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People who don’t carry their bank cards with them

868 replies

Auburngal · 16/03/2024 14:19

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.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
Auburngal · 20/03/2024 11:04

Greggs has till issues with some of their branches. A mix of closed branches and cash only

OP posts:
venus7 · 20/03/2024 11:25

taxguru · 20/03/2024 10:36

People will need to get bank accounts. It's a basic requirement of modern society. I appreciate some will genuinely be incapable, i.e. serious mental health issues, but they'd probably struggle to manage cash too, so need support in everyday life in lots of aspects. As the years pass, there'll be fewer and fewer very old people (say 90 plus) who had their working life at a time when people were paid in cash and paid bills etc in cash, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. But for anyone younger, they must have been living under a rock, as bank accounts, credit cards, etc., were pretty normal back in the 80s, which is over 40 years ago! There are simple/basic bank accounts for those with poor credit history who are excluded from "normal" bank accounts. I suppose homeless people may struggle to get any form of bank account without a postal address and ID documents, etc. But the number of people who genuinely have reasons for not having a bank account or a dedicated carer to look after their lifestyle aspects, will be a lot lower than the figures for people without an account as most of them will be for less genuine reasons, i.e. can't be bothered, don't trust banks, tin hat brigade, tax/benefit fraudsters, criminals, etc.

I was thinking of homeless people, not criminals/fraudsters. I don't include 'lifestyle aspects', whatever they are.
I think a society should be judged on how it treats it's most disadvantaged or vulnerable members, which includes the homeless, by most people's standards.
Why not keep cash, as well as use cards, apple pay, etc?

taxguru · 20/03/2024 11:42

venus7 · 20/03/2024 11:25

I was thinking of homeless people, not criminals/fraudsters. I don't include 'lifestyle aspects', whatever they are.
I think a society should be judged on how it treats it's most disadvantaged or vulnerable members, which includes the homeless, by most people's standards.
Why not keep cash, as well as use cards, apple pay, etc?

No one is banning cash universally (yet). It's still a valid choice, but it's a "choice" of the service provider/shop just as much as it's a choice for the consumer/customer. You can't force an organisation to accept cash for a Mars Bar just as that organisation can't force a customer to buy a Mars bar. If an organisation makes the decision that it's too costly to deal in cash, then they have the choice to do that, just as customers have the choice not to buy stuff from that organisation.

But, in reality, it WILL be gone from mainstream organisations within a couple of decades, simply because of the younger generations coming through who are happy not to use cash, the number of customers wanting to use cash will continue to diminish and organisations will continue to make decisions to stop accepting it when the costs of doing so become too high in comparision with the benefits (i.e. higher customers).

Just the same as happened with cheques. There was never a formal "ban" or termination of cheques. It was just that over time, the number of people wanting to use cheques diminished as easier options emerged, and the number of organisations accepting cheques diminished in response. Yes, most banks continue to tolerate their use, but it's important to observe that the new emerging "online" banks which are gaining in popularity tend not to offer cheques as a service/option!

venus7 · 20/03/2024 11:49

taxguru · 20/03/2024 11:42

No one is banning cash universally (yet). It's still a valid choice, but it's a "choice" of the service provider/shop just as much as it's a choice for the consumer/customer. You can't force an organisation to accept cash for a Mars Bar just as that organisation can't force a customer to buy a Mars bar. If an organisation makes the decision that it's too costly to deal in cash, then they have the choice to do that, just as customers have the choice not to buy stuff from that organisation.

But, in reality, it WILL be gone from mainstream organisations within a couple of decades, simply because of the younger generations coming through who are happy not to use cash, the number of customers wanting to use cash will continue to diminish and organisations will continue to make decisions to stop accepting it when the costs of doing so become too high in comparision with the benefits (i.e. higher customers).

Just the same as happened with cheques. There was never a formal "ban" or termination of cheques. It was just that over time, the number of people wanting to use cheques diminished as easier options emerged, and the number of organisations accepting cheques diminished in response. Yes, most banks continue to tolerate their use, but it's important to observe that the new emerging "online" banks which are gaining in popularity tend not to offer cheques as a service/option!

You state 'it's a valid choice'. I said it's a valid choice; let's agree to agree, shall we........?!

EilonwyWithRedGoldHair · 20/03/2024 11:51

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.

The reason I forget my PIN is that I rarely need to use it, changing it wouldn't help as then I'd probably just put the old one in.

snowmichael · 20/03/2024 11:56

> Why do many people don’t carry their bank cards anymore?

Because for many women, their clothes have no pockets and a handbag is cumbersome?
I've never known a bloke who doesn't carry a wallet or at least a card in their pocket

Bjorkdidit · 20/03/2024 12:02

But 'everyone' has their phones and a card fits in the back of a phone case. I always have a bank card and a note in the back of mine, same pocket requirement and all bases are covered.

snowmichael · 20/03/2024 12:03

Crunchymum · 16/03/2024 14:46

That's good to know. I've always been curious but never bothered to test it.

