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.

What a brilliant typo!

Oops! 😂

Cheques allow you to send money to a person. Not an account. Nothing electronic allows that.

I know, those thoughts have never crossed my mind. In 25 years of owning a mobile, do you know how many times I've needed to call 999 on it?

Big fat zero.

Other than tax evasion I can’t see why you’d need to avoid a bank account. But you do you.

I agree with you OP. I always carry a card in case contactless goes down. I also carry cash in case chip and pineapple stops working. I also carry gold bullion in case the the UK banking system collapses. I also carry diamonds in case the international banking system collapses.

But you need a bank account to pay it into.

I just don't see what you're getting at at all.

Technically you can cash it without it going into an account, but you just wouldn’t would you? Unless you were trying to avoid an audit trail which is normally for something dodgy.

Either way, it still makes itself more inconvenient than handing someone cash, as you’d have to go to the issuer to actually get the money in your hand (and why would you bother when you can cash them on an app? 🤣) and still gives more audit trail than cash as well.

I often don't take my phone with me when I go out, and my husband only got his first mobile phone three years ago. He managed to run a successful business and conduct his life without one, and still rarely uses it. We live in a real mobile reception black spot and have virtually no signal so when the wifi isn't working properly, which happens very often, our phones are completely useless at home.

Your lack of imagination isn't my problem.

And in the UK you have to pay a cheque into a bank account anyway.

However what you don't need to do is tell the person writing it your bank details.

Do you get it now. Or do I need to be more frank ?

Is that the case if the cheque isn't crossed? I thought it could be cashed over the counter.

Well the expert is wrong, as you can cash a cheque without a bank account, but don’t let that affect your condescending, snidey tone.

There are many ways these days to send money via quick and easy online payments without sharing bank details. PayPal (via email address), your own bank (via telephone number) and I’ve no doubt loads more which I’ve never used or looked into. So yes, that “functionality” is absolutely available in the digital age.

My apologies, I thought you actually had a legitimate reason to want to use a cheque, but clearly it’s your tin foil hat talking, all makes sense now. Cheques are indeed obsolete other than for those who are scared to use their bank details. What do you think they’re going to do? Set up a direct debit?

when I purchased my first house I really missed cheques. Would have felt a lot better handing solicitor a cheque and letting them cash it rather than having to do transfer myself. Was so panicked at idea of putting in details wrong!

Ummm, I have elderly and unwell parents, both of whom have had strokes before. One recently. If something happens to one of them, I'd like to know ASAP as I've a 3.5 hour drive to them, and knowing as soon as possible could be the difference between seeing them alive again or not.

What about a donkey incase your car breaks down

I always take my phone out with , not for medical emergencies mind, and I also don't have phones in the bedroom at night

Yes, it’s a lot better now as the system checks that the details you entered are for the account name you’ve given, so far less likely to make a mistake!

Cash use has increased since lockdowns; damned good thing too.
2000,000 people in this country don't have bank accounts, so keeping cash use common is vital for them......and useful, simple and convenient for the rest of us.

It's not convenient for organisations and businesses who have to pay staff to count/record/bank the cash, pay additional insurance premiums and other enhanced security costs, pay bank charges for paying in the cash to the bank, cover the losses of counterfeit, lost or stolen cash, etc.

I was making the case for customers, not the businesses.
I know why they prefer it; more profit, obviously.

Less cost actually, as more and more "non business" organisations such as charities, voluntary groups, etc., are going cashless to avoid the costs, and they're non profit making!

You stated it was lower costs for businesses; I responded to that point.
The thread is in response to Sainsbury not being able to take payments.
People don't buy their groceries from charities.

I actually said "organisations and businesses".

And yes, people do buy groceries from charities, such as co-operatives that run village shops, and some charities running food banks also have days when they have a fixed charge of a few pounds for "fill a box" or "fill a bag" open to everyone for disposing of out of date/short dated food items from local shops & supermarkets. We have such a food bank locally which is very popular for anyone every Thursday which is their "fill a bag for a fiver" day for which they only accept card payments as they have no facilities for handling, storing nor banking cash! Those with foodbank vouchers obviously don't pay anything.

Indeed yes; I'm aware of such organisations and the schemes they run.
Good to know your local one runs on Thursdays.
Most groceries, however, are bought from large supermarket chains, and they make larger profits from contactless payments.

You don't know who I am so don't know who would care where I am or what I talk about and you answered yourself in the second paragraph.