When did you last use cash?

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
 Lurking Dave 13 Sep 2019

Little disc of metal and notes with the monarch's head printed on them... so last century.

This morning (before coffee) "sorry mate, machine's broken, cash only" I stood there stunned and confused, I can't remember the last time I went to an ATM, must be two years or more? 

How far has this trend got to in the UK?

4
 Snyggapa 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

Car parking and paying a solicitor to certify a copy of a document.

Apart from that, erm....

 Run_Ross_Run 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

Entry to a park last Sunday, paying for parking yesterday, used it to pay for shopping Monday, paid a tenner cash to sponsor a work colleague yesterday ..

List goes on. 

 Dax H 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

Last Saturday I stuck a tenner in a collection tin for an ex forces charity. Bought fish and chips on Tuesday night. 

I use card way more than I use cash but I always have cash on me. I draw £50 from the machine and when all the notes have been broken I draw another £50. The length of time between visits to the machine may be a week or it may be a month plus and is typically getting longer as the years go by. 

Cash is a nessesity to me though, working rurally there are still a lot of places without a card machine. 

I find I spend less with a card but I buy more when I do if that makes sense. Because I know how much card charge cut in to profits I always make a point of spending at least £5, a lot of places have a minimum anyway. Because I know I will buy multiple rather than 1 packet of crisps I avoid going in to the shop because the law dictates that if I buy 5 packets I must eat 5 packets that day. 

1
 Dr.S at work 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

My local pub only uses cash, so vital to allways have the price of a round and pork scratchings to hand to manitain workforce morale!

Also with a child just starting to get the hang of buying stuff, cash is helpful for small 'training' purchases.

 David Riley 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

Went to the Kimberley Jam a few weeks back.  All the pubs have bands playing and the crowds wander between them.  Hot sun and blue sky, loud music everywhere.  I met some friends in the street and we headed to the Stag for a drink.  There were several huge queues for different bars and I thought my friends picked the wrong one.  So I left them and joined my preferred option.  It was soon obvious I was right and the others, and newly arrived friends moved over to me.  I started ordering, and it just didn't stop.  A woman started adding lots of drinks, which at first I relayed, but then she took over and I stood aside and let her get on with it.  The barman totalled it up twice, but still more drinks were added.  The queue behind were not happy. Finally we were done and I waved my card.  Cash only. You're kidding ?  No.   It was more than I had.  Difficult moment.  The lady paid and I had a cheap evening. 

Moley 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

Two halves of diet coke in pub last night.

But certainly use it far less.

 duchessofmalfi 13 Sep 2019

Bus fares - I don't carry cash unless I catch the bus.

 ChrisBrooke 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

I pay for almost everything on my Apple Watch these days. Very convenient. And (almost) always on my wrist. Of course it’s not always suitable. Last cash I can remember was hiring a canoe for the family on Lake Vyrnwy. No mobile reception up there, so no card payments. Must cost him a fortune in lost business, poor chap. 

 GrahamD 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

Sitting outside a cafe tabac right now having just shelled out E2.10 for a hrand cafe creme.  No card option here !

 summo 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

Not sure, I know I've been to a cash point at some point this year, but can't recall when. Don't think I've had any physical cash in my wallet for a month or two. 

 Fozzy 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

I went to Framton country fair last week and got some cash out as I figured most of the smaller stall holders there wouldn’t have card machines. Apart from isolated incidences like that (and popping to the chippy once a month or so) I hardly ever use the cash machine as contactless in shops or using my banking app if I need to transfer money to somebody is so much easier. 

 RedFive 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

Pubs and fish & chip shops that are cash only are tax evading / money laundering fronts for organised gangs. 

The cost of taking cards with newish providers like iZettle, square etc is very low compared to other business overheads. 

A small retail business taking £15k per month will pay less than £75 in charges. 

Paying the same amount of cash into the bank would cost a staggering £1500 (£1 per £100 on average). 

Which is why the charge for taking cards scam really annoyed me. 

Business rates, wages, business waste collection (proper scam), electricity etc are the overheads that kill a high street outlet, not card charges. 

