Do you still use cash?

[BitchesBeSniffin]

Just had a discussion with my DH about this and am wondering which of us is in the minority in the world of Mumsnet.

YABU: I still use cash and make sure I always have some on me

YANBU: I barely ever / never use cash

Pay for virtually everything in cash if I can.

Use cash as much as possible, easier to keep within my budget.
Only have debit cards too, no credit cards or store cards.

I’m the opposite, market stalls all have card readers, and in my local town the last bank has shut , shops don’t want cash as they can’t bank it.

Loads of people.

DP and I are complete opposites in this regard, he much prefers using cash whenever he can, I very rarely have any on me, generally only withdraw it if I know something needs to be paid in cash in the immediate future.
I've noticed a lot of places around us only accept card payment, or will state that card payment is preferred.

YES, I love using cash. Use it or lose it (those who don't see the huge problems of a cashless society seriously need to do some reading on the matter!!!)

I use cash

• for small businesses who are charged for using the card machine, and therefore prefer it
• For donations at coffee mornings
• For my local Takeaway that only takes cash
• To give pocket money
• For cake sales
• For charity car washes
• For tickets to the two last football matches I went to (where it was cash only)
• For my cleaner
• For coffee at Church
• at all fetes, fayres, car boots, jumble sales
• for my mobile hairdresser
• For charity collections like Christian Aid (not exclusively, but as it was Christian Aid week recently)
• To put in birthday cards
• To put in a collection at work
• To put towards the bill when going out for a meal with others
• To fill smartie tubes as fundraisers
• At jumble sales
• For poppies, or Air Ambulance, or other street collections

That's just quickly, off the top of my head. I'm sure there are other things.

It's happened a lot recently.

Those who think cash is for dinosaurs are fools.

YES, I love using cash. Use it or lose it (those who don't see the huge problems of a cashless society seriously need to do some reading on the matter!!!)

I'm the same. I try to use cash as much as possible. It makes me so angry when I can't pay by cash, because I think we're being forced to become a cashless society, and it's bloody dangerous. The pp I've quoted is spot on.

Everywhere around me takes card and many prefer it. Even small businesses as it saves them having to bank the cash (which banks also charge for, people seem to think they only charge for card payments). It’s also better for security, a local small business prefers card payments as it’s safer than them having loads of cash on them which they could get robbed of - which has happened to two other nearby businesses.

I only use cash for if I’m going to a car boot sale.

Not an emergency no. No one would starve obviously. The only other shop in town is a very small Tesco which is more expensive and quickly sold out of a lot of stuff. It was certainly inconvenient for a lot of people. The only cash points is also Sainsbury's and that was down too.

The only time I do is when I'm paying scouts to clean my car.

I would prefer if cash didn't die out.
Once we are in the realm of digital payments only we can be completely tracked. There's always a trail.
People will say that's a good thing as it's only baddies who worry about that. But they are wrong. It's a personal freedom. Not all state actors are benign.

Having said that, it's the convenience of tapping that will kill cash. I always dread the thought of handing over a fiver or ten pound note and then getting back a huge mix of coins , many of which like 5p, 2p and 1p are unusable. I actually think dropping every coin smaller than 50p would really help. It would also put a stop to people charging bloody 99p or 9.99

I could not eat at my favourite local restaurant if I did not use cash.

I use Apple Pay, I rarely have cash on me. It’s much easier to keep track of spending when I pay by card.

I find it easier to keep track of spending through card using a banking mobile app. Its not the card itself that makes it easy, it is the banking app.
But I do pay for small purchases with cash. Because otherwise the larger volumes of purchases on the banking apps become too much to track spend.

I do still sometimes use cash, and do like having some on me . But I have to admit im using it less and less. I used to always go to to a cash machine regularly to ensure I had cash in my purse, now I only get cash out when I know im going to need it . However last time i wanted cash i stopped at several petrol stations that i know used to have cash machines only to discover they no longer had them - so failed to get cash out. Antique fairs, garden shows, fetes etc and also tradesman often want cash.

I'm mostly card but keep 20 odd in my purse, which did come in handy the other day when my chip malfunctioned and I had to order a new card.

Cash is for my cleaner and the fish and chip shop which only takes cash. And the fruit and veg shop at the end of the road if I'm literally buying one leek and a chilli, say, for a specific recipe, it's not fair on them with card charges.

No point in carrying cash regularly IMO (other than maybe a set amount for emergencies). Barely any places accept them - most shops & cafes I go to are cashless

I'm also shocked that so many of you mention places that exclusively take cash - haven't seen any that do that in years!

@wintersgold are you in london?
The only place where I live that does not take cash is Las Iguanas. There are a few places that only take cash.

I hate cash. I’m surprised how many people use it!

I've been in Iceland for 2 weeks and not used any cash! Only my phone

That’s not extremely high - and it usually only affects one card provider network (of which there are lots).
I pay for most things with card and I’ve only had an issue once.

Iceland was an early adopter if internet technology, way ahead of the UK.

My boyfriend has been in the country a year and still hasn’t touched cash in our currency 😂 I only have it for presents etc