Supermarkets Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's shoppers warned after cash refused

This is not new. More than 40 years ago Singapore was talking about a cashless society being the norm by the 1990s. I guess they are probably more law abiding when merchants put in their tax returns!

For those saying they don’t mind if their local cafe, hairdresser etc doesn’t declare their full income, remember that when you next sympathise with a parent who only gets minimal amount of child maintenance because their self-employed partner gets paid cash only. And yes, look around at how many barbers there are now in high streets, most of them empty, they are an easy means of money laundering.

It’s annoying if somewhere only takes the method you least prefer, but to boycott it causes minimal inconvenience to them. Just write to Asda’s head office and see what they say.

Babs03

Even though I use my card a lot I am willing to boycott chains that stop taking cash. Customers should have the choice.

Exactly!!!!

I prefer to use cash, but unfortunately it does seem to be on the way out.

Presumably, it just does not pay to mint coins and print banknotes that have to be renewed frequently and both made and transported with a very great deal of expensive security.

And the risk of armed robberies, not only to money transports, but in shops and supermarkets is high, too.

If cash disappears criminals will, naturally, find ways of stealing or using others' bank cards or paypal, but at least fewer people doing their jobs as cashiers, bank employees or security drivers will be killed during robberies.

where is the revolution starting? I will join!

Athrawes

My hairdressers only take cash and also the cleaners so I make sure I've got the appropriate amounts. But personally I prefer card though occasionally I worry in case I don't remember the number!!!

My hairdresser who visits me at home decided to get a machine so her customers could pay by card if they wanted to. I always paid her by cash but when she checked her bank account she found that the company whose machine she was using was charging her extra money for using it so she went back to cash.

This happened to me, I got in a taxi that I have used for years and when I got home I got my cash out to pay but the driver but he told me the company now only accepted card payments due to so I paid by card on his machine. When I got the receipt it had charged me £2 extra for using it, I asked him why and he told me it is for the use of the machine and the reason the company have switched to card only payments is because of the number of attacks taxi drivers are having to endure.

What would have happened if I had just cash on me that day how would I have paid. But they are the losers, I now use a different taxi firm that does accept cash.

If this continues I will have to register online with a taxi company and leave my card details with them so when I do catch a taxi, the fare is paid at source.

I rang my bank today explaining the problems I was having when paying by cash and she told me that businesses prefer using cards due to the lack of banks on the high street and them also not having to worry about being robbed when cashing up at the end of the day.

I’m very careful with money (as I don’t have a lot of it) so I take out a set amount each week in cash and when it’s gone, it’s gone. It’s far too easy to tap a card and overspend. I find it much easier to budget this way and would be happy to boycott any shops that refused to take cash.
Where I work (a food outlet) I’ve noticed a huge uptake in the number of people using cash. Before Covid it was about 50/50 rising to 80% card during Covid. We’ve seen this return to about 50/50 again.

My hairdressers only take cash and also the cleaners so I make sure I've got the appropriate amounts. But personally I prefer card though occasionally I worry in case I don't remember the number!!!

Legally the store/shop/cafe can decide how they wish to be paid… ie cash and card, cash only or card only, saw a clip from moneysavingexpert about this earlier today…

The problem with businesses taking cash is paying it into your bank. We have no banks, they are stopping the mobile ones and the PO is only open at odd times. We are definitely being pushed in the direction of a cashless society

I almost never use cash, unless I need to get change for parking. I've used cards for years, and now phone.

I wouldn't boycott a shop that said Card Only but I do think there should be choice.
I am currently boycotting Booths because they've removed all (4) self checkouts. Again, there should be choice, and my choice is not queuing behind chatty people chatting to chatty till operators. They haven't added any more manned tills, there were always plenty.

It’s another choice being removed. I always have cash on hand, but usually use the scan and go rather than manned tills where there is a choice of cash or card only.
I think there should be a choice.
But I think if I was told I couldn’t pay in cash, I’d leave the trolley there.
Of the two local chippies near us, one takes either and the other, cash only.
Guess which one is always busier?

How long ago was it that shops were complaining about the added costs of customers paying by card?

They state that cash is legal tender but I read yesterday that it is only legal tender if you have to pay debts off. Any shop can insist on card only payments and there is nothing we can do about it.

sharon103

BigBopper

crazyH

Sorry, I prefer using a card - so much easier - most often, I just have my CC in my pocket and my phone. I leave phone in the car when going into the shop.

I do hope you are using a Faraday card protector if your card is in your pocket as it could get cloned when someone passes by you. What would you do if you went into a supermarket with your card, filled up your shopping trolley and then got to the tills and found they had all gone down. You would not have cash to pay for the shopping, you would either have to find an ATM to draw cash out. What a palaver, How many times these last few months have you read about banking systems going down, a lot.

Thank for that BigBopper. I'd never heard of a Faraday card protector.

You can buy RFID card protectors on Amazon. Radio Frequency Identification.

It stops anyone scanning your cards for unlawful use.

Mt61

Mt61

I went to Asdas last week to pick up a script, thought I would have a mooch & buy a few bits (don’t normally shop there), when I got to the tills all the systems were down- cash only! I had the last laugh as I waltzed passed everyone who only had cards.. always take cash, I can keep my eye on what I spend.

