To think we should be able to pay with cash?

[PearLime]

The government should enact a law making it illegal for retailers to accept card only.

It's a discriminatory practice, with elderly, disabled and low income people suffering the negative consequences.

AIBU?

[quote TuftyMarmoset]@Bitofachinwag because using a card is more realistic and will be more relevant to their lives. I’m 26, I don’t use cash and indeed most of my spending is done online - and it will be the same or even more so for today’s children. You regularly see threads on here where kids have gone mad with in-app spending and it’s because their parents haven’t taught them that it’s real money. Even when I was a child most things I wanted to buy cost more than shrapnel (Sylvanian families stuff mostly - I think it was around £5 for a baby figure) - the days of penny chews etc are long gone.[/quote]
Penny chews! How old do you think I am!?

@DGRossetti

"The world moves on" is one of the worst reasons to justify any change!

conversely, "We've always done it this way" is probably the worst reason not to change. Certainly if you like the idea of votes for women, or don't like the idea of slavery.

I agree. But why not keep cash for those who want it? People who prefer cards can use cards. I don't understand why those who prefer cards/other more modern forms of payment are so keen to stop others from using cash.

@BoredZelda

Also it hits people who are just trying to survive trying to avoid tax Years ago when I'd just lost my job and was waiting for benefits to kick in, I'll admit I did do £60 in cash in hand cleaning work to make it through.

There, fixed that for you. Being skint isn’t an excuse to break the law.

You wouldn't have to pay tax on £60 anyway!

@Ajl46

One of my concerns re cash is how it facilitates tax evasion (eg people paying cash in hand and the recipient not declaring this on their tax returns). I've lost count of the times tradespeople have offered me a discount if I pay cash. Using cards creates an electronic audit trail which helps prevent this.

Yes, but there are other ways of commiting fraud.

What happens if there's an issue with the system. I was on holiday a couple of weeks ago and tried to pay for a meal by card. Both cards were rejected due to an issue with their card reader. What would happen if they didn't accept cash? I certainly wouldn't be sitting there all evening until the problem was resolved!

I've also known the MasterCard or Visa systems to go down. As far as I'm concerned it would be their fault if they lost money but I can't see them agreeing!

@SalsaLove

My dad is 87, with mild dementia and has no problem using a card. All you have to do is hold it in front of the machine. It’s easier than handling cash and there’s no possibility that the elderly or disabled will be ripped off since there’s no exchange of cash.

Sometimes contactless doesn't work, and you need to insert the card and enter your pin number. This has happened randomly to me several times.

@Bathshebahardy

There are people, some homeless or with bad credit, who have a basic account which benefits are paid into but the account only allows cash to be taken out of it, it does not have a debit card. This is in addition to some elderly people who take out cash and do not like to pay by card. There are self-employed people such as window cleaners who do not have a card machine for customers to pay and would find it difficult to deal with lots of very small bank transfers. All these issues would have to be resolved before we could be a cashless society. A cashless society would be difficult for these people.

My local big issue seller has a card machine so it must be possible for homeless people to access this technology.

@PhoboPhobia

I agree. People suggesting ‘just tapping your card’ are missing the point. It’s not just about the act of paying, it’s about budgeting, tracking your spending etc.

There is so much lack of understanding about the struggles all sorts of people have. There are lots of examples on this thread about why people struggle and yet people are still saying ‘all you have to do is tap your card’.

There are many accounts out there that are specifically designed to help you see where your money is going by categorising each transaction, eg Starling accounts do this. That's got to be easier than remembering what you spent cash on and categorising it yourself (via a spreadsheet etc).

@Dancingsmile

My window cleaner and milkman (yep I still have one ) accept bank transfer and prefer that to a cheque . The only services I use that prefer cash are plumbers , chippies etc and it's for tax reasons. I get that but I also wonder why they can get away with paying limited tax when other salaried people including myself don't.

"For tax reasons" ie tax evasion which is money laundering, ripping off the rest of us and is illegal. Stopping this is one compelling argument for phasing out cash.

The Big Issue themselves assist in getting the zettle card readers.

@DGRossetti

Cash is what enables VAT fraud and money laundering.

Not really. Amazon and Russian billionaires are hardly dodging tax by doing business in folding fivers are they ? That's a just lazy thinking for the easily explained.