My phone is so old and crap but I do only pay a tenner a month!

If it's old, why are you paying anything for the phone? Surely it's paid off now?
And obviously £10/month is excessive for just a calls/texts/data package (Lebara is under £5/month)

Rainrainrainrainrainrainrain · 20/03/2024 12:16

snowmichael · 20/03/2024 11:56

> Why do many people don’t carry their bank cards anymore?

Because for many women, their clothes have no pockets and a handbag is cumbersome?
I've never known a bloke who doesn't carry a wallet or at least a card in their pocket

But where do these women with no pockets or handbag put their phone?

ZetuianRose · 20/03/2024 12:26

snowmichael · 20/03/2024 12:03

If it's old, why are you paying anything for the phone? Surely it's paid off now?
And obviously £10/month is excessive for just a calls/texts/data package (Lebara is under £5/month)

£10 a month is far from excessive for a SIM only deal. People have different requirements, I want unlimited data, plus tethering and roaming, so I pay more than £10 a month SIM only.

phoenixrosehere · 20/03/2024 12:39

Rainrainrainrainrainrainrain · 20/03/2024 12:16

But where do these women with no pockets or handbag put their phone?

I keep mine in my hand if I’m heading to the shop or nearest supermarket, or takeaway several less than a 10 min walk to get to.

chaosmaker · 20/03/2024 13:05

Lots of people on tills are not able to give you the correct money if you want to pay the odd bit after giving them the note. It's not hard as they just have to round the amount up.
I've had the excuse that they've pressed the button now. Tech does make people lazier/more stupid as we lose the ability to do what it does - like remembering phone numbers.

Growlybear83 · 20/03/2024 13:10

I thought of this thread just now - I'm waiting for our lunch in a fish and chip shop that only takes cash. There are a number of chippies and kebab shops near my that are cash only.

Bjorkdidit · 20/03/2024 13:22

chaosmaker · 20/03/2024 13:05

Lots of people on tills are not able to give you the correct money if you want to pay the odd bit after giving them the note. It's not hard as they just have to round the amount up.
I've had the excuse that they've pressed the button now. Tech does make people lazier/more stupid as we lose the ability to do what it does - like remembering phone numbers.

In a pub I remember giving a young barman £21.50 for two drinks that I knew were going to be £6.50 and I didn't want to add to the handful of change I was carrying.

Also, from experience of working in retail/hospitality, before everything was mostly card, I knew that places often struggled for change so I thought I was being helpful.

He looked at the money I gave him, looked at me, looked at the money, looked at me with suspicion, and just as I was about to ask him if I could have my change, he finally typed £21.50 into his till, which of course instructed him to give me exactly £15 in change and his face was a picture. He wouldn't have looked less surprised and amazed if I'd have downed both drinks in one and walked out of the bar using the glasses as stilts.

And yet if you tell them that in my day, we used to add everything up in our heads/on paper and work the change out without any help from an electronic till and they won't believe you Wink

ZetuianRose · 20/03/2024 13:42

Growlybear83 · 20/03/2024 13:10

I thought of this thread just now - I'm waiting for our lunch in a fish and chip shop that only takes cash. There are a number of chippies and kebab shops near my that are cash only.

There’s only one left now near me that’s cash only. It’s a very good and renowned kebab shop, but very slow and old school. Luckily DP often has cash, but there are times when I wouldn’t be able to go if it was just on me as I wouldn’t have cash in the house or card handy for ATM.

taxguru · 20/03/2024 14:03

@Bjorkdidit

And yet if you tell them that in my day, we used to add everything up in our heads/on paper and work the change out without any help from an electronic till and they won't believe you

Yes, it's true. My parents bought a corner newsagents in 1974. We didn't have an electric till. Everything was added in our heads, along with working change (which was actually very easy when you use the "count up" method). Not only that, but we had two till drawers, one for zero VAT rated items such as newspapers and another for standard rated items such as chocolates, sweets, greetings cards, cigarettes, soft drinks, etc. So we'd have to add everything up twice, one for a total for the customer to pay, and then we'd have to do a separate tally to transfer the different VAT rated monies from one till to another, where, say the customer had bought a newspaper and packet of Benson & Hedges.

I was only ten, but inevitably I rapidly gained brilliant mental arithmetic skills as I used to serve the counter with my parents.

It was about 20 years later that we bought an electric till, and God, it was slow. Pressing the buttons etc was a hell of a lot slower than just adding up in our heads, but at least we didn't have to fart around with two different till drawers anymore.

I still do the adding up in my head when I go shopping and keep a mental tally of a running total of how much I'm spending. If the till shows a different figure, I'll challenge it, and it's usually something that's been shelf marked wrong or a BOGOF or other offer that hasn't been applied correctly in the till. But usually, it's spot on to the exact amount I added.

Calculators, phones, tills, etc really do make our minds lazy.