Only cash I pay is for my window cleaner (tax evader) pretty much nothing else. Street parking is all pay by phone, buses are all contactless and legit traders even mobile ones have lots of options for mobile carD payments. 

Unless you are in Scotland. No mobile signal anywhere outside the cities. Then again they think a Flat White is Nescaffe with double cream on top so good luck finding anything you want to buy anyway. 

(Disclaimer> I’m Northumbrian)

9
 mrphilipoldham 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

I paid for a bit of work on my car in cash yesterday, well two thirds of it anyway.. had to put the rest on my debit card! 

 J101 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

Parking, campsite last weekend, beer last night.

Pretty much only use my cards for petrol, internet purchases and work expenses.

 john arran 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

Cash? That's state of the art here in Ariège. Oftentimes I'll be in a supermarket checkout queue waiting for someone in front to pay by cheque!

 SDM 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

I last used a cash machine in the UK in 2017.

I did have to use one recently in Switzerland: finished our meal only to find out the restaurant was cash only. The campsite at Magic Wood was also cash only unless you walked 20 minutes uphill.

I haven't taken any Euros for my last 3 trips to France. The only issue I've had there was one boulangerie where I had to buy more pastries to reach the minimum card payment (what a disaster!).

 kathrync 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

In the UK, I mostly use cash for the snack honesty box at work! I did spend some cash in the Alps last week though, in the huts and then in town after I had a card malfunction.

 climbingpixie 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

I paid cash for a box of icing sugar last night but that was probably my first cash use in about 3 weeks. I haven't even had any cash (beyond 5p or so) in my wallet for most of that time. The only thing I regularly use cash for is local orienteering events on  Wednesday evening, everything else (including my window cleaner) is card or online payment. I reckon I probably know more places that are card only than cash only nowadays.

Moley 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

You wouldn't get into our village show without cash, pay on the field, cash only. Not get much to eat or drink either!

I guess there's lots of similar situations about the country still.

Nor buy our eggs from the honesty box at end of the drive.

Post edited at 08:59
 Andy Hardy 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

I paid cash at the wall on Wednesday, and always pay cash when buying milk / newspapers from the corner shop. Cashless might be the brave new world but there are downsides, so I like to keep the cash flowing in my corner of the world

 Wiley Coyote2 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

Basically I'm just getting lazier and lazier so it's almost 100pc cards now - credit card for big shops, debit for independents. I can't be bothered to count cash for purchases or to wait for change  from the till any more so I just wave the plastic.  I don't think I've used a cash machine or been into my bank this year. There is usually £30 in cash in my wallet and an 'emergency' £20 note tucked into my phone but they are covered in cobwebs they have been there so long

 LastBoyScout 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

Paid for a couple of things in Sainsbury's yesterday, got paid in cash for some bits I've sold on Facebook and eBay, pay and display car park at the weekend, fish and chips at the beach recently, car boot sale, etc.

Used loads on holiday last month on ice cream, eating out, etc.

I don't use it a lot, but, like Dax says, I always like to have a certain amount with me, it's very handy.

 Sealwife 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

Cash for youngest daughters karate and football training, both pay as you go and I usually forget/don't have change.  Not sure why they don't get folk to pay up front by bank transfer, would be much less hassle for the organisers as well as the parents.

Also parking meters (no card payments around here) and the wonder which is "The Tattie Shed" an honesty shed full of veggies and eggs at the end of my road.

 jkarran 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

On the bus this morning. Other than that I spend a few coins a week in the gliding club bar which has an honesty box and I buy the odd pint of Sam Smiths. Businesses that don't take card are very rare now, the council community service bus I get bus and the Sams pubs are notable anachronisms.

Cash is still useful but I can go weeks without touching it, the homeless and small charities must really be feeling its decline.

jk

 gribble 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

I'm beginning to feel very old school!  The majority of the time I get paid in cash (some BACS or cheques as well), so I always have cash with me and most of my spending is done with cash.  I do have a phone that does magic payments when I wave it at things, but prefer to use cash.

 Durbs 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Dr.S at work:

> Also with a child just starting to get the hang of buying stuff, cash is helpful for small 'training' purchases.

