To think it’s wrong some big companies won’t accept cash?

[YouDidThisPeterRab]

Just seems a bit shit.

I went to the cinema. No cash accepted. Card only.

Annoying. My preference is cash. But, some people use it to budget. Some people have it as their funds available to spend because they’ve been gifted some cash.

Seems really odd not to accept cash or advertise and make it clear on things like ticket confirmations that you don’t accept any cash

Spot on @YellowOrangePink
When cashless comes in and then how we spend is controlled/monitored, everyone will miss cash.

I mainly use my phone to pay for things and very rarely use cash and I think now with online banking and apps it's way easier to see where you've spent money. My banking app and Google pay send a notification every time I pay for something.
But some small businesses prefer cash for small amounts, presumably because there is some cost of using the card reader. I know of a small shop that only takes card payments over £5.

Im dubious of places (especially car washes and nail salons ) that only take cash but I don't think you can assume anyone taking cash is on the fiddle.

DH has a couple of customers and their only means of paying are cash or cheque. Tbh cash is less faffy than cheque if it exceeds the amount that can be paid in on the app. Just about everyone else pays by bank transfer which is far easier

I can understand why some places prefer not to use cash, but I'll use it at every opportunity I can. I prefer it for smaller transactions, say under 50 or 100 pounds. I use a credit card for bigger purchases and pay in full so no balance builds up.

I work with adults woth learning disabilities, cash is so important for them to be able to but things themselves as many have appointees for money due to their conditions. Taking it away takes their independence.
Also good for children to learn budgeting rather than tapping a card all the time

And when we tried to voice these fears in 2020, along with everything else being thrown at us, we were told to stop believing conspiracy theories, to shut up and put our masks back on, to stop killing grannies, and to think about hands face space, like good children.

With a cashless society, they’d have been able to stop the public buying Easter eggs and tampons.

Whizzy electronic methods are good… until they go wrong, when someone deliberately pulls the plug.

As for using your phone to pay for everything: if it gets lost or stolen, or confiscated, or the battery runs out, you’re screwed. I use a debit card when needed, but I totally draw the line at using my phone to pay for anything.

I mostly use my phone but I generally have a card with me as well. A few times I've been to the supermarket where contactless didn't work, but if you inserted the card and put the pin in it was fine
I always use a card tapping in and out of stations because I'm worried about my phone being snatched

And those of us who prefer card/phone payments will use that cinema, and avoid cash only businesses. It's free choice and the free market at work and noone needs to be forced to accept anything.

And how do you think those with no family/friends to help manage to cope?

Incidentally I have a friend, who has always been very computer/new technology savvy. After being caught up in a natural disaster he now always keeps cash in the house as it was all that could be used at the time.

Don’t use those businesses. And if you can’t avoid them, do something about it! Complain.

Our local leisure centre is franchised to a company by the local council and is card only. It is the only swimming pool for miles, and young and elderly alike use cash only, so now cannot use it.

On the basis that it is a public facility that excludes some disadvantaged people, local councillors are looking to make a change to the tender criteria when the franchise comes up for renewal.

The other problem with all of this is that businesses needing to bank their takings at the end of the day helped to keep bank branches open.

All of that is possible with a bank account. I’d be surprised if there are any schools left who don’t have an online payment thing for school trips.

Squirrelling away bits of physical cash sounds more dangerous for someone in an abusive relationship. That stash in the house can be found, a bank account is far easier to hide.

Some businesses which are exposed to tax evasion ought to be carded payment only. The country would raise a load of money by stopping builders merchants taking cash, and takeaways, nail bars, barbers etc.

And I have never had any issues whatsoever with my banks electronic payments system failing. I wonder how many people have actually been affected?

I have not received a cash gift for many years, MIL does a bank transfer and she is 83.

I do not like paying in cash because of tax evasion.

I saw a beggar with a card machine yesterday, have seen 2 now, even the tiny semi rural church I go to for a coffee morning sometimes has a card machine.

With self control budgeting with cards is better as you know exactly where money has been spent. Plus if on a credit card and the balance is always paid then there are additional benefits. Free trips to sealife x2, Legoland and many other places plus free ferries and care hire and hotels over a lifetime. You just spend what you have so zero charges.

Digital payments do not send the basket of goods to the bank for authorisation. Only the amount spent.

Millions!
startups.co.uk/news/card-payment-outages/

With a cashless society, they’d have been able to stop the public buying Easter eggs and tampons

This makes zero sense. We saw during COVID that it was entirely possible (horrifyingly so) for the government to ban private businesses from doing things. They forced all the pubs to shut for example. Nothing to do with cash or not. If they wanted to stop people buying tampons they'd make the shops stop selling them. Is your thought that they'd block the transactions via the bank? I don't think you've thought it through.

How easy is that for someone with poor tech skills? A fair proportion of my clients don't have smartphones or internet access at home, how would they do that?

And it would still require them to keep some sort of record of how much they had spent that week, and keep it accurately. There's a big difference between that and looking in your purse or pocket and thinking "Yes, I can afford that, I can afford that, I've still got £15 to last me till Saturday".

I run a business and always have trouble explaining to people who try to pay me in cash that I prefer electronic payments as it is cheaper for me. The bank charges me to pay cash in far more than they do for electronic payments.

They are usually incredulous that a) I declare all my cash income, and b) that it costs me more to accept cash.

It is far easier for me to keep track of who has paid what using electronic payment methods.

And I bet the employee is not insured while going to the bank, certainly not by their car insurance.

We used to bank cash into our personal account, which had no charges, then transfer it to our business account electronically which worked out a lot cheaper. Took a little bit more in book keeping, but saved us a lot of money in bank charges over the years.

Agreed. I'm self employed and I simply won't take cash.

Are you prepared to pay the additional costs for businesses to manage cash - higher prices?

I would rather use card and I walk straight past venues that have cash only signs on the door as I never carry any.