Carrying Cash or just Bank card

I always carry a £10 note just in case. As soon as we could see 4year old GD again we took her to the beach and enticed her off with the promise of ice cream. We were queuing up when I realised it was cash only. I was explaining to her we only had a card and needed to go somewhere else. The man in front overheard and offered to get her ice cream thank fully. Since then I carry a small amount of cash with my card.

She does because I suspect a £20 note is not put through the till. A nice little earner s Arthur Daley would say. Just don't ask for a receipt.

I use both , I like some change to light a candle in the Chapel , I pay my cleaning lady in cash , and need notes to tip the grandchildren !
I remember when my Granda used to give me a tiny coin to keep , it had a pig on it , Fairy money !

I read only today that the old notes will cease to be legal tender next year. However, they will still be accepted into your bank or Post Office account. I still have a few plus some old circular £1 coins and a cheque to pay in from before the first lockdown. My village bank closed a few years ago and I can't be bothered to travel the few miles to another branch.
The only time I pay cash is when my grass is cut for me, otherwise I use my debit card. In fact I always used to carry a handbag, but nowadays only use a little Ameribag baglett across my body, containing ID, a folding shopping bag and keys.

I now have to credit my grandchildren's pocket money as they use cards; even the 12 yr old (Osper cards for children). The days of slipping them cash seems to be over.

Urmstongran

I like a few pounds in coins. Handy for putting in a charity box or for a tip after paying by card at the hair salon, bar or restaurant. I dare say tipping is becoming obsolete nowadays now people just pay by card.

I still tip even when paying with my card. I always check with the waiter that the staff will get the tip though, usually they appear to share it among all the staff.

I use cards, cash and Apple Pay on my phone. I don’t like using my card for things that cost less than a pound or so and both my gardener and window cleaner still want cash.

I do use my Tesco credit card for all large purchases, meals out etc as I collect the club card vouchers to spend on my RAC membership or treats at Christmas. I now have my credit and debit card stored on my phone so that in theory I only need to take my phone out with me - but I still have some cash “ just in case!”

My phone opens with facial recognition so only I can use it, more secure than taking a credit card out.

I don’t know how people manage totally contactless, I seem to do lots of things where cash is the only option. For example, going to local events in village halls, vegetables at the market, car parks where they don’t take cards, charity donations on the street, tips, paying friends back when they have got something for me, etc. I use contactless when I can, but life without cash would be a lot more messy.

shysal

I read only today that the old notes will cease to be legal tender next year. However, they will still be accepted into your bank or Post Office account. I still have a few plus some old circular £1 coins and a cheque to pay in from before the first lockdown. My village bank closed a few years ago and I can't be bothered to travel the few miles to another branch.
The only time I pay cash is when my grass is cut for me, otherwise I use my debit card. In fact I always used to carry a handbag, but nowadays only use a little Ameribag baglett across my body, containing ID, a folding shopping bag and keys.

Bear in mind most banks won't accept a cheque that's older than six months, unless it's from a bank or building society.

Do you have a banking App on your mobile? I can pay in a cheque by opening the app, and sending a photo of the cheque.

I like to keep a small amount of change in my purse but mainly use card. I have on line banking so check quickly each evening that all is well with my account.

I hate the thought of a totally cashless society. For some people, like my grandson with learning difficulties, physical cash is real and he's beginning to be able to budget his pocket money, pay at the till and mostly calculate his change. If he had to use a card it would be so much more difficult.
During this pandemic I've paid mostly by card as that's been preferred by many retailers, but I wouldn't want go out without cash in my purse, it would feel wrong. I'd never want to pay for a tube of mints by card and how would I give to the homeless I see around?

Most charity collection boxes now have a QR code on them so you can donate using your smartphone.
I like the M&S scan and go app. You link your card and don't even need to visit a till. I nipped in and out for a loaf today in a couple of minutes .

That said, the majority of payment in the charity shop where I volunteer was cash today.

There are so many ways to pay today but having a small amount of cash is still necessary.

Riverwalk

shysal

I read only today that the old notes will cease to be legal tender next year. However, they will still be accepted into your bank or Post Office account. I still have a few plus some old circular £1 coins and a cheque to pay in from before the first lockdown. My village bank closed a few years ago and I can't be bothered to travel the few miles to another branch.
The only time I pay cash is when my grass is cut for me, otherwise I use my debit card. In fact I always used to carry a handbag, but nowadays only use a little Ameribag baglett across my body, containing ID, a folding shopping bag and keys.

Bear in mind most banks won't accept a cheque that's older than six months, unless it's from a bank or building society.

Do you have a banking App on your mobile? I can pay in a cheque by opening the app, and sending a photo of the cheque.

Thanks Riverwalk, my phone is too old to support the app, but I do ordinary on line banking for everything else. The cheque is only a £10 Age UK lottery win so is no great loss!

I use both

I carry a small amount of cash but mainly use cards. I pay my cleaner in cash.
I do worry about going cashless and if that happens how do you teach young children that there is a consequence of spending when they cannot physically see a diminishing balance.

I pay the dustbin cleaner in cash. Our local car parks are all cash payments only, so it's always useful to have some 'proper money' as my late Dad used to say.

On a different note, I recall the joy recently of having a long overdue visit by my youngest GC. Yes, we had a cuddle and the joy on her face when I pressed a shiney £2 coin into her little hand was priceless, I got an extra big cuddle that day. Somehow, bank transfers to the parents accounts are not quite the same are they?

MayBee70

On the subject of cash I got a lot of cash from the post office at the start of the pandemic and I’ve realised many of the £20 notes are old ones which need to be replaced. Does anyone know if shops are still accepting the old ones? It’s only when I gave one to DH to pay for something that I realised I had so many.

You still have until 22 September 2022 to spend them, Maybee.

Many people still don't have a bank acount, let alone a card.

Germany is notorious for its wariness of cards and anything other than cash. I usually have about €200-300 on me.

Since the pandemic, people have been encouraged to avoid cash and many shops (especially the large chains) have enabled payment by phone, skipping the card system altogether (I am not happy with this and haven't enabled it yet).

But the thought of having less than €100 on me at any time is just not in the local mentality.

When I first moved here I remember being told that, as a foreigner, you are obliged to always have at least DM5.00 on you at all times. I have no idea if that was ever true, or if it still applies and what the minimum amount is these days.

I feel safer with cash than with a card. If cash is gone, it's gone and you can't lose any more and the thief has no connection to you. If your card is gone, the sluice gates are opened and anything can happen.

I hope both continue to be available for a long time yet.
I do mainly use cards now, but there are still times when cash is needed.

I use google pay on my phone + credit card for big amounts also Bacs for almost everything these days but I do keep some cash in the house just in case we have a problem with the bank.

I use both.

I think that electronic payments are vulnerable to IT and electricity supply failures. Cards also provide yet another way of tracking one's movements and purchases.

The mistaken notion that covid could be caught by contact with infected surfaces has pushed people into using card payments much more than they might have done pre covid.

There are still times when cash is essential for me, such as buying from the local outdoor market. I'm using more again as shops are happier to accept it than they were a year ago. I would hate to see cash disappear.

I carry cash for the lovely lady who supplies my fresh eggs, the window cleaner, the hairdresser and the musicians in town; some of them are amazingly good.

I always carry some cash, I need to know I can get home if my card is lost or declined.

I'm about 50/50 because it depends which one of us has the bank card...

We really need to sort that out