Food places and cafes not accepting cash

[Annoyedtiger]

Yes I understand covid and I normally always pay with my card but today I accidentally left it at home and I went to three cafes including Cafe Nero which wouldn’t take my cash.

We know covid is airborne and everything is mostly back to normal.

AIBU to think everywhere should be tasking cash now?

Do you get paid in cash or via bank transfer?

It’s been quite common in Europe for a while, eg Sweden and the Netherlands, for some shops to be card only. It’s not surprising it’s reaching here too.

Discriminates against the poorest and leaves some people even more socially excluded.
Also the idea of pitting your card on your phone so you don't forget your card. That only works for those so glued to their phone they will never forget it. I often forget my phone.
There are also plenty of places in the UK where mobile signal is still iffy.

Also, it I good for kids to learn how to count out coins and add up! Who didn't play at shops with the plastic money and till when they were in nursery? Are toddlers going to be playing it with a fake credit card now?

Yes they do! Recently babysat for a little girl, and when we played shops she sometimes pretended to give change, but mostly her little popit bag became a card machine and I was instructed to put my pin in. Kids reflect the world they live in (last year the family had just moved from a country with a lot of street vendors, so her version of "shops" then involved yelling her wares at the top of her voice).

Re cash though, I use card 99% of the time now. But when I started earning my own money in my late teens I wasn't allowed to spend it because my parent didn't think it was necessary. So I wasn't allowed a current account, but I could secretly draw out cash from my savings account (where I got paid into) and use it for bits and bobs like getting coffee with a friend in my lunch break. Not a huge deal if I hadn't been able to do that, but for people in controlling relationships it might be more necessary for the partner not to be able to track their spending. Plus it makes it easier to budget, especially for learning disabled people.

There’s a lot of reaching on this thread is there not?

People who are disabled and being paid disability benefits will be paid into the bank.
Elderly people paid a pension will be paid into a bank.

At this point in time it’s more complex to withdraw money from a bank than it is to use a card to pay for something. Keeping track of the balance is really the only stumbling block if someone isn’t able to use a smartphone/computer to access online banking.

These vulnerable people that we talk about are perhaps the last people who should be walking around with cash on them. Also the staff having to take the cash to the bank (often never the ones who will see very much of it) are vulnerable then.

I think we will naturally become more or less cashless as the people using cash out of principle gradually die off. By that I don’t mean the 80/90 year olds I mean the types on this thread 😜

Not only cashless but have you seen those Amazon shops? They're fucking spooky. You are your money, in there. A walking pixelated sack of skin, bones and soft tissue money.

I've been in 2 shops in the last week who take cash only, no cards. Not a problem.

It must be the same everywhere then! Praise be!

No there is zero reaching, you just do not understand the issues.
Care workers going to actual shops to buy things for people are not allowed to take someone's card to use. They are supposed to take cash.
Not everyone has a bank account with a debit card. Some basic bank accounts do not give you a debit card, just a cash card.
So having a bank account does not mean you have a debit card to pay in cashless places.
I find this all the time that many people do not understand the barriers the poorest face. And lack of access to a debit card will become an increasing issue for some.

If we all made a stand they would have to change but we are going along with it.

I don't agree with places not accepting cash. I rarely use cash myself, but some people prefer to use it and they should not be discriminated against. As far as I'm concerned, if people are using legal tender the business should accept it. Interestingly, where I live if you pay a taxi fare with a card you are charged $2 to do so.

My nearest fish and chip shop only takes cash btw, no card payments.

I know a few places as well that only take cash. One is a very popular Greek bakery with absolutely delicious homemade food.

I'm oop norf. Everywhere takes cash here. As long as they get their money, they're not bothered how it comes. Caffe Nero's not going to last long with that attitude!

Its the way of the world/progress and there is no stopping the trend. If for one think its great, no more smelly money to handle. Just whip out my phone/card and its done. For those saying, they boycot places that don't accept cash, you will soon run out of places you can spend your cash...

It’s worth noting how difficult taking cash can be for some retailers now due to the high street banking closures.

Im a manager for a small-ish family run chain of shops (12 branches across the country). There are now at least 3 of our branches that don’t have a high street bank in the town - my own branch included.
We are now only able to be deposit cash/get change etc through the Post Office. Ours is open limited times and you can expect to wait around 20 mins in the queue. It’s a 10 minute walk each way from our shop. So I now have to factor in extra staffing just to manage to get the banking done as it’s now a 40 minute job rather than the 5 minute job it was when there was a bank in town.

