Cashless society

leeCal
leeCal Online Community Member Posts: 7,537 Championing
edited August 2021 in Coffee lounge
Also today news that 8000+ Atm machines have been shut in the last eighteen months. All part of plans leading to a cashless society but do we really want such a society? 

Comments

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    I very rarely use cash these days, except to pay the window cleaner each month. Although i know some people would prefer to pay with cash, especially the elderly.
  • leeCal
    leeCal Online Community Member Posts: 7,537 Championing
    I was always taught not to place all my eggs in one basket and so I tend to keep a little cash at home for emergencies and /or presents etc. I think a lot of older people do the same. I realise that such money is losing value against inflation but frankly the banks interest rates are so low there doesn’t seem to be a better home for it anyway.
  • Sandy_123
    Sandy_123 Scope Member Posts: 63,123 Championing
    Its rare I have cash even the bus its contactless, but when I do its nice not being tracked by the bank. I usually get cash for the wheelie bin cleaners.
  • bg844
    bg844 Online Community Member Posts: 3,924 Championing
    When you go the banks near me and ask for cash they give you a weird look, I like to keep a small amount in my house in case something happens. To be honest though I find it much easier paying card now can look on my banks app and see what I’ve spent and where. Even my milk man is going cashless soon he said. 
  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Online Community Member Posts: 15,168 Championing
    I keep £20 in my wallet just in case, or in case the card machine doesn’t work. I last used it about a month ago for that exact reason but before that I hadn’t used cash for over a year!
  • leeCal
    leeCal Online Community Member Posts: 7,537 Championing
    Thing is do we really want to be in a position whereby there is no cash and we have no option but to purchase everything via the banks? 
  • leeCal
    leeCal Online Community Member Posts: 7,537 Championing
    edited August 2021
    Thing is do we really want to be in a position whereby there is no cash and we have no option but to purchase everything via the banks? @66Mustang
  • bg844
    bg844 Online Community Member Posts: 3,924 Championing
    I certainly think we should have cash even if it’s not used all the time. It’s good to have especially when computer systems get hacked easily.
  • leeCal
    leeCal Online Community Member Posts: 7,537 Championing
    edited August 2021
    That’s another reason why I keep some, I just think by the time the bank has sorted out my empty account I could have starved @bg844.

    (Additionally in my area all the Chinese take always only accept cash)
  • rubin16
    rubin16 Online Community Member, Scope Member Posts: 955 Championing
    I hardly ever use cash, and just use my card all the time. However I do like to have a backup so have some spare cash just incase. I think its nice to just to have a backup even if I never use it its there for peace of mind.
  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Online Community Member Posts: 15,168 Championing
    leeCal said:
    Thing is do we really want to be in a position whereby there is no cash and we have no option but to purchase everything via the banks? @66Mustang
    No, I certainly wouldn’t want to lose the option of having cash, even if I rarely do use it!
  • Cress
    Cress Online Community Member Posts: 1,005 Trailblazing
    I'm happy being cashless and don't bother keeping any since the taxis where I live started accepting cards...although at first quite a few of them would grumble and say they haven't set it up or something and could I let them know when I got in if I was paying by card...I rang the company and said how many were refusing card payment and they told me that they all have to and to start refusing cabs that wouldn't accept the card...

    Thought it was a bit of a cheek one of them offering to take me out of my way to a cash machine to pay him...I declined and asked them to send me another...its not been a problem for a while now so I think its finally sunk in that if they refuse to take card payment they're going to have wasted both their time and mine coming out.
  • bg844
    bg844 Online Community Member Posts: 3,924 Championing
    Taxi companies near me are 50/50 on card, that’s why I pay on the app usually before if paying card. I used to use Uber up until last February because they have put their fares up to extortionate prices. 

    At least paying card for taxis means you won’t get overcharged with drivers thinking they can get away with charging you over!
  • leeCal
    leeCal Online Community Member Posts: 7,537 Championing
    edited August 2021
    I remember some years ago Gordon Brown, the then chancellor, lamenting over the black economy and how much revenue he thought people were avoiding paying, I forget the exact figure but he estimated the market was in the billions of pounds a year. It seems to me that the drive towards cashless society would very much suit the banks and the government and so the drive towards this state is probably inevitable.

    Will we all be given little card machines I wonder, or will it be an app thus forcing us all to have smartphones?
  • leeCal
    leeCal Online Community Member Posts: 7,537 Championing
    edited August 2021
    Those are big numbers indeed, I can see why the government are ‘interested’ in our spending habits @woodbine.

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