Are you saying Amazon are money laundering?

I haven’t been anywhere within the last 9 months that doesn’t accept cash!

I dont think Iv been anywhere that doesnt accept cash 🤷‍♀️

I prefer cash. It is so easy to lose sight of your spending when you just have to present your card to a card reader.

@lockdownmadnessdotcom

I agree retailers should accept cash. Even during the early days of covid we knew you didn't get covid from touching things, but now it's ridiculous to continue not accepting it. But it saves them the effort of taking the cash to the bank.

It's also better for hospitality staff if you can leave them cash tips (assuming their employers don't nick them but it's harder than with card payments)

If you leave hospitality staff cash tips they've got to total them up and declare them on their tax return (which is presumably more hassle for them than if the tip is distributed by their employer and subject to PAYE directly).

YANBU OP

I dont think Iv been anywhere that doesnt accept cash

For instance lots of hipster places in Hackney that want to appear trendy with the 'We are Cashless' signs

@CatJumperTwat

YABU. Retailers should be able to decide what payment forms they accept. I don't shop anywhere that doesn't take card, but I don't think they should be forced by law to change. Demand will sort it out.

Agree, especially as it costs businesses more to handle cash.

@Bitofachinwag

Generally, most children and adults) learn better by doing, touching and seeing. So if you've cooked a dish/assembled a bookcase/driven somewhere/knitted a jumper you are more likely to be remember how to do it again than if you have watched someone else do it or just read about it.That's why it's better to teach children about money using actual coins and notes.

You can touch and see a cash card! Kids can do the maths to work out how much they need to save for XYZ thing they want to buy, and how much they will have left afterwards, in just the same way as they would with cash.

@simitra

Cash may now be a minor payment method for most of the population. However as some posters have pointed out there are groups for whom cards and online payments may be difficult for whatever reason. Cash should still be an option by law at least for physical shops.

I sell online so I accept both Paypal and credit cards as well as bank transfer. But I still find ways for customers to pay if they do not have these facilities. I have one good customer who pays with cheques and spends quite a lot. I also have dealer friends and our transactions are always in cash. I am happy to accept payment in any way that is valid for me to use.

Even if your bank charges you more to deal in cash than online banking transactions?

[quote Rockhopper81]@AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken

Absolutely agree with you!

Someone not paying tax on the £60 cash-in-hand they did to keep the electricity on and food on the table isn't exactly the kind of tax evasion that's going to rock the world. There are much bigger fish to fry in terms of tax evasion and loopholes. Again, whilst it isn't legal, it comes from a place of privilege to have a 'I'd never do that' philosophy.[/quote]
Actually if you look at the U.K. tax gap report, the biggest driver of the tax gap is small business failing to pay the right amount of income tax, NIC and CGT (which accounts for 43% of the tax gap) www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps/measuring-tax-gaps-2021-edition-tax-gap-estimates-for-2019-to-2020

@Ajl46

As pointed out, there would be no tax to pay on £60 anyway. I'm not saying it was legally right, but surely you can see morally that it wasn't an issue - sure, small businesses may make up the largest percentage of the tax gap, but the non-tax due on £60 (earned because of the need to keep the power on) has no bearing on it.

Also, children need to learn mathematical concepts with manipulatives (so, actual objects they can touch - coins) when they're young, before moving on to abstract concepts like representation (a debit or credit card).

[quote Rockhopper81]@Ajl46

As pointed out, there would be no tax to pay on £60 anyway. I'm not saying it was legally right, but surely you can see morally that it wasn't an issue - sure, small businesses may make up the largest percentage of the tax gap, but the non-tax due on £60 (earned because of the need to keep the power on) has no bearing on it.

Also, children need to learn mathematical concepts with manipulatives (so, actual objects they can touch - coins) when they're young, before moving on to abstract concepts like representation (a debit or credit card).[/quote]
Financially speaking the problem isn't one person earning £60 undeclared, it's the number of people doing it across the country which adds up.

My mum in her eighties, memory loss, is ok with the concept of a card but can't remember her PIN number without me giving her a clue (in a guessing game way). My child has a had a go Henry card since primary school and if very comfortable without cash. I still think we should keep both going for now at least.

Are you saying Amazon are money laundering?

Well Nat West - a bank apparently - has been convicted of just that. No cash involved.