Cashless everything is annoying and inconvenient

[JazbayGrapes]

Went to London last weekend. A concert in Hyde Park. Nobody in food/drink stalls wanted to take cash. Is this a new normal?

What worries me (not that it keeps me awake at night) is that certain countries could bring us to a grinding halt if they managed to crash the banking system.

It's much easier and quicker than people fumbling for change

It's just another tool to track us all with.

I don't get why the cafe would be very quiet since they changed to card only, don't why of the parents there being their cards or have the ability to pay using their phones?

Logically it would be busier surely as people are not restricted to only spending what they happen to have on them?

I honestly can't remember the last time I used cash. Cashless is by far more convenient.
I don't even use my card, I just pay for everything with Apple Pay on my phone.

The people that usually care most about this are the ones paid in cash - far easier to evade tax in cash-based economies. I personally am happy to pay tax for the myriad of (albeit underfunded) services it provides that we all take for granted.
Personally I don't even carry a card, now you can pay with your phone. Less things to lose.

Are people conspiracy theorists worried that if we all go cashless then banks will control our wealth (which they already do) so governments can control us more?

More worried that Russian hackers can prevent us accessing it.

They deserved it.

I don't think I've got cash out of a cash machine since 2019 at least. I usually have some cash in my purse that's been given to me by various people to pay me back for things, but I hardly ever spend it. Contactless is so much easier than faffing around with change.

Everyone i know is much more likely to avoid a business that only takes cash than one that only takes card. Even if we happen to have cash, we'll spend less and leave sooner, aware that the cash will run out.

In fact that happened recently. We'd spent the afternoon in an outdoor bar run from an old barge. Cash only. We pooled the last of our change to buy the last round and then left. If we'd been able to carry on with cards we'd have stayed much later.

So you're fearing a massive Russia hack into banks, can't access money, presumably the country will freeze energy bills etc so the whole country will be in solidarity but if you withdraw all your wages and put them under your mattress and get burgled, you're stuffed, on your own.
If it happens as a national hack we're already fucked and you will be more targeted for having liquid cash or whatever the expression.

I really can’t imagine most people choose not to bring their child to a soft play because it only accepts card.

I hate cash, I never have any on me and I would generally use a different shop or vendor/stall if they only took cash. I run a small business and I only accept payment by bank transfer other than very rare instances where the customer isn’t capable of making the transfer (usually elderly person) when I will accept cash but it’s a massive pain to deal with.

in fact my ex once insisted on paying me some backdated maintenance in cash and couldn’t understand why I was adamant that I wouldn’t take it, it’s completely useless to me if it’s not in the bank to pay direct debits etc with.

I love it. I've had to take out euro for a holiday next week, and am unimpressed at having to back to cash. I'd happily see the back of it forever. Cards are much more convenient.

Whilst I use card for everything in day to day transactions, I do keep a sum of cash hidden at home in case 'something" happens to prevent access to banks/electonic payments for a few days.

If it's bigger than that we're all doomed anyway.

I do emergency childcare for the council sometimes and they come around with coins from petty cash ... such a faff to then pay it in because you can't spend it. Then you can guarantee that the kids or someone will need £1.50 in change the next day 🤣.

As ever, the people who want to use the card option are happy to see the people who want to use cash have their chosen options taken away.

I prefer to use cash for small day to day purchases and find it far easier to budget; like a PP I also don't want to have to pore over pages of small transactions when checking my bank statements.

The nearest convenience store to me now has card only self service tills and only accepts cash at the customer service till, and the queue is always a mile long. I'm happy to take cash payments from my customers too; banking is another part of my job like any other business admin.

I’m not “fearing” it as such but it might make food purchases difficult for a day. Which is already long enough. Remember the first few days of covid?

I use Apple Pay for most things but I think that places selling slices of cake, coffee or similar attract people who want to treat themselves with spare change in their purse/pockets, so I think that may be the reason I’ve observed the huge difference in the soft play. I wouldn’t have considered the brownie if I didn’t find those pound coins, and I certainly didn’t use Apple Pay once they’d refused the money.

I much prefer to use cash, I use the card too, but for tips in restaurants at least they get the full amount, I find it much easier to not overspend also, so handy to tap away.

It’s nice to be able to give few euro to children every now and then.

My only probably is could do with more 😂

No the soft play is as busy as ever, but the cafe is much quieter.

It’s been heading towards this for years and COVID has speeded it up.

I work in financial crime prevention and the regulations surrounding source of funds have been getting more and more stringent and it’s much harder to provide an audit trail for cash.
Tax evasion and money laundering rules mean less places want even small amounts of cash going through their tolls.

Was also at Hyde Park at the weekend.

Didn't even consider taking cask with me.

I'd have been fucked if anywhere wanted cash.

I mean I was fucked over anyway at the merch and food prices. And that's after bloody £500/ticket!

Worth it though for DD10 to have the night of her life so close to her idols.

There have been several articles in the mainstream media about people having their bank accounts closed because they espouse options their bank have taken exception to. There are genuine reasons to be concerned about a largely or entirely cashless society.

It's handy that places take card, especially smaller places, even the cafe on the pier by me takes card, happy days. I just wish the Chinese takeaway would 😆