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

I take out £100 at a time, but it can last for ages, as I usually use a card and don't spend it.

I prefer to take out cash each week then I have a rough idea on how much I have spent on small bills. I also like my bank papers through the post, not on the phone so I can check. I hate to see a list of spends on my bank account which I have no recollection what shop goes under a peculiar code.
NotAGran55 for those of you who prefer to pay by cash, what is the cut-off point for you?
£60 to carry and cash for anything under £20. I am single.

Tizliz

we went to a car rally on Sunday, entry was by cash donation - no card machine and probably no mobile signal. Need cash sometimes or charities will be losing out.

Quite a few years ago we attended the Epsom Derby and at the exits there were stewards with collecting buckets for a children's charity. Happy punters and the not so successful were tossing plenty of cash into said buckets as they passed. Would any have stopped to pay by card through a machine or to sign up for a regular donation? That charity probably collected hundreds if not thousands of pounds that day.

Tizliz

we went to a car rally on Sunday, entry was by cash donation - no card machine and probably no mobile signal. Need cash sometimes or charities will be losing out.

I wonder if charities have already lost out now that they appear to no longer accept cash?

I do understand that the days are long gone when you could safely donate loose change into a charity-bucket on the high street without some criminal thug grabbing it.

But being accosted in the street and asked to sign-up to regular donations - usually before you've even had time to consider the matter and the options - definitely puts people off, or those I've spoken to anyway.

we went to a car rally on Sunday, entry was by cash donation - no card machine and probably no mobile signal. Need cash sometimes or charities will be losing out.

NotAGran55

For those of you who prefer to pay by cash, what is the cut-off point for you? How much cash would you be happy to carry around?

For instance buying a fridge, or paying a car repair bill for example. Would you still want to pay cash?

I'm happy to purchase big-ticket items or 'spends' on the card - I'd guess most people do as opposed to carrying around wads of notes.

... but a newspaper, or cup of tea, maybe bar of chocolate, or the tin of beans I forgot to buy online, doesn't require an awful amount of cash to carry around - and saves having to keep track (which I do since I once discovered an unlawful purchase on it) of my card spending.

If it's in my purse, I know it's 'disposable' money.

Does that make sense? I'm not being last-century merely for the sake of it.

For those of you who prefer to pay by cash, what is the cut-off point for you? How much cash would you be happy to carry around?

For instance buying a fridge, or paying a car repair bill for example. Would you still want to pay cash?

I usually use a card, by choice, but if there is no choice they would probably lose my custom..

Babs03

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

Customers should have the choice.

Exactly this.

It's fine for those who have sufficient disposable income who don't have to worry about whether they can afford a cup of coffee or whatever impromptu purchase they want to make but, for those who are on a tight budget and have to watch what they spend, cash makes it easier.

I can imagine a day when card-only becomes the only way we are allowed to spend.

Of course, businesses and supermarkets are at liberty to demand what suits - but we also have a choice. If enough people boycott card-only, they will ultimately have to re-think.

Personally, I don't like the idea of every purchase being tracked - not that I want to buy anything illegal, but it's just another way various government departments can snoop into your life, and, when you have to produce a bank statement for whatever reason - make judgements about your spending if they are so inclined.

I’m another card user or use my phone as it’s much easier . I rarely have cash on me .

That makes sense Rosie51 about cash-back. A small shop probably doesn’t need to bank much cash these days,keeping their bank charges further down.

NotAGran55

It also costs businesses to pay cash into business bank accounts too.

Yes it does, and that's what originally prompted the practice of "cashback" in many supermarkets. Since Covid lockdowns and the encouragement to pay by card rather than cash, many have withdrawn the service but some smaller shops still offer it.

It also costs businesses to pay cash into business bank accounts too.

Yes, card payments cost businesses, which is why owners discourage them in difficult times. The trouble is, if a village has no cashpoint machine or bank, and people can't get at their own money, they will lose sales by refusing to take the hit.

If they have an ATM on the wall, that's great, but often there are none for miles.

My local newsagent/post office won’t accept card payments for transactions under £5. That’s been their policy for as long as I can remember. I forgot last week when I was buying a birthday card for £2.50. I had to go outside to the ATM on their wall for cash.

I wonder whether we'll start to see shops and service providers charging extra to pay with a card (probably disguised as a discount for cash), and how many people would be prepared to pay it?
Unless my memory is playing tricks I think there was at the least an attempt to charge card sales more in the earlier days of credit cards. I think it was claimed to be to cover the costs of accepting cards. It brought strong objections from CC issuers and threats of withdrawing the facility from those businesses. I definitely remember the days when there were often signs saying that cards were accepted only for transactions over a certain amount......£5 springs to mind.

My hairdresser does similar. I don't know how many people pay cash though - the prices he charges exceed the amount I am likely to have on me, and the nearest cashpoint is not just round the corner.

I wonder whether we'll start to see shops and service providers charging extra to pay with a card (probably disguised as a discount for cash), and how many people would be prepared to pay it?

One if the chippies near us has a sign similar to this. They don’t refuse card, but thank you for using cash.

I understand the "use it or lose it" ethos but I don't think cash is easier to use than a card. Firstly, you have to draw it out from machines that are ever diminishing and frequently out of order. It really is a pain. Surely it's also more of a faff to fiddle around with change and wait for the cashier to hand it over rather than simply tapping a card?

We use cash all the time, charity shops, farm shop, Tesco, Esso garage for fuel, M&S to name a few. I don’t like being dictated to without a reason I can then have a discussion about.

Gummie However you can have lovely virtuous glow that you helped him for one night.

What a thoroughly nasty jibe, says an awful lot more about you than me. I don't get a virtuous glow from any of my charity giving which I'd never normally mention. I did give this one example to illustrate the need for cash sometimes.

This individual is obviously not being helped by any charity or he wouldn't be sleeping in the doorway we see him in frequently.

The point made about no cash in future will affect those living on the street.
No cash, no donation, whatever they would spend it on.
Maybe it’s a cunning plan to stop the begging on the streets.

My bugbear is car park payment machines that no longer accept cash and the payment has to be made online. My bank account was scammed recently during a car park payment transaction. An unauthorised payment was taken from my account. Fortunately I realised and immediately phoned my bank fraud number and they cancelled my card and blocked the scammer.

Oof! Is there any need for that, Gummie? If any of us decide to give to charity, how we do it and what we do is up to us. There is nothing more 'virtuous' about giving money, giving food or donating to a charity.

FWIW I've been told not to give food to beggars, as if everyone did that they couldn't eat it all and they may have allergies/special diets.

If people on the streets are addicts they will get their fix of booze or drugs one way or another. If a donation saves them from having to do something unpleasant to get the money, why begrudge it?

Donating to an accredited homeless charity will ensure that your money is spent wisely. But go on give him a fiver maybe he spent it on a bed for just one night, after all he's not going to tell you it will get him his fix for the day. Doesn't give him long term help which the charities strive to do.

However you can have lovely virtuous glow that you helped him for one night.