As a business we’d never not accept cash. We have a large number of customers who prefer - especially a large number of carers etc that use our shop with their clients and prefer cash and paper receipts to keep track of everything. But it is definitely more difficult for the business.

I want to be able to use both cash and card because :

• Sometimes I have cash and no money on my account, and sometimes it's the other way around. Sometimes I've paid part in cash and part by card.


• I don't love the idea of my banker knowing what I buy or where I go for groceries. I'm sure he doesn't care - though he might go through it when I apply for a loan - but regardless it's my private life. Same if I have to show my bank statements (for instance, if I was applying for a visa).


• Making cash disappear will make the inflation worse. Printing free money is not so hard but printing free digital money will be a lot easier. You think it's bad now ? Just wait till cash disappears.


• Cards can get stolen, or lost, or you can forget your pin code. I could ask a friend/family for some money while waiting for my new card, but I can't ask for their own bank card. So if cash doesn't work you're screwed.


• I don't want to have payment methods on my phone. I don't see them secure enough. If my phone gets stolen, or hacked, or if my young kids start playing with it, I could lose a lot of money in any number of ways.

So I'm sorry if cash inconveniences stores - though they've somehow managed until now so not sure what's changed - but I'll take my business where both cash and card are accepted. Thankfully I live in a country where that isn't an issue (in fact you typically pay less if you pay cash).

Places have lost our custom because of this and not just me being old I know youngsters who spend less now because of the possibility of rejection. As for me I’m embracing the opportunity to spend less like when bags were first being charged for. If I didn’t have enough bags on me I actually stopped buying stuff and putting lovely clothing in grocery bags makes it feel less of a treat. So it’s all helping me to go out pre prepared with my own drinks, sandwich etc.

I remember pre-Covid attempting to buy a small takeaway meal from a hipster-ish fried chicken shop I was passing. After a long time queuing (for a fast food place) behind very few customers I ordered and tried to pay with the exact amount in cash. The person at the till seemed outraged that I didn't know the shop only accepted card payments, even though there were absolutely no signs anywhere to indicate this! It turned out that fact was buried somewhere in the FAQs section of their website (how silly of me to have not looked there first ).

I had a card but left on principle because I didn't want to support a food business that would turn away a homeless person that had managed to get together enough money to afford a meal. Additionally, I found the prospect of living in a society where one cannot eat a bit of fried chicken without informing one's bank utterly ridiculous.

Thankfully, immediately next door was a kebab shop that did accept cash. I ended up with a delicious large burger with chips for less than I would have spent at the card-only shop, and I suspect my meal was far more filling than the measly chicken portions, too.

I've not rtft so apologies if someone has already said this but you should look into adding your card onto your phone. I use the Google pay app and it was so handy when I left my debit card in my mum's handbag as I could still pay for things using my phone (I think the limit is £100 as it is contactless). You can use it on London buses/tube as well but me and DH both had some issues with it thinking we'd tapped two cards at once.

There is a lot between glued to your phone and someone who forgets it!

Yeah I always take my phone with me, because I use it for

Payments
Controlling my heating
Communication
Calculator
Shopping list
Camera

Why is it thrown out as sone type of "insult", if you use one of many functions on your phone?

The same could be said about cash! It'll only work for people who don't forget their purse? I sometimes forget my purse?

The same for door keys etc?

You may not like it but as the thread proves card and contactless payments are becoming the norm, so you may want to start taking your phone and stop forgetting it.

You can get preloaded cards specifically designed gor use by carers. Much safer. Less chance of yhem diddling/ being accused of fiddling, they aren't carrying cash that might be lost or stolen and no risk of confusing the change to gove back. If I were shopping for someone I would insist on that method.

I think the ability to pay by cash should be an option, especially for older people who prefer to pay this way. Also please don't assume that everyone has a smart phone and can download an app to pay for things like parking or to buy theatre tickets. It is just not fair and means lots of older people are excluded from going about their business and leading independent lives.

Cards can get stolen, or lost, or you can forget your pin code. I could ask a friend/family for some money while waiting for my new card, but I can't ask for their own bank card. So if cash doesn't work you're screwed.

i have no idea how typical I am, I am 46. I could no more forget my PIN than my date of birth I have had the same sort code account number and PIN since I was 14, those numbers are indelibley imprinted on my brain.

What about some public toilets that require a coin/supermarket trolleys? I know you can get tokens for the trolleys but they don’t always work.

I bought some books from a charity shop with cash the other day.