Cash is only used by the poor or elderly

Soldato
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What on earth are you going on about OP?
There are some things you simply cant use a card and cash is only option?

Launderette
Ice cream vans-Yep can just imagine 5 years olds with their little bank cards buying an ice cream
Funfairs
Random markets-albeit given these are becoming more readily card friendly but you get my point
Pay newspaper delivery man/or woman for those feminists (note im a girl)
Some public toilets where you have to erm "spend a penny"(Pun very much intended)
Bus fair

Those are all irrelevant anyway. The OP was typically referring to somewhere like a supermarket where a bill could be anywhere from £30 to £250. What you've described is mostly tackled with spare coins. Although bus fares are even moving towards using an app, so it's even more environmentally friendly by not printing out loads of paper tickets.
 
Soldato
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Those are all irrelevant anyway. The OP was typically referring to somewhere like a supermarket where a bill could be anywhere from £30 to £250. What you've described is mostly tackled with spare coins. Although bus fares are even moving towards using an app, so it's even more environmentally friendly by not printing out loads of paper tickets.
But when you end up with a pile of card receipts to do your statement reconciliation, that is when you get a lot of paper. Don't do it you say, trust the banks? Deliveroo scammers rejoice, Hallelujah.

Pay cash, decline receipts unless it needs a guarantee receipt keeping.
 
Soldato
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Is it the tax evasion that annoys you, or the fact that they’re buying shopping with cash?
Can you tell the difference between someone who gets paid wages in cash, then goes shopping, and someone who’s an electrician for example and who does private jobs for cash, then goes shopping?



Always with the taxi drivers.
Of course it’s illegal not to declare all your cash takings, but if they’re investigated, they’ll get nicked by HMRC, so don’t cry yourself to sleep, thinking that they’re all getting away with it.



No taxi driver tips? Again we suffer! Just kidding Mike.

The tax evasion, obviously. It's likely to be less of a rife issue than it was say 10-20 years ago with a real push towards using a card. In fact the last taxi i took the driver said he preferred card payments as he felt a lot safer not having to carry around cash.

And we all know HMRC aren't 100% efficient. While i don't disagree if someone is not declaring huge chunks of earnings then they'll quite likely to get caught, versus someone who's skimming off say 5-10% of their earnings.
 
Soldato
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But when you end up with a pile of card receipts to do your statement reconciliation, that is when you get a lot of paper. Don't do it you say, trust the banks? Deliveroo scammers rejoice, Hallelujah.

Pay cash, decline receipts unless it needs a guarantee receipt keeping.

That's a very old fashioned approach though. For a start a lot of shops are now digitising receipts anyway, and secondly excluding modern high street banks (- unless you use the open banking API) a lot of fintech banks offer much easier ways of budgeting or "statement reconciliation".
 
Soldato
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That's a very old fashioned approach though. For a start a lot of shops are now digitising receipts anyway, and secondly excluding modern high street banks (- unless you use the open banking API) a lot of fintech banks offer much easier ways of budgeting or "statement reconciliation".
I use cash, I use a card,. But the OP and others who cannot wait in line behind someone paying in cash I say tough. Or even worse are to busy in their lives to enter a pin in a machine, you will die of a heart attack if you cannot slow down.:)
It may be old fashioned to check statements, but better to check than be poor or ripped off as so many seem to complain about here.
 
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That's a very old fashioned approach though. For a start a lot of shops are now digitising receipts anyway, and secondly excluding modern high street banks (- unless you use the open banking API) a lot of fintech banks offer much easier ways of budgeting or "statement reconciliation".

Lidl Plus app has digital receipts.

Some supermarkets are now giving the option for printing a receipt or not. Most don't bother if they are buying a few items of food. Then get customers who buy clothing and don't ask for the receipt. If they want to return the item without a receipt, my work - have to honour what it scans at the time and put balance onto a gift card. Some occasions the item of clothing has gone down in price. If they really want to have the full amount refunded back onto card, w have to ask them how much they spent, time and day and get receipt from a stored system. Refund can't be done straight away.
 
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I use cash, I use a card,. But the OP and others who cannot wait in line behind someone paying in cash I say tough. Or even worse are to busy in their lives to enter a pin in a machine, you will die of a heart attack if you cannot slow down.:)
It may be old fashioned to check statements, but better to check than be poor or ripped off as so many seem to complain about here.

Two years ago, for two days the internet went down the two streets of shops and a few residential streets. No contactless payments were able to be taken. It had to be chip n pin, and sometimes needed three attempts. Also none of the ATMs were working either. Nearest working ATM was half a mile away and big queues.
 
