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?

I moved to the UK 5.5 years ago and used cash so little I don't know which coins are which haha.

Sorry that doesn't actually contribute much. I'm all about a cashless society but can see why it's not for all.

@Whatwouldscullydo if my phone gets lost/stolen then I can disable it.

They would need my pin, face or fingerprint to get into the phone, then they'd need the same to spend on my card.

If the bank notices unusual transactions they'll stop my card.

What do you do when your wad of cash is lost or stolen? Do you go to the bank to ask them to check serial numbers on the notes....

And you think a phone is a security risk?

Or just save yourself the time and use your contact less debit/credit card.

It's not compulsory to carry cash either. Why should anyone carry cash around if they don't want to. We managed for decades without landline home phones at all, so perhaps we shouldn't use any kind of phone at all. As for "out of hours", we used to have a family "corner shop" back in the 70s - we were open 12 hours a day, but people still came and knocked on the door when we were closed - disorganised people are nothing new!

As for legal tender, it's not when it comes to buying stuff in a shop. The shop can refuse to serve anyone for any reason (except protected characteristics). Cash is only legal tender for paying a debt, not buying stuff over a counter. Why would a shop sell something when the costs of that sale are more than the profit they make from selling it?

And you know this how??? Its got alot to do with covid, it wasn't like this before covid. Its about keeping transmissions to a minimum to protect staff.

I live in London, no cash on train and tubes for years

No but you can use cash to load an Oyster card.*

Yeah,

1. Go to cash point or bank with draw cash
2. Go to oyster machine and load into card
3. Make sure you've enough for you trip (including any impromptu stops or diversions)

Repeat as necessary

Or

Use your phone or contactless card and stop all of the above.

I know I'd rather spend my spare time reading etc, rather than that lot,

What's the contingency plan though?

If our tills break we can still trade. We have cash and back up procedures.

Means that we can provide a service. A limited one but a service none the less.

Card machines go down all the time. Ours forever loses connection to the till or crashes

And good luck getting anyone to give a shit to come and fix it.

How much business will be lost when technology fails like it often does. Will you be turned away when you have cash. With the high street dying can anyone afford to turn away paying customers .

Simple solution is either not give out your mobile number or simple not answer it.

I barely use mine for phone calls at all. VERY few people have my mobile number and I only answer it when convenient to me, even from people I know.

But after a slow burn where I barely used it for anything else, I've now got dozens of apps on it, banks, insurance, RAC, utilities, online shopping, etc etc - once you start using it, it gets easier.

I think that's the crux, people don't like change. I'm sure there was similar reluctance with private cars, TVs, videos, washing machines, microwaves, etc - once people make the effort to get used to change, they tend to embrace it.

Well I wouldn't be able to pay? If you offer both cash and card and I don't carry a card because I use my phone, what would you expect me to do?

I've drunk the coffee, eaten the cake, you've advertised that you take cash and card, so what would you do? Put me in a cell until it's resolved?

If it's a straight purchase, then I'd move to the next shop and buy there, you'd lose the custom.

I don't carry cash "just in case" you're offering g the service.

I'd get more reliable equipment, if I wax you.

My hairdressers only takes cash or cheques (remember them?). They don't have a card machine. The owner pays the staff by bank transfer, though, not cash.

I doubt if she's a money launderer or modern slaver, all the stylists were born and bred locally, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if she's fiddling her taxes. I sometimes see her out socially, and she's always got a big wodge of cash on her.

Paying by card is a good way of making sure income goes through the books imo.

@LakieLady my bank does t even offer cheques, glad I don't use your hairdressers!

What age group are they aiming at?

Well during almost a week of power cuts during Storm Desmond, YES, shops DID close for the duration. There was only one shop open in our small town, which was an independent bakery - it opened just a few hours the first day to sell the stock it had (obviously couldn't bake/cook anything new), so basically "dry" stuff like bread, cakes and biscuits, and crisps/drink cans etc - contents of fridge and freezer went into the skip! They could sell what they had because they knew the prices in their heads. Couldn't get new stock because the wholesalers were closed due to no electricity!