This actually occurred to me recently as our daughter has just started school and using money for basic maths is a really fundamental life skill.  

They have "Flapjack Friday" where you can buy a piece of flapjack for 20p (the clue was in the name really) and getting her used to the idea of  20p = 2x 10p = 4x 5p etc is a really good starter for mental arithmetic - which is completely ignored when paying with card/phone/watch.

Also, I think it teaches them the value of money - as when it's a physical thing, you can easily tell when it's run out, unlike tappy-tappy which I still don't count as "real" money.

Having said all this, I haven't used cash for months. I had to get a tenner out, to then get change, specifically for Flapjack Friday.

 David Riley 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

I got a dislike the last time I used c.a.s.h.   https://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/off_belay/war__what_is_it_good_for-710012...

2
 skog 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

This morning - someone for the office is going to the van to get breakfast rolls for some of us.

Yesterday evening, in the pub. I could have paid card there.

Earlier in the week, into a charity box.

Last weekend, getting the kids ice cream cones from a van.

A whip round for someone who's leaving for a new job.

The kids' pocket money (although the eldest sometimes gets hers paid to her bank account; the youngest can't get a bank account yet).

Got given cash as a deposit refund for the entry bracelets for the swimming pool a couple of weeks ago.

Parking sometime recently (often no card option).

I'm often at places in the highlands that only take cash, though that's getting rarer.

In the Dolomites earlier this year, lots of places in the hills only took cash.

I still use cash quite a lot.

Post edited at 10:21
 Pyreneenemec 13 Sep 2019
In reply to john arran:

> Cash? That's state of the art here in Ariège. Oftentimes I'll be in a supermarket checkout queue waiting for someone in front to pay by cheque!

I still occasionally pay by cheque ( here in the Gers). A simple question of if you don't use them, we'll lose them. Still very useful for larger amounts. 

In times gone by, cheques were rock-solid here. No need for cheque guarantee cards, you simply did not  issue dodgy cheques, the  penalties were very heavy.

As for cash, I get some from the ATM once or twice a week.  Local markets are still very important here, especially for fresh produce from local producers. Cash est de rigueur !

 squarepeg 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

Earlier this week. Cash is king, am having trouble with online banking thanks to krapwest causing me trouble with online banking, so have to make sure I have a little cash in wallet.

There are places that only take cash too.

 Duncan Bourne 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

this morning. Sainsburys trolley. Yesterday in the pub and in the market for my dad. Generally I use cash quite a lot for small transactions

cb294 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

As often as possible. I pay with cards only when it cannot be avoided, usually because I forgot to go to the ATM. 

It is a bit less convenient, but does help to protect my privacy. 

CB

 Duncan Bourne 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

Out of curiousity do those who have gone cashless spend more or less money per week? Given the convienence and not having the need to keep track of what is in your pocket

 Alyson 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

I still use cash a lot but it tends to be for smaller and more trivial things - non-uniform day at my daughter's school, whip round for a colleague's leaving collection, paying for parking (I use an app in my home city but other places use other apps and I'm not bloody installing them all). I've just booked a taxi for tomorrow and I've been told that's cash only, though I know many aren't now.

(We had fun last year when someone came to buy our car and brought a plastic bag containing £13,000. Quite a surreal experience in modern life.)

 fred99 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

Use cash every day for smaller purchases, use cards for large ones.

It seems to me that too many (youngsters particularly) use cards/phones for so many things that they can't possibly keep track of what they've spent.

Wouldn't surprise me if the banks are pushing "cashless" just to bump up the number of people who go overdrawn so that they can charge interest and fees for letters telling them they've gone overdrawn.

1
 aln 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

Yesterday. 

 Gone 13 Sep 2019
In reply to fred99:

> It seems to me that too many (youngsters particularly) use cards/phones for so many things that they can't possibly keep track of what they've spent.