Funny that though nearly all the Chinese & fish & chips takeaways only take cash.
During Covid (eat out, to help out) our local restaurant would only take card but wanted tip in cash🙄

A SE Asian restaurant near dd only ever takes cash. It’s remarkably cheap (and good) though, so we tend to ignore the suspicion that they’re almost certainly under-declaring their income to the taxman.

I find a card so much easier than cash. I keep a small amount of cash in case I need it but it is so easy to pull out your card and tap. With cash you need to pull out the correct amount and, if in a supermarket, work out how to feed it into the self service machines. If you use cash all the time you have to keep going to an ATM and these are harder to find now nearly all the banks have shut.

For those businesses declining cash, it's probably at least partly the lack of somewhere to pay it into. It is also extra work for them to count cash and travel to the bank, as well as the risk of theft.

Rumours are that the many hairdressers and barbers who are cash only are money launderers or even drug dealers.

I suspect paying by card leads to spending more. Cash is more controllable. That's why retailers love the card.

jusnoneed

I always use cash, cannot remember the last time I used my bank card. If a shop didn't take cash I would go elsewhere.

My son uses his card/phone for everything, recently he had to print out bank statements for a mortgage and there were pages and pages of mainly small amount payments!

Faraday pouch or boxes can also used for your car keys, blocks signal from would be thieves. Even in the house they can be cloned quite easily these days from outside.

Totally agree with this. A mixture of cash and card is sensible. A lot of Faraday type products have been proved to be faulty. I made a double folded piece of foil into a type of wallet which sits inside my purse and holds my two cards. At home we have a small metal box into which our keys go once we are back indoors. Our local greengrocer was chatted up by a Scottish family on holiday here, they purchased £2 of fruit and apologised for only having a £50 Scottish note. They were given the £48 change and went on their merry way. It was of course a forgery so I can see why businesses prefer cards. Agree with Monica, we cannot eliminate all risk but only try to minimise it.

I've used a card since the time of Covid, that's the way things evolved for many of us BUT I absolutely support those who want to use cash for umpteen reasons. We live in the age of cyber attacks where systems go down. I think supermarkets are very high handed to not accept it. I'm all for keeping cash going.

I always use cash, cannot remember the last time I used my bank card. If a shop didn't take cash I would go elsewhere.

My son uses his card/phone for everything, recently he had to print out bank statements for a mortgage and there were pages and pages of mainly small amount payments!

Faraday pouch or boxes can also used for your car keys, blocks signal from would be thieves. Even in the house they can be cloned quite easily these days from outside.

Ailsa43

Once cash is no longer accepted you will have lost control of your money. The government and the Banks will then be able to dictate how , where and how much you can spend.

They will be able to limit your spending at any time.

They will be able to see at a single glance every penny you own. They will be able to prevent you from spending in certain places if they wish.

The government and banks could prevent you from travelling.. a limit on what you can spend on fuel or travel tickets.

The police could also be given access to certain accounts.. people who may have a drugs or drink problem could have their cards blocked so they are unable to purchase Alcohol, or medication.

If that happens thefts of Credit Cards and phones will become a huge issue.

Regardless if you prefer paying with Card now in preference to Cash, every single one of us should make a regular payment of something using cash to keep it in circulation, and we should all elect to keep cash as a means of payment .

Never has the adage ''Use it lose it'' been so important for our personal freedom.

Sorry, I'm quite happy to lose the opportunity to pay in cash. Quite honestly, I see this as scare-mongering, but each to their own.

Ailsa43 is spot on.
I use cash wherever possible and if cafes etc say “card only” then I take my custom elsewhere.

One of the large supermarkets near us had a huge IT problem a few weeks ago and nobody could pay by card, it was a nightmare. People were just leaving behind huge trolleys of groceries.

I don’t want Big Brother watching me and my bank card.

BigBopper

crazyH

Sorry, I prefer using a card - so much easier - most often, I just have my CC in my pocket and my phone. I leave phone in the car when going into the shop.

I do hope you are using a Faraday card protector if your card is in your pocket as it could get cloned when someone passes by you. What would you do if you went into a supermarket with your card, filled up your shopping trolley and then got to the tills and found they had all gone down. You would not have cash to pay for the shopping, you would either have to find an ATM to draw cash out. What a palaver, How many times these last few months have you read about banking systems going down, a lot.

Thank for that BigBopper. I'd never heard of a Faraday card protector.

I think you're right Ailsa43

I was only saying the other day to my brother that in many years to come there won't be cash at all, all payments will be made by card only.

Once cash is no longer accepted you will have lost control of your money. The government and the Banks will then be able to dictate how , where and how much you can spend.

They will be able to limit your spending at any time.

They will be able to see at a single glance every penny you own. They will be able to prevent you from spending in certain places if they wish.

The government and banks could prevent you from travelling.. a limit on what you can spend on fuel or travel tickets.

The police could also be given access to certain accounts.. people who may have a drugs or drink problem could have their cards blocked so they are unable to purchase Alcohol, or medication.

If that happens thefts of Credit Cards and phones will become a huge issue.

Regardless if you prefer paying with Card now in preference to Cash, every single one of us should make a regular payment of something using cash to keep it in circulation, and we should all elect to keep cash as a means of payment .

Never has the adage ''Use it lose it'' been so important for our personal freedom.

JudyBloom

It's taking people's choice away and cash is legal tender. Well done for going to the cafe that took cash, I would do the same.

& me, for sure 👍🏻