MSE Poll: Are you part of the cashless society? How often do you use cash?

dollypeeps

I like using cash but then I was a bank clerk so used to handling it. I also have online banking and use cards payments etc with ease. I think the ‘value’ can sometimes be lost with easy online transactions. It’s just a set of numbers!
Although it is nice to be able to get money off my Ds much more easily via card etc 😬😬

Albermarle

It seems unlikely to me that someone could go four years without using cash . I always carry some .Partly out of habit but partly because I have seen situations where having cash is useful. For example I was behind a family queuing to pay at a swimming pool ( pre covid) and the card machine would not work . Parents had no cash so they could not get in , cue kids screaming etc .
Also recently was at a NT beauty spot - flash  car arrived to get last available space - meter only took coins so had to drive off again. Seems daft to inconvenience yourself just for the sake of carrying a bit of cash around just in case,

Mickey666

Interesting that all the age-group graphs have basically the same shape and distribution, with ‘rarely use cash’ being the highest across all ages.  Only the graph of those not willing to give their age-group was significantly different.

I always have cash on me, but if I can pay by CC then I will - which is probably 99% of the time.  I never carry coins though, except in my car ashtray for parking purposes.

Neil_Br

Mickey666 said:

Interesting that all the age-group graphs have basically the same shape and distribution, with ‘rarely use cash’ being the highest across all ages.  Only the graph of those not willing to give their age-group was significantly different.

Could be some bias here though, in that the older people in this poll would be ones capable of getting on the internet and might therefore more be more pre-disposed to going cashless.

Teapot55

Here’s a little quiz: what’s the smallest number of each coin & note (up to & including £20 notes) that you need to have with you to cover any amount to at least £60 exactly without needing to receive change?  

(I’ll check back later with the answer if no-one’s already posted it). 

jon81uk

MalMonroe said:

I stopped using cash when I was mugged a couple of years ago. There was cash in my bag and of course that's not refundable by any bank. 

I feel safer just carrying cards now. If they're lost or stolen I can phone to cancel them - if they're used after they've been stolen I'm more likely to be refunded. No way can I be refunded if cash is lost or stolen. Been there, done that.

There's such unjustified snobbery about 'still using cash'. It's far safer to use cards, also from the germs point of view. 

I still do use some cash, such as to pay window cleaners but it's very rare that I need it. When I used to go out - classed as vulnerable now so I don't - I used cash to buy a Big Issue whenever I could but sadly have not been able to do that of late.

I agree with you. I lost my wallet a while ago with £20 in it, that was gone forever. But cards can be cancelled as soon as you phone the bank. Only place I still have to use cash is the Chinese and fish and chip take away.

[Deleted User]

If we moved to a cashless society, will that mean that if we sell something 2nd hand on Facebook etc, or we sell at car boot sales, will we all need to have a debit machine? I am not talking about people who sell all the time, I'm talking about people who perhaps are moving house and want to downsize or have surplus items in their home that they want to sell. Yes, people can pay by bank transfer, but that's not as quick as a cash sale and if people get paid by bank transfer when you sell something, are we all going to have to pay income tax as the Government could very well say this is income. What about people on benefits too, any cash received can be taken of people's benefits and the Government won't care if you are selling Susie's outgrown clothes or a sofa from your home, they will just look at it as extra money coming in. I'm not a big seller, but sometimes like to sell the odd thing here and there which I no longer need and I never do boot sales, but I can conjur up an image of someone trying to sell things at a boot sale and everyone is asking for your bank details so they can pay for stuff. Who's going to do that? No-one I suspect, people will either walk away or not even bother to go to boot sales. I hope a cashless society does not happen in my lifetime, that's all I can say.

jon81uk

Marly2 said:

are we all going to have to pay income tax as the Government could very well say this is income.

It is income no matter if it comes to you as cash, bank transfer, paypal or whatever.

But as long as you are just selling personal possessions and no item is over £6000 you don't need to pay tax.
If you are buying items with the intention of selling for profit you are a trader and need to check if you need to pay tax (its likely you do if you sell more than £1000 a year). But the payment method is irrelevant.

NBLondon

My answer is somewhere between rarely and equally...   I have certainly used contactless more than cash this year - but I'd never not have cash on me.

bodsmum

Used to use card predominantly but I cannot support a cashless society, so this year have made a point of using cash wherever possible. There are 8 million people in the UK unable to have a bank account for various reasons. 8 million people to be denied the basic essentials and pleasures of life in a cashless society.  Thankfully the small businesses can no longer afford the transaction fees incurred by the banks for card payments and many of my local independent stores have reverted to cash only.
As for cash being germ ridden, a simp!e Google search will bring up dozens of reports explaining why this simply isn't true.