Buffet trolleys - time they started taking cash again.

[yorksrob]

it is and you can - via your contactless card. It isn't 1953 anymore. I really don't understand why you are making such a song and dance over this. It does not reflect well.

Ooh i'm devastated.

 

[dk1]

Ooh i'm devastated.

That’s off topic

 

[zwk500]

Ooh i'm devastated.

There are genuine reasons to object to cashless society. Being able to pay for a kit kat on a train with a coin when you have a card is not really one of them.

 

[Towers]

Is that still the case?

Indeed not having to find the exact or near enough change to buy bus tickets when away from home is a massive benefit. Certainly all the big grounps have been accepting contactless for several years

Blimey, cash only; is that a small independent operator of some sort I presume? Very unusual indeed!

 

[Bald Rick]

I don’t use cash, haven’t done for over two years (with very very few exceptions), and won’t use outlets that are cash only.

in all that time I have never had an issue where the retailer can’t accept a card.

In my experience cards (or more specifically, my phone) are always quicker and more convenient.

 

[yoyothehobo]

2 weeks ago i won a large amount at the casino and it was paid out in cash.

I decided to treat myself by buying a nintendo switch. A purchase of 360 pounds all in.

Upon paying with cash in crisp 20s they had to get a second member of staff to confirm the right amount had been handed over and put in the till and that none of the notes were forgeries. That was 18 notes they checked. This delayed the queue quite a bit!

They mentioned that they have had issues with people buying PS5s etc with dodgy money.

That payment would have taken me 15 seconds with a card, the only reason i didnt use a card was because i couldnt get to a bank to deposit the cash.

I would also like to add that the feeling of worry of walking around with that amount of cash is not entirely pleasant as if you lose your wallet or get it stolen you will never get it back.

In my opinion the ability to use contactless, particularly for low value transactions is amazing.

 

[yorksrob]

That’s off topic

You got me there !

Your engagement on this thread has got progressively more childish. There are genuine reasons to object to cashless society. Being able to pay for a kit kat on a train with a coin when you have a card is not really one of them.

What nonsense. This issue is about customer convenience, and if I have a couple of quid in my pocket to buy a kitkat, its convenient to use them

2 weeks ago i won a large amount at the casino and it was paid out in cash.

I decided to treat myself by buying a nintendo switch. A purchase of 360 pounds all in.

Upon paying with cash in crisp 20s they had to get a second member of staff to confirm the right amount had been handed over and put in the till and that none of the notes were forgeries. That was 18 notes they checked. This delayed the queue quite a bit!

They mentioned that they have had issues with people buying PS5s etc with dodgy money.

That payment would have taken me 15 seconds with a card, the only reason i didnt use a card was because i couldnt get to a bank to deposit the cash.

I would also like to add that the feeling of worry of walking around with that amount of cash is not entirely pleasant as if you lose your wallet or get it stolen you will never get it back.

In my opinion the ability to use contactless, particularly for low value transactions is amazing.

That's a fair point, but as always, it's not the ability to pay cashless that I'm objecting to

I don’t use cash, haven’t done for over two years (with very very few exceptions), and won’t use outlets that are cash only.

in all that time I have never had an issue where the retailer can’t accept a card.

In my experience cards (or more specifically, my phone) are always quicker and more convenient.

Don't get me started on phones.

 

[Fokx]

I personally have never in my life been rich enough to be able to spend money - often, even quite small amounts - without stopping to think and keep track. Just waving a card or phone to get what you want and not knowing exactly how much money you've got left afterwards is fine for well-off people (or those who don't care if they get into debt). Although I'm not on the breadline currently, I still need to budget carefully

You can still do this using just your card if you own a smartphone device capable of having a digital card stored.

All transactions will give you a notification that they’re being processed and instantly show as pending in a banking app or bank statement (such as on an ATM) unlike a physical card

 

[The Planner]

I still struggle to get my head round the people that keep their bank card in their phone case as that one does seem a tad bonkers to me. The advent of SumUp etc has been great though, paying at the barbers and my mates who built their own back garden bars in the pandemic without having to owe them if things turn into a bit of a session. I still haven't gone to NFC yet, but will probably break that duck soon.

 

[L401CJF]

I agree with what plenty of others say regarding not accepting cash.

As a conductor in training, I've noticed it quite common to finish a shift taking only 100% card payments with no cash at all. On the days cash is taken, its nothing in comparison to the amount taken via card. Handling cash is expensive and not worth it with so little cash transactions.

I personally don't use cash, havn't used cash for years with the exception of an occasional ebay cash on collection purchase, and dont even carry a bank card using my phone for contactless payments everywhere.

