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.

I go out with my just my phone these days! So much better than carrying a bag/purse around! I have a few bags for life in the car too!

if the technology goes down so-be-it, I can’t get what I need and can go to another shop if necessary!

I don’t take my bank card anywhere these days and certainly don’t have any cash!

all my store cards (nectar/boots/asda etc) are also all on my phone so my purse is pretty redundant these days (sorry old purse!) 👜

also I’m 40 - so not just young-uns!

It was an overnight software updating error which caused it. I'm not sure that it's then not having their shit together or a glitch in their system.

Bearing in mind McDonalds yesterday and all Tesco stores a few weeks ago, maybe retailers in general need to get their shit together?

This reminds me that many years ago I used to carry my chequebook for the times cashpoints were down ....

It happens at least 2 or 3 times per shift in the charity shop that their phone won't work and they run home for their card (sometimes don't come back) just like sometimes even when there's no issue with contactless it decides you need to put your card in the machine. How difficult is it to take a card? I carry my card and my drivers licence in my phone case

Your post reads like Sainsbury's are choosing to have IT problems, sometimes stuff just goes wrong, it's not a strategy

And actually I do always have cash enough to pay for my shopping, not because I think there will be IT problems I just always have cash in me, judging by the people I see in the queue in front of me paying cash it's not unusual

my husband has one of these flappy phone cases! My kids take the piss out of him for being an old Grandpa - he’s 40! 😆

I usually only take my phone but luckily turned up with my cards at Sainsburys today.

My issue was that we asked before we started shopping what the situation was and were told C&P was fine but contactless wasn’t. Got to the till scanned all our shopping and was told actually Barclays and nationwide C&P were not necessarily going through. These things happen but communication is key. I said to the lady on the checkout that we’d checked before shopping and she just shrugged and said there were people on both doors telling people, but again there wasn’t when we’d gone in.

I don’t think anyone is spending their weekend in Sainsbury’s but some people work during the week and might want a leisurely shop at the weekend or just picking bits up for the weekend or week ahead it’s not really hard to comprehend that people need food?..

anyway, boyfriend only uses Apple Pay works for a bank but never takes his cards out got caught at Tesco recently when all the mobile ways to pay were down but wasn’t told prior to going into store so came back crabbit to get his cards. I usually have my purse with me. So I’d have been fine. Smug me 😂

I always carry cash and cards

I have Apple Pay on my iPad but not set up on my phone

It’s been so long since I used my bank card, this thread actually made me go and check where mine was - phew, found it in an old handbag.

I’ve been using just Apple Pay for a couple years now and have never had an issue. The machines don’t seem to do the chip n pin thing of needing to randomly put your code in now and then, or maybe I’ve just somehow avoided it? I always used to lose my cards so it’s saved me much faffing about cancelling and replacing them. There has been the very rare occasion that machines have been down, in which case a card wouldn’t have worked anyway? I agree people shouldn’t be horrible to staff though, it’s obviously not their fault!

It’s a bit of a faff to set up cards on Apple Pay, I set up a few of my cards then lost the will to live with the security checks so I can see why people don’t bother. One of them told me to ring the bank so I didn’t bother with that one.

I thoroughly enjoyed handing over my usual wad of cash this morning for my big shop in Sainsburys, whilst watching other younger people kick off about not being able to pay with their phones. It my my sad heart soar.

Exactly this. And as my cards live in my bag and my phone doesn’t I’m more likely to find myself in a shop without my phone than my cards.

Oh no, it's a smart phone and I could install the payment apps (if I wanted to!). But it's 4G and seems to lose reception anytime I go into anywhere sizeable and without windows like supermarket, restaurant etc.

I probably sound a bit nuts but I always thought the lack of reception means I can't use my phone to pay!!

I absolutely always have cash on me to do a weekly shop. I keep at least £300 in my purse every day. Why wouldn't you? Cash is freedom. Cash allowed me to leave a tip for the hotel maid yesterday. Cash allowed me to buy stock for my business at jumble sales and table top sales today. I'll spend cash at the car boot sales tomorrow. It is completely idiotic not to carry cash, because when systems go down (banking/retail) you aren't going to be able to buy food, petrol or meds.

Every 10th transaction needs a chip and pin for my card. I can easily make 5 transactions a day so I have to have my card with me. I also regularly have to get up to go and find my card to make online transactions at home.

Not only do I have to carry my card I also always carry cash. I regularly visit lots of places which don’t take cards, prefer cash or use cash for tipping etc. it also helps when there is a problem, which has happened.

Sometimes I feel like I’m in an alternate universe though, reading on here. I use cash pretty much every day. I was at a restaurant in the centre of a large UK city last week that only accepts cash payments. Several shops nearby are cash only. And I buy from lots of places that don’t just not have card payment facilities, they don’t have internet or electricity- eg, farmers market, market stalls, church fair, fetes, pop up shops, little cafes on the seafront, food stalls, roadside sales of eggs, wood, plants, honesty boxes, donation points, charity collections. I use cash all the time.

My cards are in my phone case. Nothing extra to carry.

I haven’t carried my bank card in a decade. I don’t even know the PIN. I am yet to come across a retailer who only has had issues with only the contactless and not the whole card system, meaning it’s been cash-only until it’s sorted.

I'm an antique, I love my cards. If the system went down in a supermarket I'd go outside and withdraw cash.

I can be a bit slow on transitioning to new tech then I'm fine, e.g. I was abroad when chip and pin was introduced and was utterly baffled at first when I returned to England and you didn't have to sign, you just used pin.

And smartphones, I was a bit suspicious about apps at first until I understood.

They would let you, I have done this many a time when forgotten my purse! Assuming cash point working of course

Yes..I don't always carry it but always have plenty at home . Cyber attacks are increasingly likely as well as updating glitches. Plus every time you pay by card or phone you are monitored and someone takes a cut. Cash is freedom and security.

I always carry cash and always carry my cards. I do not understand anyone who uses their phone to pay for things. When 3 friends got their phones stolen and accounts emptied, watching a programme recently on how easy it is to access someone's money via their, I don't get why anyone would do this.

And don't start me on those who get to the till and can't get the bloody phone to work to pay this way. Cards and cash all the way.

For me, the risk of losing my bank card or cash is a lot higher than the likelihood of needing them, so I only carry my phone most days. I’d only have my card as well if I really needed to buy something or was going away somewhere.

Business have to pay to bank cash as well, you know.