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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:
AbsolutelyPatsy · 14/08/2021 18:10

i use a card, not my phone.
i very rarely carry cash, not since the pandemic.
but even before then

Isitsixoclockalready · 14/08/2021 18:12

@smittenkittten

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?
We will eventually be cashless just like eventually newspapers will be a thing of the past but there are enough people around still that can't or won't go cashless that it probably won't happen for another couple of decades at least. As people have also pointed out, there are still those who are not in a position to go cashless so that circle needs to be squared before it can happen.
lljkk · 14/08/2021 18:14

I like cash.
I paid for DC passports in cash.
Last night we (n=4 very famished people on a long journey) arrived at a chippy that DH chose.
The food was good and much desired immediately.
Chippy only took cash.
Luckily I had cash. DH usually has almost none!!

Plenty businesses around here only take cash.

MereDintofPandiculation · 14/08/2021 18:14

Some hacker is going to know how much I spend on petrol and sausages? Some hacker is going to know that you transferred a largish sum across to a building society, or that you have a lot of money and therefore information about you may be saleable. Or that you often give to charity and therefore may be vulnerable to fraudulent "charity" appeals.

Sparklingbrook · 14/08/2021 18:18

You can't really roll up at the amusement arcade with your debit card. Those 2p falls won't work without the cash. I'll give them that. Grin

IceLace100 · 14/08/2021 18:22

@Sparklingbrook

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?

Of course not, that would be daft.

I spend cash wherever possible, so in all shops etc. Mortgage and some bills need to be paid via direct debit. I minimise the information the bank has on me, because all they see is basic bills, cash withdrawal and transfer to savings account. They'd have very little info on my lifestyle, spending choices and habits, which is what concerns me most.

I write to complain to head office if I can't use cash somewhere (happened in Wagamama the other day). I don't complain to the staff- not their fault!

IceLace100 · 14/08/2021 18:23

@MereDintofPandiculation

Some hacker is going to know how much I spend on petrol and sausages? Some hacker is going to know that you transferred a largish sum across to a building society, or that you have a lot of money and therefore information about you may be saleable. Or that you often give to charity and therefore may be vulnerable to fraudulent "charity" appeals.
Exactly.
Mamamia7962 · 14/08/2021 18:23

Mogsrus - How does a cashless amusement arcade work?

roundtable · 14/08/2021 18:23

@Sparklingbrook

You can't really roll up at the amusement arcade with your debit card. Those 2p falls won't work without the cash. I'll give them that. Grin
Best closing argument! Grin

I love the penny machines. We were never allowed on them as a child as my parents deemed them a waste of money. They were absolutely correct.

Rebornagain · 14/08/2021 18:24

@Lumpwoody

I couldnt have left my ex without cash.
Why couldn't you?

So it is ok to be sneaky and stealing money from a partner to leave? Maybe cashless is the way to go?

Surely if there is domestic abuse etc there should be a process to provide a card etc

Lumpwoody · 14/08/2021 18:25

Because he was abusive

Yes it was fine to be sneaky. It was a joint account and I worked as well.

Or was I supposed to just stay and keep getting abused?

Shitfuckcommaetc · 14/08/2021 18:27

*So it is ok to be sneaky and stealing money from a partner to leave? Maybe cashless is the way to go?

Surely if there is domestic abuse etc there should be a process to provide a card etc*

Are you being deliberately dumb

luckylavender · 14/08/2021 18:28

@icedcoffees - 100%

roundtable · 14/08/2021 18:32

I'm not sure SchrodingersImmigrant.

I guess maybe learning difficulties without support or being too intimidated to go into the bank and apply, being financially abused or doesn't believe in banks?

He put his head down and just left after saying he didn't have a bank card. The poor girl behind the till was mortified. It wasn't her fault though.

roundtable · 14/08/2021 18:34

*So it is ok to be sneaky and stealing money from a partner to leave? Maybe cashless is the way to go?

Surely if there is domestic abuse etc there should be a process to provide a card etc*

Seriously? Shock

Coogee · 14/08/2021 18:34

Some hacker is going to know that you transferred a largish sum across to a building society, or that you have a lot of money and therefore information about you may be saleable.

Exactly

They would know that even if if I withdrew cash to pay for my petrol and sausages.

How many people transfer large sums from their bank to their building society using cash?

IceLace100 · 14/08/2021 18:40

@Coogee

Some hacker is going to know that you transferred a largish sum across to a building society, or that you have a lot of money and therefore information about you may be saleable.

Exactly

They would know that even if if I withdrew cash to pay for my petrol and sausages.

How many people transfer large sums from their bank to their building society using cash?

If they see a cash withdrawal, they don't get anywhere near as much information about you.

If you use a card, there is much more information for a hacker to go off. Ie you're giving away much, much more of your personal data which can either be used by a hacker, or can be used by a large corporation in a number of ways (ie tracking your spending habits to create a profile of you which they can then use to their advantage).

MostlyNormalSometimesOdd · 14/08/2021 18:40

I hope not, we collect “fancy” 50p coins and I miss the joy of finding one in my change. The only thing I buy with cash nowadays is weed and I don’t get change there Grin

Sparklingbrook · 14/08/2021 18:43

You have to be careful with large cash withdrawals and deposits because of the money laundering aspect.

Mydogmylife · 14/08/2021 18:43

@Rebornagain

Please don't be so naive on the reasons why someone leaving an abusive partner would need to be 'sneaky' as you put it and not leave a paper trail

mogsrus · 14/08/2021 18:44

amusment arcade without cash works like this...tap your debit card on the machine select a!out you wish to play with,you receive a card with the amount stored on it,to play a machine,tap card on machine reader,& that's it,as for the pennyfall machines they are being looked at with some sort of video,so as you can see its going to change,the first cashless arcade happened over 5yrs ago

BritishSummertime · 14/08/2021 18:46

We're going to a local farm tomorrow which sells food for the animals, ice creams & drinks, sometimes plants & wreaths at Christmas, all paid for in cash in an honesty box. They'd lose all that revenue if they couldn't take cash.

I generally don't shop in small, local shops with card min spends, but I'm lucky to have other options, people with less choice would lose out.

And yes, if the internet goes down we're all screwed! I can't remember when it was but didn't the Visa network go down or something so no one could pay on card anywhere?!

MurielSpriggs · 14/08/2021 18:48

I'm pretty sure people fought back just the same when gold stopped being used as currency in favour of little discs of metal with no intrinsic worth (who's going to want those?) and bits of paper saying "I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of ..." (no thanks, I'd rather have the gold).

Things move on! (Although you can still buy Krugerrands if you really want.)

SchrodingersImmigrant · 14/08/2021 18:49

Well good luck to the hacker trying to sell "Asda, Tesco, Wtf is this some supermarket with weird name, amazon, amazon, house of kojo, amazon, restaurant, tesco, random plant place, asda, butcher, facebook, Asda...." You egt the gist😂

On a serious note. No i really don't worry about hacker knowing what I spend. My alexa probs know more about me than the bank ever would

SchrodingersImmigrant · 14/08/2021 18:50

@mogsrus

amusment arcade without cash works like this...tap your debit card on the machine select a!out you wish to play with,you receive a card with the amount stored on it,to play a machine,tap card on machine reader,& that's it,as for the pennyfall machines they are being looked at with some sort of video,so as you can see its going to change,the first cashless arcade happened over 5yrs ago
Nooooooooooooooo