 

[SteveM70]

What nonsense. This issue is about customer convenience, and if I have a couple of quid in my pocket to buy a kitkat, its convenient to use them

So save yourself a trip to the cashpoint, hey presto no cash in your pocket and you can use the even more convenient payment option of contactless

 

[glasgowceltic1]

Will someone please just buy him a kit kat or a can of coke

 

[WestCoast]

Having enough change always seemed like a big issue pre-pandemic with trolleys on moving vehicles like trains and aircraft, I’d regularly watch the TPE trolley for instance having to negotiate breaking down notes with passengers when the float was low. Since most people use cards now a compromise may be to take cash on request but not to offer change along the lines of some bus operators do (e.g. Lothian). Not ideal but keeps costs down and the option there if the customer really doesn’t want to pay with a card.

 

[LowLevel]

Having enough change always seemed like a big issue pre-pandemic with trolleys on moving vehicles like trains and aircraft, I’d regularly watch the TPE trolley for instance having to negotiate breaking down notes with passengers when the float was low. Since most people use cards now a compromise may be to take cash on request but not to offer change along the lines of some bus operators do (e.g. Lothian). Not ideal but keeps costs down and the option there if the customer really doesn’t want to pay with a card.

Either that or they'd be pinching my float off me

 

[jfowkes]

I'm now refreshed and awake, and I still think the anti-cash brigade are loonies.

Well, you asked us for our opinions! Given the clear acceptance and prevalence of contactless in society these days, did you honestly expect wild applause at your complaint?

Honestly if you still want to use cash to buy a KitKat on a train:
1. Find a friendly passenger
2. Tell them you've forgotten your card
3. Give them £15.30 in cash (or whatever a KitKat costs now)
4. They buy you a KitKat

 

[Bletchleyite]

Someone tweeted the other day that they went into a 'No cash, card only' cocktail bar in Leeds. They ordered 2 cocktails (£18), 2 madri (£12) and 2 tequilas (£9), offered cash, then walked out.

Anyway, sounds as if most on here will lap up the idea of programmable digital money: you know the one where the Government stipulates what you can spend your money on.

Do you live in China? If not, is the tinfoil hat comfortable?

I am always weary of outlets that have a crudely written sign stating ‘Cash Only’ behind the counter.

It might as well say "we evade tax".

 

[SteveM70]

Just a point that no one seems to have mentioned here. The ‘costs’ of handling cash and card transactions are entirely tax deductible, in effect costing businesses nothing.

They’re costs of doing business, so in a simple example would surely just reduce the profit the business made, and therefore its corporation tax liability, but would still reduce net profit??

 

[Iskra]

Just a point that no one seems to have mentioned here. The ‘costs’ of handling cash and card transactions are entirely tax deductible, in effect costing businesses nothing.

There would still be the cost of theft and errors which are much more likely with cash. Plus the time spent cashing-up, which again costs money as you are paying somone to do it. With card only it takes seconds and a few buttons to cash up. With cash, counting pointless 1p, 2p and 5p coins is a waste of anyone’s time, plastic notes which stick together are annoying and of course, you’re going to count the notes twice for accuracy, then there’s a lot more paperwork and banking procedures to follow with cash for traceability. That’s not all tax deductible.

I still struggle to get my head round the people that keep their bank card in their phone case as that one does seem a tad bonkers to me. The advent of SumUp etc has been great though, paying at the barbers and my mates who built their own back garden bars in the pandemic without having to owe them if things turn into a bit of a session. I still haven't gone to NFC yet, but will probably break that duck soon.

It means you don’t have to carry a wallet. I really don’t see how that’s illogical, the phone is acting as a wallet so reducing the need for a wallet, which is one less thing to carry or lose.

 

[The Planner]

There would still be the cost of theft and errors which are much more likely with cash. Plus the time spent cashing-up, which again costs money as you are paying somone to do it. With card only it takes seconds and a few buttons to cash up. With cash, counting pointless 1p, 2p and 5p coins is a waste of anyone’s time, plastic notes which stick together are annoying and of course, you’re going to count the notes twice for accuracy, then there’s a lot more paperwork and banking procedures to follow with cash for traceability. That’s not all tax deductible.


It means you don’t have to carry a wallet. I really don’t see how that’s illogical, the phone is acting as a wallet so reducing the need for a wallet, which is one less thing to carry or lose.

It was more the fact that if your phone is nicked then your card has gone too and your immediate way of cancelling the card has gone. Horses for courses though.

 

[Andypandy1968]

Technology can go wrong, I bet when TPEs card machines have issues they wish they could have accepted cash. Always have cash in your pocket.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It was more the fact that if your phone is nicked then your card has gone too and your immediate way of cancelling the card has gone. Horses for courses though.

