People who don’t carry their bank cards with them

[Auburngal]

I was in Sainsbury’s this morning and systems are down. No contactless, chip n pin taking ages to go through. Unable to buy gift cards, mobile top up vouchers.

Systems going down like this happen not very often but when they do it’s awful.

On the self scan next to me a woman screamed at the manager on why she can’t pay on her mobile.

Why do many people don’t carry their bank cards anymore? The cards don’t weigh much. Plus if the contactless payment system goes down, hopefully their card will go through via chip n pin. Also they won’t look like idiots either. No sympathy for these.

Regarding contactless payments- sometimes your bank, NOT the retailer etc asks you to do a CnP payment as part of security. “I dunno my PIN”. You can change your PIN to any number you want (not 1234, 1111) at any ATM under PIN services.

@PrimitivePerson. You're very het up and weirdly judgmental. Your way isn't the only way. MYOB, as per PP.

3 times in last 2 years had my purse stolen on me. faff to replace cards drivers licence etc. plus money and irreplaceable items. never once in that time issues with using my phone to pay. now no longer bring purse out unless necessary

I only carry a bank card if I take a handbag. I often have a tenner in cash stashed in a bag, but that will get me nowhere these days. I can't remember the last time I actually used cash.
I never shout at shop people cos I still remember what it was like. I do live somewhere where a large number of locals are convinced that a cashless society means we're all under Their control, but happily post all over sm about it.

@ZetuianRose I'm just amazed by how unprepared some people are for everyday situations, and how it's somehow someone else's fault when something unplanned happens. Technology genuinely seems to be making people incapable of everyday problem-solving, and leaves them completely up the creek when it fails.

A big interest of mine is hiking in remote areas, and one of the skills you need for that is being able to read a map. Calls to Mountain Rescue have gone through the roof in recent years, because people think you can navigate properly in the middle of nowhere using Google Maps, and promptly get hopelessly lost. That never used to happen

Is carrying a paper map "old-fashioned"? Maybe, but it's 100% dependable.

I always carry cards. I don't have the phone-pay thing, can't see the point of it.

Sensible.

Is carrying a paper map "old-fashioned"? Maybe, but it's 100% dependable
Quite.
Paper maps, books, cash never run out of battery or signal!

I work with the public and have had a LOT of abuse over this very issue. It just seems extraordinary to me that people put themselves in the position of not being able to pay for anything, when it so easily avoidable, and then make it MY problem!

If you can't pay for something because you only have a phone, it isn't my problem, it's YOUR problem. I've made sure that my kids are properly prepared whenever they go anywhere. It's not hard!

Haha, exactly!

Happened to me in tescos once a couple of years ago

All their systems went down and could only pay with cash.
I had to queue for half an hour for cash machine while dh stayed in the queue with a massive trolley of shopping

Ever since then I always carry around £100 in cash and cards in my purse with me just in case and it saved me today when nothing was working in our tescos

Major of customers at my store who pay by cash are elderly. Most collect pension from post office as don’t have a bank account.

Read somewhere that these pensioners who don’t have a bank account (bankless) are wasting £500-£550 a year. As energy bills - probably on the standard tariff, cheap insurance companies don’t want to know about those cant pay by DD and some companies charge a fee for not paying by DD.

I had elderly customers shout their PIN as they are punching numbers “5…3….1….0”

My friend who is a code checker (puts reduced stickers) at Sainsburys had to hand write stickers and explain to customers that colleagues on self scan needs to reduce the items as it would either scan at full price or first reduction price. As the system for various things including reduction labels was still down. Contactless was back up by late lunch.

She and three code checkers have been asked to come in earlier today. As normally they reduce stuff with the next day’s date. That wasn’t done yesterday. Been told in hq communication to reduce more than normal. Also the Fri/Sat discount uplift has been extended to Monday. Costing Sainsburys a lot of money. Think they are scraping the waste budget for yesterday too!

I'm far more likely to have my cards with me than my phone 😄

OP were you in Chesham? Happened Saturday morning there. Curious to know if it happened in more than one Sainsbury's branch.

It was the whole of Sainsbury's, every single branch, were they not informing customers who hadn't heard about it?

I don't have it either nor am I bothered about having it.

But if I did have it I wouldn't expect to be also carrying a card & cash about as well I shouldn't think.

I don’t carry cash or cards. I only ever use Apple Pay and have never had a problem.

I always have my mobile, If I can’t use Apple Pay, I don’t buy it. The only time I take my bank card is when I’m on holiday.

The fact that “some” people may be surprised if their phone doesn’t work still doesn’t mean you can just insult people for something you deem “wrong” for no real reason. You problem is idiots, not technology.

What the hell have maps got to do with whether someone carries their bank card 😂 by that logic we should all be carrying our cheque books, not our cards 🙈

As someone involved in Search and Rescue myself I’d say technology has brought rescue on a LONG way. PLBs are probably the single best item anyone can carry, whether up a mountain or out at sea.

I have an iPhone and Apple Watch with some of my cards on them, it's very tedious adding them and you have to re add them when you get new phone and watch and still prefer using my card, the phone or watch is for emergency if I forget my cards.

"Times change and technology moves on. Cards are old fashioned. It's another thing to find a pocket for"

"Because why carry two things (card & phone) when you can simply carry one (phone)."

Cards are thought of as old-fashioned?! I suddenly feel a) quite old and b) grateful for having been raised by quite old parents, who used to always take a cheque book as a back up, and currently always take cash as well as cards (they don't use smart phones). With a dash of c) somehow becoming a person who tries to generally always be prepared. Heck, I have to work hard to keep my handbag contents few enough to fit in a small/medium handbag, if I take my large one I can probably live out of the contents of it for 3 days 😅

A bank card is flipping tiny, light, and fits in your phone case. Same with a folded up £20 note. Both are tiny almost effortless things you can do to have a back up if you can't pay with your phone for any reason don't any of you ever get a dead battery??

YABU - why should they carry their cards if they intend to use their mobile?
BUT sounds like the most unreasonable person in this story is the woman screaming at the checkout person, that's completely out of order

I love the freedom of not carrying anything but a phone, the benefits far outweigh the negatives. If I've had a problem with one card stored on the phone just use a different one

I can believe that figure of how much more it costs to live without a bank account. Every company who wants a DD charges £5+ per paper bill, and as you say their worst deals are for those who can't or won't DD. It's like tokens for the gas/electric meters cost a lot more per KwH than paying by DD would. Poverty tax (although I appreciate opening a bank account is free).