Allfur · 20/03/2024 14:17

Should we still walk everywhere or do cars make us lazy

BreakingAndBroke · 20/03/2024 14:21

I always have an emergency £20 note in my phone case. Think it's a hangover from Brownies 30+ years ago when we had to make sure we had 10p in our purse in case we needed to call our mum. Be prepared! 😁

taxguru · 20/03/2024 14:48

Allfur · 20/03/2024 14:17

Should we still walk everywhere or do cars make us lazy

Interesting question. The thing is, though, that because of cars and being easy to travel to places like out of town retail parks, it's meant that more local shops and other facilities that were within walking distance have now closed down, meaning longer walks to those that remained open, meaning fewer journeys are now easily possible by foot. So, a kind of circular argument really.

20-30 years ago, you could, if you wanted to, walk to local shops, but now most "corner" shops have gone, you'd have to walk a lot further to your "nearest" shops! So it's not really a like for like comparison.

snowmichael · 20/03/2024 14:56

ZetuianRose · 20/03/2024 12:26

£10 a month is far from excessive for a SIM only deal. People have different requirements, I want unlimited data, plus tethering and roaming, so I pay more than £10 a month SIM only.

Unlimited data is only £8 with Lebara, but if you're getting it for a tenner that's not bad

NoWordForFluffy · 20/03/2024 15:02

snowmichael · 20/03/2024 14:56

Unlimited data is only £8 with Lebara, but if you're getting it for a tenner that's not bad

It's showing as £22.50 for unlimited data on Lebara. I pay £8 for 21GB with them.

taxguru · 20/03/2024 15:04

BreakingAndBroke · 20/03/2024 14:21

I always have an emergency £20 note in my phone case. Think it's a hangover from Brownies 30+ years ago when we had to make sure we had 10p in our purse in case we needed to call our mum. Be prepared! 😁

Yes, us "oldies" seem better prepared with a Plan B in case Plan A fails. Life was harder back then and we didn't have all the gadgets, gizmos and facilities which make us lazy and reliant today.

I'm pretty paranoid and not only have a Plan B, I often have a Plan C too! Not just with means to buy things or pay for things, but also for route options when driving or using public transport - I always know alternative routes/options when a road on my planned route is closed or congested due to an accident, or when a train breaks down blocking the line, or bad weather causes widespread train cancellations. Not to the extent of worrying so much that I lose sleep, but just with a small amount of time researching alternative routes via google maps or the train booking apps, etc.

It's something I've hammered into our son throughout his teenage years whenever he's got a bit blase about how to get home after being out/away with his mates, what he'd do if he lost his phone or his wallet, etc.

It worked well a few months ago when he went to London for the first time ever (well he'd been as an 8 year old child!). He went on his own due to work - well a few others from his workplace were going, but they weren't in his department and he didn't know them, so he was effectively on his own! He doesn't live with us, so I helped him plan the trains, underground, hotel accommodation, etc., over facetime with him. Well, he didn't need much help to do that as he's pretty switched on himself with researching things etc. But where I did stick my oar in was with contingency planning, i.e. what he'd do if he missed his train, what he'd do if he got lost, what he'd do if the hotel was double booked, etc - not to scare the shit out of him, but to get him thinking of what he'd do. In the end, it turned out necessary as on the day he was coming back, it was severe storms and literally all trains north from Kings Cross to the North East were cancelled, well, as usual, not officially cancelled, but all marked as "delayed" and Kings Cross staff hadn't a clue what would run, when, if at all. We'd been through this, and we'd agreed he'd get himself to Euston and get whatever train he could somewhere "north", preferably at least to Crewe, and even better to Manchester, so that he'd have options to get from Crewe to Manchester and then Manchester to Leeds and onto the North East. He did that, and managed to squeeze onto a Manchester train, literally the last person on it and it was the last train of the day to Manchester - others were being turned away by platform staff as it was severely overcrowded! He was the only person in his firm who got home that night - the others either had to find hotels in London, or got themselves out of London by overground trains or shorter distance trains to midlands towns and ended up in hotels there as the trains started finishing late in the evening. They hadn't contemplated what to do in case of a major failure in the train network, and were too slow to work out alternative routes and ended up missing the "last" trains going to Manchester and being turned away from Euston.

I know some people will regard that as extreme paranoia, but I really don't think it's particularly wrong to think about what may go wrong and spend a little bit of time researching alternatives etc., so that you're ahead of the crowds when things do go wrong.

ZetuianRose · 20/03/2024 15:14

snowmichael · 20/03/2024 14:56

Unlimited data is only £8 with Lebara, but if you're getting it for a tenner that's not bad

Not sure where you’re looking, but it isn’t £8. Having looked on their website it’s £25 per month on 30 day rolling, reduced to £22.50 if you sign up for 12 months. No mention of tethering allowance or data roaming so going to assume they’re not included. It’s no better than anywhere else tbh.

Auburngal · 20/03/2024 15:27

I worked in the collections department at a bank. Those customers who refused to pay their credit card bill if they had the money, majority of them withdrew the cash from a cash machine so what they don’t have their transactions traced.

OP posts: