When was the last time you used cash to pay for something?

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  • Dragonslayer
    Dragonslayer Online Community Member Posts: 2,164 Pioneering
    I used cash last week at my newsagents to pay for my weekend newspaper delivery. Which I do at the end of even month. But I can't remember any time before, or since I have used cash in a long time. 
    I used to pay in cash all the time and always had cash in my wallet.
    Now when I think of it I have two ten pound notes in it that I had forgotten about.
    Wow it's lovely to find money ?
  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Online Community Member Posts: 14,993 Championing
    Finding money...that’s something that won’t happen in a cashless society I suppose! Then again, we wouldn’t lose it in the first place so it would be better...then again...the feeling of finding money is almost worth losing money a few months earlier for :D
  • Chloe_Alumni
    Chloe_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 10,506 Championing
    I only use cash for a taxi, which is every so often. I find coins hard to distinguish between (because of my sight) so prefer to pay with card. I don't have a contactless card but do have Apple Pay on my watch and phone. 
  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Online Community Member Posts: 14,993 Championing
    edited October 2020
    I only use cash for a taxi, which is every so often. I find coins hard to distinguish between (because of my sight) so prefer to pay with card. I don't have a contactless card but do have Apple Pay on my watch and phone. 
    Is that out of choice that you don’t have one, or does your bank not offer one?

    I find it very handy but do worry about losing the card.

    Out of curiosity does Apple Pay work well, and is it accepted in most shops? I am yet to set it up on my phone but maybe it’s safer than using contactless.
  • Ross_Alumni
    Ross_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,611 Championing
    Also interested to hear about how Apple Pay works Chloe, I've considered trying the Android equivalent but I'm not certain how well it would work. Plus my bank doesn't allow it anyway so I can't full stop :D 

    I very rarely use cash in normal times @66Mustang, same as Chloe I struggle to tell the difference between the coins and much prefer the convenience of contactless payments. I haven't used cash since before the pandemic.
  • Chloe_Alumni
    Chloe_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 10,506 Championing
    edited October 2020
    66Mustang said:
    I only use cash for a taxi, which is every so often. I find coins hard to distinguish between (because of my sight) so prefer to pay with card. I don't have a contactless card but do have Apple Pay on my watch and phone. 
    Is that out of choice that you don’t have one, or does your bank not offer one?

    I find it very handy but do worry about losing the card.

    Out of curiosity does Apple Pay work well, and is it accepted in most shops? I am yet to set it up on my phone but maybe it’s safer than using contactless.
    That out of choice @66m@66Mustang. :)

    I'm yet to find somewhere that doesn't accept Apple Pay, I find it easy to use and with it using face ID or touch ID I feel it's more secure.
  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Online Community Member Posts: 14,993 Championing
    @Chloe_Scope thanks. I actually just set it up on my phone today. I’m going to try to test it next time I go to a shop.

    Do you just double tap the home button then wave your phone near the card reader and it’s all done? Sorry for the questions I get a bit worried trying new stuff and prefer to know exactly what I’m doing when I do something like pay for stuff in public haha :D
  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Online Community Member Posts: 14,993 Championing
    @Ross_Scope sorry I thought I replied to you, I remember typing a reply out but obviously didn’t finish/post it!

    I can imagine distinguishing the coins being hard with a visual impairment. Are notes just as hard to use as well? I‘m sure it wasn’t even designed for this reason but contactless card payments (or Apple Pay or equivalents) must be a godsend for people who can’t use cash for whatever reason. I guess one of the rare times disabled people benefitted by accident instead of the other way around. :)
  • Ross_Alumni
    Ross_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,611 Championing
    No worries @66Mustang, I've made that mistake on the community several times :) 

    Yeah notes are much easier, although I find myself spending quite a few seconds sometimes trying to find the corner where the big number is :D 

    That's an interesting observation actually, I'd agree with you on the whole. But much like with many other developments in this kind of technology, it presents new tasks, like trying to find the card reader to actually scan your card. But on the whole yes I agree with you, it's made things much easier.
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    I very rarely use cash, even before Covid, so for me it's no different now. Although i do withdraw some cash each week because i like to save in a jar at home. My hands don't work so well anymore and going into my purse for cash is a problem, so i avoid it where possible.

    Thankfully, with my banking app i can see the pending transactions and it also shows 2 different balances, 1 is account balance and the other is what's available. The only time it doesn't show is why i fill the car up with fuel and use my card to pay at the pump. Even though i fill the car up every time so it's usually about £50 of diesel, it only ever shows £1 for a couple of days at least.


  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Online Community Member Posts: 14,993 Championing
    The only time it doesn't show is why i fill the car up with fuel and use my card to pay at the pump. Even though i fill the car up every time so it's usually about £50 of diesel, it only ever shows £1 for a couple of days at least. 


    Thanks for the post and yes exactly the same here - I am guessing you use Tesco? :)
  • Chloe_Alumni
    Chloe_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 10,506 Championing
    66Mustang said:
    @Chloe_Scope thanks. I actually just set it up on my phone today. I’m going to try to test it next time I go to a shop.

    Do you just double tap the home button then wave your phone near the card reader and it’s all done? Sorry for the questions I get a bit worried trying new stuff and prefer to know exactly what I’m doing when I do something like pay for stuff in public haha :D
    Hi @66Mustang, yeah you would double tap the home button and then keep your thumb on the button (not pressed) while it's held on the card reader.

    Here is more info which might help. :)

    Pay with iPhone with Touch ID

    1. To use your default card, rest your finger on Touch ID. 
    2. Hold the top of your iPhone near the contactless reader until you see 'Done' and a tick on the display.

    Watch the demo to see how it works.

  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Online Community Member Posts: 14,993 Championing
    Thanks @Chloe_Scope :)
  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Online Community Member Posts: 14,993 Championing
    Just to say I used Apple Pay today for the first time and it worked really well. It is very quick isn’t it :o I’m going to be using it more in the future.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 156 Empowering
    I have used my card alot more since covid began only because some shops won't take cash!
    But I still pay cash where I can, and will continue to do so. With cash o know exactly how much I've spent.
  • leeCal
    leeCal Online Community Member Posts: 7,537 Championing
    I think I spend more when using just a card. I will pick up numerous things in a supermarket without totting up how much I’ve spent and go to the check out. If I only have cash then I’m careful about what I spend because I don’t want to look foolish at the checkout for one thing. 

    If i allowed myself say ten pounds a week to spend on whatever I please in cash it would be easier for me to have the self discipline to keep to that amount. Having a card just means I can spend whatever I like within reason obviously but my cut off point is far higher. To conclude, I think I spend more because I have a card on me mostly always.
  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Online Community Member Posts: 14,993 Championing
    Good points there. Also with a card you can spend more than you have and go into overdraft which will cost you money whereas with cash you can only spend what you have!!
  • Cher_Alumni
    Cher_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 5,714 Championing
    @leeCal Me too.  It almost feels like the transactions aren't as real without physically handing over money.  My bank balance says otherwise. 
  • Ross_Alumni
    Ross_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,611 Championing
    @leeCal Me too.  It almost feels like the transactions aren't as real without physically handing over money.  My bank balance says otherwise. 
    As does mine :D 

    These days as well you can sit in a restaurant and order your food or drinks right from your phone. Not having to stand up and queue at a bar can often promote greater spending.
  • Chloe_Alumni
    Chloe_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 10,506 Championing
    66Mustang said:
    Just to say I used Apple Pay today for the first time and it worked really well. It is very quick isn’t it :o I’m going to be using it more in the future.
    Really glad it worked @66Mustang! :)