The post office couldn't open because there was no power for the tills/security cameras etc. The Spar shop couldn't open because of the electronic tills/bar code readers (but they threw away all the perishables anyway obviously) so they had no milk etc to sell! Petrol station couldn't open because no power for the pumps. And so it goes on. It's OK to say shops could stay open, but realistically they can't without barcode readers, security cameras, etc. Banks were closed due to no power, so the shop couldn't bank the cash anyway!

@LakieLady probably more likely tax evasion for your hairdressers?

And what a massive security risk, maybe if after a busy Saturday, they get an armed robber come in, they may think again. Until then, their staff are at risk.

Sorry that should say until they stop taking cash, they're putting staff at risk!

I often find it quicker to pay by cash then I see other people pay by card. The machines hiccup, demand PIN numbers no one remembers, pause to print a receipt, I dunno what else makes them stutter. Cash can be quicker, anyway.

@MissMaple82 It isn't all due to Covid. It costs a lot to handle cash as pp have pointed out. It is a cost and a hassle that businesses can do without.

Nah, contactless Apple Pay on your phone! No pin, no fuss!

It's all them people hunting for bloody coins and checking their change that hold up the queues!

Buses in London are three times quicker to board now we don't have the ditherers who haven't got their money ready until they reach the driver. Quick ping of the contactless and on we go!

Yes thanks to contact less, people don't need to remember their pin number. Amd with a limit of 100 pounds now they probably go weeks without having to type in their pin. And yes people do often forget leasing to awkward situations

And the cards often decline if you use contact less too many times so you habe to switch to pin. And new cards need you to type the pin in for the first purchase before u can use contactless. No good if you cant remember pin numbers.

And until people are not going to be left short for days waiting fir refunds to go back on then cash should still be taken. Unless it doesn't matter to people that others can't afford to re buy while they wait for refunds.

I agree. I find that often I am quicker paying by cash than people faffing about with cards or their phones.

On buses people paying by phone are a pain usually. They never seem to have their phone in their hand so have to fish around for it in the bag/pocket or wherever then seem to take ages to find the app or whatever it is.

What happens if your phone goes flat? Using a phone just seems silly to me

You do realise you can change your PIN to something memorable..... no one will know your Dsis birthday for example?

Also if you use your phone (Apple pay doesn't have a limit), the PIN doesn't get requested after so many transactions.

You can also use a cash point to activate your card the first time, rather than in a shop.

Any other problems I can solve?

Yeah I was thinking the same. You can quickly lock down cards and phones are all password protected. My dd got cash for her birthday, went out with her friend and promptly lost her €20. There is no come back, it's gone. She usually uses her card, if she would have lost the card I could have disabled it straight away and she would still have her money.

I'm looking into setting up a bricks and mortar store, I already have an online store. I will not be accepting cash. It's too much hassle and too much expense, we don't even have a bank left in our town. If customers don't like it they are welcome to go elsewhere but from a business perspective it just doesn't make sense to accept cash.

I agree. I find that often I am quicker paying by cash than people faffing about with cards or their phones.*

People with cash. Never faff for hands etc? Never have to wait for change to be given.

On buses people paying by phone are a pain usually. They never seem to have their phone in their hand so have to fish around for it in the bag/pocket or wherever then seem to take ages to find the app or whatever it is.

Oh come on it's those searching their great big handbags for their purses, the various bits of the purse some contain coins, some notes, some brown money. They never have the fright money and they never ever have it ready.

What happens if your phone goes flat? Using a phone just seems silly to me

Portable chargers? USB options everywhere? Keep it charged, modern phones keep a great charge.

What do you do when every bank around you is closing and you're having to pay to withdraw any decent amount of money from an ATM?

You haven't solved the refund issue.

What are you going to tell someone who cant afford to re buy what they need while they wait fir a refund. Or re buying it leaves them unable to get to work or eat

I assume that's aimed at me?

Refunds do not take days now, we have something called FPS, which is instant.

You carry on using cash, but don't come up with ridiculous scenarios why cards shouldn't be used.

What do you think of my other problem solving ideas? Genius aren't they?

I javebt said cards should not be used.

You are just failing to realise for some cash is easier and safer to use. I work on retail card can be problematic just as cash can be.

I've had to wait for people to find money . Just as I've had ti wait fir people to fumble around trying to find apps on their phone to transfer money into various accounts so their card works.