has a place in society. And haven't there been occasional interruptions in digital means of finances so that everyone is stuck without access to funds?

00100001 · 14/08/2021 17:28

@TakeYourFinalPosition

I haven’t used cash for anything in years. I don’t carry a bag or anything so it’s pretty inconvenient for me. I don’t really even carry my card - usually just my phone and my watch, although DH has my card and is often around if it was needed. It’s typically not, unless I’m returning something.

Summer fetes where I am accept card, I haven’t been anywhere that doesn’t in a pretty long time. I don’t have grandchildren… car boots tend to recommend that stall holders have a contactless device to take payment I think, but I haven’t been to one in years.

I’m not sure everything should go cashless, my in-laws still like to pay with it for example, and it suits some people a lot more… but I think naturally it will turn towards being more digital, as most things will, just because of habits.

I've never been to a fete that takes card payments! Shock
Sparklingbrook · 14/08/2021 17:33

Do you really want your bank knowing when where and how you spend every single penny of your money? They can tell where you go, when you go there, exactly what you spend in each and every place

I don't care. Before debit cards they could could look at cheques I wrote. I've nothing to hide.

Fizbosshoes · 14/08/2021 17:33

HMRC still sent a cheque last year I think.Confused

A lot of MN seem to think it's impossible to account properly with cash (it isnt) or that anyone being paid in cash is not declaring it (also not true)

Until about 4 years ago I had 1 debit card and no credit card. Now i have 1 debit card and 1 credit card. I dont know how many everyone else ("just use a different card") has?

EBearhug · 14/08/2021 17:36

Cards are cleaner - as in less likelihood of physical transmission of germs. But they are also reliant on fully functioning electricity and internet networks. So I still like cash as a backup.

There is one takeaway near us which of takes cash (most take cards; some only take cards.)

There was a guy begging on the Tube I was on today. If people don't carry cash any more, they can't donate it (though many wouldn't anyway.) There won't be any dropped change, either. It is going to be very difficult for those on low or no income, no fixed address and so on - precarious lives will become even harder.

Lumpwoody · 14/08/2021 17:42

@Sparklingbrook

Do you really want your bank knowing when where and how you spend every single penny of your money? They can tell where you go, when you go there, exactly what you spend in each and every place

I don't care. Before debit cards they could could look at cheques I wrote. I've nothing to hide.

My ex would have cared. And used it to find out that I was planning to leave.
DiscoDown21 · 14/08/2021 17:42

I love cards, online banking and Apple Pay, my other half uses cash. He is using cash more and more now as businesses are accepting it again.

We went out last night and used cash the whole night. No one declined it.

Sparklingbrook · 14/08/2021 17:43

My ex would have cared. And used it to find out that I was planning to leave

I was replying to the question about the bank knowing. I don't care that the bank know I spent money in Boots etc

Coogee · 14/08/2021 17:44

Think about the implications of them having this information. Think about the implications of when (not if, when) information like this is hacked and sold en masse.

What are the implications. Some hacker is going to know how much I spend on petrol and sausages?

IceLace100 · 14/08/2021 17:46

@Sparklingbrook

Do you really want your bank knowing when where and how you spend every single penny of your money? They can tell where you go, when you go there, exactly what you spend in each and every place

I don't care. Before debit cards they could could look at cheques I wrote. I've nothing to hide.

Sorry, I don't mean to be insulting to you with what I'm about to say, I just feel very passionately about people innocently giving their data to these massive companies who use it for their own gain.

Big data in current times, and how it is stored, used, sold and dealt with by banks and other companies, how it is used to manipulate people and how it is sold on the dark web is a far cry from you writing a cheque long ago (and it was long go - I am in my 30s and have never written a cheque or had a cheque book.) back when cheques were commonplace computers didn't have the ability to store and manage data in the same way as now.

IceLace100 · 14/08/2021 17:48

@Coogee

Think about the implications of them having this information. Think about the implications of when (not if, when) information like this is hacked and sold en masse.