The youngsters might say  the same about us. “You take £20 out and have no idea where it goes. You don’t get a receipt from the parking meter and there is all this stuff you would have to add in manually to the finance app and never end up doing. I can just do a search for parking and I get a total of exactly how much I have spent on it over the time period of my choice. I will get a text if things are getting a bit low and if I lose my card I can block it, whereas if I drop my cash it is gone for good. How rubbish is that?”

 yorkshireman 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Pyreneenemec:

> I still occasionally pay by cheque ( here in the Gers). A simple question of if you don't use them, we'll lose them. Still very useful for larger amounts. 

I've been in rural Alps for 8 years and probably written half a dozen cheques in that time and they're all for things where I had to post off a payment - I've never physically written one in a shop and it annoys me when people in front of me do. Seems very quaint for a country that had chip and pin 10 years before the UK did.

Even my chuckle brothers plumbers take BACS transfers - I certainly won't miss cheques and get annoyed when people send them to me (for instance work contribute to sports and social activities so sent me a cheque towards a race I'd entered - took me a year before I finally got round to posting it off after working out where my paying in book was and where to send it).

As to the OP, I have to use cash for my osteopath, the local markets and my favourite boulangerie but that's about it. There's a local fromagerie and micro-brewery that only take cash too.

Certainly when I go back back to the UK I never bother drawing out any sterling now. We had 10 days in the UK during the summer and I did the whole thing with card payments.

 wercat 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

cash is first choice except for stuff paid on-line

 Toerag 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

It's suddenly getting harder to use cash for me. The vending machines at work were converted to card only a month ago, and the guy that goes to get the bacon rolls likes Revolut transfers. He even has his own card reader now!  My local nightclub barpeople were hell-bent on me paying by card when I went in for the first time in 6 months last week too.

 Doug 13 Sep 2019
In reply to yorkshireman:

you'd love getting stuck behind my wife (French) in a shop - she'll pay by cheque & probably natter to whoevers behind the counter/checkout for several minutes oblivious to the queue behind her.

I use cash for the market (most of our fruit, cheese & veg), the local bar/café but mostly pay by card elsewhere. Was much the same in Paris before we moved to the Champsaur.

 john arran 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Doug:

>  wife (French)  - she'll pay by cheque & probably natter to whoevers behind the counter/checkout for several minutes oblivious to the queue behind her.

Next you'll be telling us all that the Pope is Catholic!

 Timmd 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

Approx a week ago.

 Doug 13 Sep 2019
In reply to john arran:

When she doesn't pay by cheque, it'll be with cash & she'll spend ages trying to get the exact amount by sorting through a collection of small coins. If anything, even slower than apying by cheque.

And judging by some of the others at the local market this morning she's fairly typical of French shoppers - drives me mad but she just says I'm impatient & should relax.

 Pyreneenemec 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Doug:

>.

> And judging by some of the others at the local market this morning she's fairly typical of French shoppers - drives me mad but she just says I'm impatient & should relax.

Et le flegme Britannique, Doug

 Timmd 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Doug:

> And judging by some of the others at the local market this morning she's fairly typical of French shoppers - drives me mad but she just says I'm impatient & should relax.

She is correct. Impatience in the face of the unchangeable, is unproductive, and disagreeable for the impatient person. 

To be honest, during my Diploma I did sometimes 'glower extra hard' at slow checkout people to try and hurry them up, when I was dealing with a shortened deadline as well as a disorganised tutor, but it's hard to always be chilled. 

In hindsight I'd aim not to glower another time.

Post edited at 14:14
 owlart 13 Sep 2019
In reply to RedFive:

> The cost of taking cards with newish providers like iZettle, square etc is very low compared to other business overheads. 

> A small retail business taking £15k per month will pay less than £75 in charges. 

I've just looked, and iZettle & square appear to charge 1.75%, rather more than the <0.5% you're quoting above. What rate are you getting?

 Pefa 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

Me and my associates will only accept cash in all circumstances from say, weekly debt collections from locals and local businesses and especially on major or even minor pharmaceutical transactions and obviously when I get out the balaclava and sawn off. So I never use cards unless they are someone else's as i always carry a big fat wad around in my coat sky. 

 Bwox 13 Sep 2019
In reply to owlart:

>  I've just looked, and iZettle & square appear to charge 1.75%, rather more than the <0.5% you're quoting above. What rate are you getting?

