Millions of people would struggle if the UK became completely cashless, report finds

Bizzywizard

My mum who is 75 still likes using cash as she has bad arthritis in both hands, so she cannot always press the buttons on the key pad at the checkouts, when needed. So once a week my brother goes to her bank to withdraw her cash and statement for her to use. She does not have a mobile for internet banking and has no need for a laptop. I feel the older generation have been hung out to dry! So at 46 I only have a laptop and have no mobile (use hubbys if needed). Eventually maybe I will have to own one just for banking!

Rob5342

Not all of the older generation are like that, my parents and my wifes parents are in their 70s and they all bank on their ipads. My mother in law also has arthritis in both hands but she finds using a contactless card is easier than picking coins and notes out of her purse.

Ergates

Bizzywizard said:

My mum who is 75 still likes using cash as she has bad arthritis in both hands, so she cannot always press the buttons on the key pad at the checkouts, when needed. So once a week my brother goes to her bank to withdraw her cash and statement for her to use. She does not have a mobile for internet banking and has no need for a laptop. I feel the older generation have been hung out to dry! So at 46 I only have a laptop and have no mobile (use hubbys if needed). Eventually maybe I will have to own one just for banking!

That is not an insurmountable problem though - that's just the as-is situation.  The is no reason, for instance, that someone can't design a device that would enable people with arthritis in the hands to press buttons in a keypad - in fact a quick google shows such devices already exist.  The older generation have not been "hung out to dry" they're just used to doing things a certain way, but that isn't a reason to resist change.

"Eventually maybe I will have to own one just for banking!"    I expect you already own (and carry around) a purse to hold coins and notes.  You don't object to this as you're used to it so it seems normal.  There is nothing new about having to own certain things "just for banking".

armith

I don't use cash much these days - but there's no harm in having cash alongside the traditional payment methods of "a wave of the phone/watch". The last couple of times I've used cash was to buy items on Gumtree. The first one I asked if I could Paypal them the money (£8) - but the reply was an irritated: "Nothing personal, but I want cash" - sort of put me off asking when I went to pick up the second item (from a different seller).

(Twenty) Pound notes are so difficult to construct yourself at home now that it's probably safer to accept cash as a payment than it's ever been.

And there's always the old joke:
"What would you like for your birthday?" 
"A signed portrait of the Queen"
"Oh, who would you like it to be signed by?"
"The chief cashier at the bank of England please"

trickydicky14

How would car boot's keep going with no cash. A lot of folks only keep heads above water by getting clothes and house hold stuff from car boot sales.

Auti

With money getting tighter and income static (but bills racing ahead) I prefer cash for day to day spending. I use internet banking for my bills and necessities but for day to day physical spending I use cash, that way I know what I have to spend so I can stay in budget and there is no unremembered impulse buys or impulse purchases. I cannot get into debt and my bills are covered. I know a few people of various ages who are doing this now.

jon81uk

Auti said:

there is no unremembered impulse buys or impulse purchases. 

I've always found the opposite, if I have cash I make impulse purchases and can't remember what I spent it on. If I spend using my credit/debit cards I can see on the statement exactly where I spent the money.

SevenOfNine

Why 'go cashless', if shops etc don't want to accept cash, then don't. Those who only want to use cash can shop where there is more flexibility. I bank on line, use credit card that has a 0.5% cashback for all use, have a debit card but almost never use it, & pay cash for smaller purchases. I've even got a cheque book but can't recall when I last used that!

I watch (mostly) the younger generation use their mobile phone banking apps to pay for everything, rarely (if ever) wanting a receipt (some establishments like Costa etc don't even bother to offer one), which means they've no clue whether bank statements are accurate, never check off receipts against spending.  

Some years ago something went wrong with the card payment facility at our local Asda check outs. Abandoned shopping EVERYWHERE! Not mine, I got my purse out.  I wonder if one day a totally cashless society might come unstuck.

Stixalot

Using Cash is definitely a life saver for me, it allows me to budget a lot more responsibly if I am able to see the physical money in my hand rather than just blipping it away with my card. The same went for the wife who was complaining about how her money went down so quickly and it was because she was so carefree as she didn't have to think about the handing over of money aspect.

jon81uk

SevenOfNine said:

I watch (mostly) the younger generation use their mobile phone banking apps to pay for everything, rarely (if ever) wanting a receipt (some establishments like Costa etc don't even bother to offer one), which means they've no clue whether bank statements are accurate, never check off receipts against spending.  

I don't feel like I need a receipt to do that, I check the total seems correct at the time (so in Costa two Americano should be £5-6 for example) and then that evening I look at the online transactions for the card to ensure it all seems fine.