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But when you end up with a pile of card receipts to do your statement reconciliation, that is when you get a lot of paper. Don't do it you say, trust the banks? Deliveroo scammers rejoice, Hallelujah.

Pay cash, decline receipts unless it needs a guarantee receipt keeping.
I know someone who has kept the receipt for every item she has bought for the last 15 to 20 years:eek:

Other things you need cash for. Work collections for a colleague leaving or for a milestone birthday.
Arcade machines

When I was with my ex in Prague, we went to a restaurant. The American couple next to us asked waiter what is pots on the bill for. Waiter pointed out to the salt and pepper pots on the table. They were charged (it was about 50p) because they were on the table. Never used them. We got a menu from another couple to add up what we ordered. Left exactly what we ordered in cash and left. We were flying back home the day after.

Did that in Rome as were charged €3 each for sitting down and €2 each for drinking out of a beer glass!
Not necessarily, a company that a family member works for has setup a PayPal pool for members of staff that don't carry cash.
 
Man of Honour
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I know someone who has kept the receipt for every item she has bought for the last 15 to 20 years:eek:

When I was driving a Black Cab, there were guys who recorded how much fuel they’d bought, when, and for what price, going back 10 or 15 years.
They’d say, (looking at their little book), “two years ago I spent £X on diesel one particular week, now I’m spending £X plus.”
I would say, “FFS, get a life, two years ago you were taking less than you are today.”
 
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When I was driving a Black Cab, there were guys who recorded how much fuel they’d bought, when, and for what price, going back 10 or 15 years.
They’d say, (looking at their little book), “two years ago I spent £X on diesel one particular week, now I’m spending £X plus.”
I would say, “FFS, get a life, two years ago you were taking less than you are today.”

'Lets compare receipts. Wow, your brand of bum wipe roll is 2p cheaper per roll than my usual brand of bum wipe roll and its just as good quality, I'm off to commit seppaku now for being so crap at shopping'.
 
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Yep fair point. I thought everyone got their money back in the end though?

I'd still rather take my chances in that scenario than having my savings in cash somewhere!

I think living in a big city probably skews my views on cash as everything Mrs Seabiscuit mentioned in her post, I've been able to pay by card.

I don't think anyone is saying have all your savings in a bank or in a mattress both are a bit dumb for savings.


But it's sensible to have some extra cash in the house
 
Soldato
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People pay with cash because it's easier for them to budget as they can see what they're spending and what they have left.

It's funny, I would say the opposite. If I pay with cash, I have no record of it. I could probably easily go out for the day, spending cash I would get home and not remember everything I spent. If I've paid by card, I have a nice accurate record of it all. I track this in software to keep a close eye on my finances.

Personally it annoys me, having to have cash. My barber and the machine at work that tops up our fobs (for vending and paying for meals) are the only reasons I ever need it. I often don't even take a wallet out with me these days, everywhere takes contactless.
 
Soldato
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Whenever there’s a story of an elderly person having their home burgled with the burglary, thousands of pounds in cash was taken, I have no sympathy for them.

As if they put money into a bank account, then it wouldn’t be taken
 
Soldato
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Whenever there’s a story of an elderly person having their home burgled with the burglary, thousands of pounds in cash was taken, I have no sympathy for them.

As if they put money into a bank account, then it wouldn’t be taken

One of my GF's elderly relatives has the habit of hiding/losing it in random places around the house.
He was getting an old desk taken to the skip and knowing what he's like they tell him to make sure there's no cash in it before it's taken. He insists that he has checked and it's empty.
Just to make sure they do go over his house before it's taken and look themselves....... there was £1000 still in one of the draws :p
They do manage to use that experience to finally get him to open a bank account though lol
 
Soldato
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One of my GF's elderly relatives has the habit of hiding/losing it in random places around the house.
He was getting an old desk taken to the skip and knowing what he's like they tell him to make sure there's no cash in it before it's taken. He insists that he has checked and it's empty.
Just to make sure they do go over his house before it's taken and look themselves....... there was £1000 still in one of the draws :p
They do manage to use that experience to finally get him to open a bank account though lol


A similar thing happened when a friend of mum’s clearing out her late mum’s house. Each coat had a tenner in a pocket. Then each room had at least two tins of money. Moving wardrobes and beds revealed more money.

Mum’s friend had to make an appointment at bank as most of the notes were out of circulation. Think she found near to £10k. Yet her mum always moaned about she had no money….
 
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