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

hugheskevi

I would prefer to use cashless for everything if possible. Things I use cash for are:

• Cleaner (fortnightly). The only payment I like using cash for, as it is great for being flexible and paying only when the service is delivered, so easy to adapt when re-arranging cleaning dates if away, etc.
• Local shop - very frustrating, as they have a minimum amount to accept payment by card, but then complain if you pay using a note (spectacularly rude, but it is London so not unsurprising).
• Other shops that either have minimum spend to pay by card or prefer cash for very small spend (eg drink from newsagent, etc).
• Car parks - although increasingly uncommon to find cash-only car parks, it still happens. Deeply frustrating when expensive car parks (eg £7+) only accept coins but that is now very rare.
• Group meals when paying together - sometimes easiest to throw in a note than to slowly go around everyone paying by card.
  
• Taxis - many accept card payments, and I prefer pre-booked and paid for anyhow, but sometimes cash is the only option. I very rarely take taxis anyhow.

I only carry coins when I know I will need them, but usually carry at least £20 in notes despite rarely using them.

The main issue for me are very small transactions and the lack of acceptance of card payments, causing conflict due to a largely cashless society meaning shops will not have much change, but consumers won't be carrying coins as a matter-of-course either.

Overseas however, I much prefer to use cash for a large number of transactions. This is to reduce risk of card being blocked and fraud, which will make things difficult - especially trying to get replacement cards sent overseas when on longer trips. This is more in places like Africa than Europe however.

[Deleted User]

I never use cash, I have Apple Pay which even easier than PINs (my debit card isn’t contactless) and means I don’t need to carry my card, even if I get given cash as a gift I deposit it in the bank so it earns interest (1% - not bad at present) and don’t need to carry cash.

JES_F1

I rarely use cash.  Everything goes on credit cards that earn cashback or reward points.  The only exceptions are our window cleaner and a taxi company that I regularly use.

Blue_Doggy

Mnoee said:

Blue_Doggy said:

I also like to support small local businesses, and prefer not to lumber them with card-providers’ charges unnecessarily.

I hate to break it to you, but banks charge businesses accounts both for depositing cash and getting change. 

I use a card whenever I can. I can't for busses in my town, so pre-pandemic I'd be breaking a tenner for the fare every now and then. I can't wait til I can just tap my card like on the tube! 

Hardly surprising, but then I remember when banks charged customers for books of cheques as well.
 

I don’t want Big Brother to know everything about me (I’m sure he knows lots). And I don’t necessarily want my (rewards-type) credit card provider to know everywhere I shop and for what.
 

I just bought a poppy. Paid with cash. No, it’s not subversive, but I don’t want every Tom, !!!!!! and Harry knowing my business. 

LadyDee

Another pointless "poll", which the seemingly cash-hating MSE will use to attempt to prove that cash is on the way out.  Percentages mean nothing if not related to the total population.  The only people polled here are the few MSE members who bother to visit this forum and bother to vote.
Remember months ago MSE shut down the Discussion Forum because they were too busy to moderate it?  Perhaps the mods who waste their time on these meaningless polls could instead reinstate the forum which attracted often useful and interesting topics of conversation.

Edit: I am referring to the discussion group in the MoneySavers Arms.

jon81uk

LadyDee said:

Another pointless "poll", which the seemingly cash-hating MSE will use to attempt to prove that cash is on the way out.  Percentages mean nothing if not related to the total population.  The only people polled here are the few MSE members who bother to visit this forum and bother to vote.
Remember months ago MSE shut down the Discussion Forum because they were too busy to moderate it?  Perhaps the mods who waste their time on these meaningless polls could instead reinstate the forum which attracted often useful and interesting topics of conversation.

You are posting on the discussion forum right now?

Also MSE has been running these polls and sending out the question as part of the weekly email for as long as I can remember. Pretty sure it will be a different person in charge of the poll and email compared to forum moderation.