Have you gone cashless?

[oldwheels]

I was a bit surprised that when bought my last motorhome [ preloved as they say obviously ] the balance I had to pay the dealer was just short of £15000 and I just stuck my card into his machine and used my pin.
Got a little bit of paper in exchange which seemed inadequate for parting with what was to me a largish sum of money.
When I eventually sold it my son dealt with the transaction [ I was in hospital at the time ] and money was electronically paid into my account using the buyers phone.
I did know the buyer so had no qualms about this but would be wary with a stranger.

 

[ianrauk]

It never occurs to most people that using a card costs the retailer a variable amount depending on what the bank thinks it can get away with.
My last experience was with an arts centre I was involved with and the bank initially demanded 7% on every transaction.
In the past debit cards had a fixed fee per transaction but credit cards were percentage. No idea of current situation tho'.
It soon eats into your profit margin.

Barclaycard contactless machine is less than 1% per transaction excepting Amex which is over double that.
Our company could have chosen not to take Amex but a large proportion of
people use Amex so we take the hit. Of course on top of the %age, there is also the monthly fee for the machine/service.

 

[ianrauk]

I still use cash as well as the card and I always have some in my wallet. The newsagents I work at is cash only as are quite a few small businesses round here.

I would say that if a small business did that in London then they would go out of business very quickly.
Even London busses are cashless now.

 

[stoatsngroats]

I have ££s in my wallet, just in case, and when cycling, but cashless otherwise entirely.
We went to Sweden on a cruise in 2018, and as we don’t spend cash, didn’t think to change any when being ‘tendered’ to the port.
On arrival Mrs SnG decided to use the facilities, and we realised that they were the ‘spend a penny’ type.
just as we were beginning to consider having to change a £10 note, I noticed the cashless sign on the door, and used my phone to gain access for her.
This simple things can make a world of difference.

 

[cheshirerob]

Once they’ve drawn you in with convenience and ease they will whip out the negative interest rates and handling levy's, ull no longer be able to retreat back to trusty notes as they'll be extinguished like the red squirrel when they imported the grey. Look after your own acorns 😀

 

[oldwheels]

Barclaycard contactless machine is less than 1% per transaction excepting Amex which is over double that.
Our company could have chosen not to take Amex but a large proportion of
people use Amex so we take the hit. Of course on top of the %age, there is also the monthly fee for the machine/service.

The percentage used to depend on your turnover on card transactions They were charging us a lot so we discouraged the use of cards. When I complained to the bank they quoted the low turnover on cards. I pointed out that if they charged less there would be a higher turnover so they halved the percentage but slyly started to increase it again after a couple of months.

 

[mistyoptic]

I had to use cash last week.

I needed a form completed by my GP. The surgery could only accept cash or cheque 😂

no worries about COVID on cash there then

 

[slowmotion]

Mention of bank notes in another thread reminded me I very rarely use cash now.

Things were headed that way before Covid, but with retailers now preferring cards for even small purchases I don't use cash from one week or month to the next.

Lockdown means fewer opportunities to spend face to face, but I think nearly every retailer I might use in the future now takes cards.

The mobile card readers have made a difference - the last burger van I used had one, and I noticed on a couple of farming documentaries that every market stall holder selling food has one.

My last semi-regular cash transaction was at my local drive through car wash - currently closed due to lockdown - but I think the driver in front of me last time paid with a card.

I suspect cashless may become part of the post Covid new normal, because I can't see people willingly going back to cash.

Oddly enough, my last cash payment was also my most expensive recent purchase - £2,000 for my new bathroom.

Have you gone cashless?

I place a bulk order for beer every two months and the slightly shady local offie likes cash in exchange for the yellow stuff so I visit the hole in the wall machine once every eight weeks. Those are the only cash withdrawals I've made in the last year.

 

[classic33]

Wonder if they'll bring the new £50 note out this year.

 

[Paulus]

I would say that if a small business did that in London then they would go out of business very quickly.
Even London busses are cashless now.

Buses in London have been cashless for several years, even some London Underground stations are now cashless. The Oyster system works on tap and pay.

 

[Paulus]

I did use cash the other week, although I had to go to the ATM after buying my fruit as the stall in the market had a problem with their card reader

 

[MntnMan62]

I don't use cash all that often. But I still do carry cash on me. Anywhere between $50 and $250. I typically withdraw $200 at a time from the ATM. If you pay for your dinner at this local sushi place you get 10% of the bill. Buying lottery tickets? Since I usually only buy two or four tickets at a time, I use cash. If I'm in a crowded bar, I'll pay with cash. It's just quicker to throw some bills down on the bar (pre-covid, obviously) than wait for the credit card receipt to sign. And when buying stuff used from Facebook Marketplace it's usually cash and carry. Lately I've been buying used drums so the cash is useful there. Fast food drive thru? Cash.

 

[All uphill]

It is already interesting trying to explain a cash only world to our 27 year son, and the difficulties I had one weekend when I was away from home and had forgotten to cash a cheque on Friday.

The idea of being unable to buy anything, despite having money in the bank was mind-boggling!

 

[stephec]

I've got a pound coin in my pocket for the Tesco trolley.

On Saturday I went into Bolton town centre for the first time in ages, parking up behind the town hall I wondered if the parking machines would still be in operation. At the edge of the road there's a sign saying that parking is free, but I need to use the machine.

Over I go to the machine, and sure enough the sign on it says that parking is free, but I still have to put my reg number in to display a ticket, where's the logic in that?

 

[ianrauk]

Buses in London have been cashless for several years, even some London Underground stations are now cashless. The Oyster system works on tap and pay.

I know. I live in London and was invited to be one of the first people to trial an Oyster card.