This is a good point, one is effectively the backup for the other. I might stop carrying my card at some point as phone payments are ubiquitous now, but I wouldn't put it in my phone wallet, I'd just leave it at home as a backup.

 

[Mintona]

I use mostly card these days but do still use cash too as I don’t want to live in a world where money is just numbers on a screen. It only takes a computer glitch and you’ve lost it all then.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I use mostly card these days but do still use cash too as I don’t want to live in a world where money is just numbers on a screen. It only takes a computer glitch and you’ve lost it all then.

Do you keep a large quantity of cash at home? If not, then the important sums of money already are anyway and have been for years for pretty much everyone.

 

[Techniquest]

I still struggle to get my head round the people that keep their bank card in their phone case as that one does seem a tad bonkers to me. The advent of SumUp etc has been great though, paying at the barbers and my mates who built their own back garden bars in the pandemic without having to owe them if things turn into a bit of a session. I still haven't gone to NFC yet, but will probably break that duck soon.

I never used to do that myself, the phone case and card thing. For a long time cards were kept separate, but I moved on and I suspect it is just a matter of time before I move to NFC and paying for stuff that way. It would be a lot more secure than risking the card falling out of the case, which has happened to me back in November. That wasn't a fun experience!

You know, I might actually start the process of moving to NFC today, now the train of thought is in motion!

 

[TheEdge]

Will someone please just buy him a kit kat or a can of coke

Yea, I think he's just hangry.

But anyway, cash is moribund. I can count on one hand the amount of times I've used cash in the last few years.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I never used to do that myself, the phone case and card thing. For a long time cards were kept separate, but I moved on and I suspect it is just a matter of time before I move to NFC and paying for stuff that way. It would be a lot more secure than risking the card falling out of the case, which has happened to me back in November. That wasn't a fun experience!

You know, I might actually start the process of moving to NFC today, now the train of thought is in motion!

Google/Apple Pay are great because they are more secure than simple card payments, as they won't work with a locked phone (optional transit mode aside), so if someone nicks your phone they can spend £0, and you have a card as a backup elsewhere. Far better than card based contactless payment.

 

[Mintona]

Cash is still useful for putting in birthday cards for children. I do think that anywhere that accepts card should accept cash too.

Fish and chip shop at work only takes cash for orders below £5 so I tend to have some cash on me at all times. Not loads but sometimes it is more convenient.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Cash is still useful for putting in birthday cards for children.

My two nephews and niece get pocket money and money for presents by BACS.

I do think that anywhere that accepts card should accept cash too.

Fish and chip shop at work only takes cash for orders below £5 so I tend to have some cash on me at all times. Not loads but sometimes it is more convenient.

It seems chippies are about the only problem left for those of us wishing to fully cease the use of cash. Get it sorted - or maybe I should just give up fish and chips and lose some weight!

 

[DelayRepay]

But anyway, cash is moribund. I can count on one hand the amount of times I've used cash in the last few years.

In 2022, I have made one payment in cash - to the window cleaner. He didn't take any other type of payment and it was always a pain remembering to get some cash out when he was due. And sometimes embarrassing when I'd forgotten (although not too embarrassing as he only lives round the corner so easy to drop it off later).

I don't have this problem any more, because he's now got a little card machine attached to his phone. He said he got it because so many people don't have cash to hand any more, and it was getting bothersome keeping track of who owed what.

I've had £80 in cash in my wallet for a few weeks - I paid for a group meal on my card and some people reimbursed me for their share by cash. I'm so used to paying with my card or phone that I keep forgetting I've got this money to spend.

It seems chippies are about the only problem left for those of us wishing to fully cease the use of cash. Get it sorted - or maybe I should just give up fish and chips and lose some weight!

Both chippys I use take cards as well as cash. But for a long time during the pandemic they were card only. I don't go often but when I do there don't seem to be many cash payers in the queue.

 

[Techniquest]

Google/Apple Pay are great because they are more secure than simple card payments, as they won't work with a locked phone (optional transit mode aside), so if someone nicks your phone they can spend £0, and you have a card as a backup elsewhere. Far better than card based contactless payment.

Yes I am finally starting to see that logic. I have one of my cards set up for NFC but not the other. That is purely because no matter what I do it seems my bank is incapable of accepting that I have changed my mobile number both with someone on the phone and in the app. Until it updates, then I cannot do the authorising of any new cards being added. If it wasn't for the hassle of changing bank details with work, and don't get me started on how unreliable that system is, then I'd be moving on to a bank that doesn't frustrate me!