And do banks really charge 1% for cash deposits?

 owlart 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Bwox:

Barclays appears to charge between 90p and £1.50 per £100 cash transaction, 65p per cheque and 35p per electronic transaction (BACS etc.)

https://www.barclays.co.uk/content/dam/documents/business/Accounts/Accounts...

 wercat 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Pefa:

balaclava?

Are you the man on the Cash Converters sign?

 Pefa 13 Sep 2019
In reply to wercat:

Are you wee Billy from No 43? Where's my money?

In reply to owlart:

We get charged 0.89% for cash and my card charges average out around 0.85% so not a lot of difference especially once you add in the terminal rental fees.

In reply to Lurking Dave:

Four hours ago. I tend to use cash rather than card.

 aln 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

I just bought a pint of crap lager with cash.

 The New NickB 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

I use cash quite regularly and probably use the cash point a couple of times a when, I also use my cards and sometimes my phone. My wife hardly ever uses cash, probably 90% of purchases are contactless with her phone.

A mate of mine who I think is 52, uses cash for most purchases, but he received last week that he had never in his life used a cash machine. 

Removed User 13 Sep 2019
In reply to cb294:

> As often as possible. I pay with cards only when it cannot be avoided, usually because I forgot to go to the ATM. 

> It is a bit less convenient, but does help to protect my privacy. 

> CB


Yep.

My other reason is that it allows me to keep track of my spending. If I start the day with twenty quid in my wallet I can track how much I'm spending. Years ago when I was skint for an extended period of time I withdrew a fixed amount every day from the arm knowing that if I didn't spend more I was living within my means.

The final reason is psychological. It always pains me more to hand over cash than flash the plastic. It makes you think twice.

Post edited at 19:33
1
 andyd1970 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

My local drug dealer only accepts cash.

 Oceanrower 13 Sep 2019
In reply to andyd1970:

> My local drug dealer only accepts cash.

Try Boots or Superdrug. Pretty sure they take cards...

 john arran 13 Sep 2019
In reply to Removed User:

> Years ago when I was skint for an extended period of time I withdrew a fixed amount every day from the arm

Good way to avoid buying anything that costs an arm and a leg.

1
 owlart 14 Sep 2019
In reply to Graeme Alderson:

That sounds reasonabe. I think RedFive needs to tell us where he's getting charged less than 0.5% fees including terminal rental etc.

 girlymonkey 14 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

I avoid cash, and if I do have some cluttering up my wallet, I'm desperate to spend it. 

Last year we drove from Scotland to Sweden and it was interesting to see each country's acceptance or otherwise of cards. I was amazed to be forced to use cash in German supermarkets, for example. However we didn't touch cash at all once we crossed into Denmark and Sweden. 

Card is definitely easier to keep track of spending, you can see easily where it has all gone. Cash is like Monopoly money, it's not real because it doesn't show up in my account.

 Kevster 14 Sep 2019
In reply to Bwox:

I have in my head that barclays costs me 3% to pay cash into the business account.

I might be wrong but don't think I am.

I pay myself any cash received by the business to avoid this. Paying an organisation to look after your own money so they can make an even bigger profit by using it themselves really urks me. And going to the bank is an ass, that's before the self service tills upset me. 

 Duncan Bourne 14 Sep 2019
In reply to Lurking Dave:

interesting article here. Cashless is big in China.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0008h3s

 Dax H 15 Sep 2019
In reply to Duncan Bourne:

> Out of curiousity do those who have gone cashless spend more or less money per week? Given the convienence and not having the need to keep track of what is in your pocket

I definatly spend less with cashless. I can have notes in my wallet for weeks but once one is split that's it its gone. Cashless though if I use it I'm only paying for what I want but I think the biggest saving for me is not using it as often. As I said further up if I'm in a small shop I will always buy more than I want to at least hit £3 to £5 otherwise the shop is probably losing money selling me something. Because I know I have zero will power when it comes to crisps I will do without a packet rather than buy 5 and eat them all at once. Net result is since going relatively cashless I spend less and eat far less crisps too. 


New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...