What are the implications. Some hacker is going to know how much I spend on petrol and sausages?

People said the same about using Facebook, it's just innocent etc. and then look how it has been used to manipulate elections...
Sparklingbrook · 14/08/2021 17:49

Don't worry @IceLace100 I worked in a bank for over 20 years. You can't insult me.
I don't feel that just using your bank account is the same as giving companies data.

Sparklingbrook · 14/08/2021 17:49

Are we now comparing having a bank account to using FB? Confused

IceLace100 · 14/08/2021 17:53

@Sparklingbrook

Don't worry *@IceLace100* I worked in a bank for over 20 years. You can't insult me. I don't feel that just using your bank account is the same as giving companies data.
It absolutely is! They know the all locations you have visited and spent money, your spending habits, what shops you use and how often and when, can tell a lot about your lifestyle, are you bar hopping and getting an Uber home at 2 am? Are you buying toys from a kids shop? Are you donating to charity? Are you paying for your kids to having music and swimming lessons.

I bet you know more than me you can tell a lot about someone from their bank account!

znaika · 14/08/2021 17:54

People are just saying that trusting big companies to do the right thing or to act in the best interests of the customer is foolish. I personally don't buy anything dodgy but I can definitely see people saying things like restrict benefits claimants purchases to those which are approved. There are people on this site that would approve of that.

thegcatsmother · 14/08/2021 17:54

Sweden has passed legislation to keep cash; part of the strategy for national security and resilience.

Going cashless is a bad idea. Interesting article in the DT today about it. If we go cashless we lose control of our money. It is about control.

madmomma · 14/08/2021 17:55

Anyone who thinks a cashless society is a good idea is an absolute fool. How dangerous to centralise power like that!

Sparklingbrook · 14/08/2021 17:58

I bet you know more than me you can tell a lot about someone from their bank account!

Well obviously you can see where they spend their money if you chose to look. Which you don't. So are you saying we need to stash all of our money under the mattress to stop the bank from knowing all this top secret information about our shopping habits?

SchrodingersImmigrant · 14/08/2021 18:00

@roundtable

Someone was trying to take their kids to the cinema. It was cashless and he didn't have a bank card. He was embarrassed and left so quickly - before I was able to offer to pay in exchange for the cash. It made me feel quite upset but nowhere near as upsetting as it would have been for him and his kids.

Everyone needs access to a bank card before the country can go cashless. It shouldn't be that certain activities or things are unavailable to certain groups as they don't have a bank card.

I don't understand how someone doesn't have a bank card. The choise and availability is incredible now. Whether you have bad score or need just online account or need physical services, it's there. Some offers it
SchrodingersImmigrant · 14/08/2021 18:00

To reply to op. I would like to keep the choice though I don't remember last time I paid cash. I still cary emergency tenner though

DownstairsMixUp · 14/08/2021 18:01

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Sparklingbrook · 14/08/2021 18:02

A lot of people I know have a folded up tenner in their phone case in case of emergency.

EBearhug · 14/08/2021 18:04

I don't understand how someone doesn't have a bank card. The choise and availability is incredible now. Whether you have bad score or need just online account or need physical services, it's there.

Maybe he left it at home because he knew he had enough cash to cover everything that evening - and without the card, he couldn't be tempted to spend any more, which he couldn't afford till next payday.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 14/08/2021 18:06

HMRC must be made up eith the lack of cash😂 You can't hide card payments from tax man

SchrodingersImmigrant · 14/08/2021 18:09

@EBearhug

I don't understand how someone doesn't have a bank card. The choise and availability is incredible now. Whether you have bad score or need just online account or need physical services, it's there.

Maybe he left it at home because he knew he had enough cash to cover everything that evening - and without the card, he couldn't be tempted to spend any more, which he couldn't afford till next payday.

I don't mean to sound harsh but we are still in covid times and everyone knows most places are or preffer to be cashless so leaving a card at home is simply bad planning.

That said, I don't agree with fully cashless. Cash is a legal tender after all and dhould be accepted, eith card encouraged rather than mandatory