Cash free living.

[Deleted member 149005]

Until this year my wife didn't take card payments in her hairdressing business. For the 20 years she's been running the business she's never had to pay for banking cash or cheques. Since reopening after the Covid lockdown she has been accepting card payments as improved safety - the merchant charges are significant and she has put up her charges for everyone to cover those increased costs. Little is free in this life: we all have to pay for the convenience of cashless transactions.

I venture your wife is lucky, has a good relationship with her bank manager ( or whatever the young shiny suit brigade label themselves these says) and / or runs a relatively small business- I hope she continues to benefit from free banking

 

[ToeKnee]

3 of my homies are London black cab drivers. Or at least they were until mid-March.

One of them now delivers shopping for Tesco, another drives an HGV for Asda and the other has a wife who earns loads of dough.

The one with the wife who earns loads of dough took delivery of a brand new electric cab March 1

The whole taxi trade is on its knees and I can't see it getting much better in the next 18 months.

 

[Darrell]

The whole taxi trade is on its knees and I can't see it getting much better in the next 18 months.

That’s what they’re saying.
The only trade at the moment seems to be a few bods at train stations and the odd tourist.

 

[219]

I have never been a great cash user, but I realised this week that I haven't actually used any cash for 6 months!
During this time I have bought and sold cars and I am just about to sell and buy a house.
The last time i used cash was in March to collect a TV which I had bought on eBay.

During 2014 I did 7 trips to the States supporting Bentley Motorsport. I hated having to money change so never bothered to 'buy' any dollars prior to going.
Now whilst my stays were not really in the 'real world' but only at hotels and race circuits where we would have hospitality it worked out just fine. A couple of credit/debit cards were all I needed for car rental, fuel etc.
It caught me out just one time, on the Golden Gate Bridge! Only dollars accepted, so after a small chat with this 'legal alien' fresh from the airport, they let me go on my way without payment.
I went and 'bought' a few dollars from an ATM for my return trip. That was after a major shake up and 'enjoying' the largest earthquake in the Northern Bay Area in 25 years. A moving experience.

So on Friday, I ventured south of Birmingham (via the 'old' M6) to deliver my mothers car which I had just sold for her, expecting (as the deposit had been paid) a phone app transfer for the balance.
I was handed cash, the first time I had handled it since March! Yuk!
I was reassured by the toll road payment on the way back north, no cash booths there anymore, but then I haven't used it for some time now.
How many others live without cash?

I used cash twice today ; once to drop a donation into the perspex box at the entrance to Glasgow Riverside museum , and once to buy chip suppers for me and my son outside Glasgow Central Station - I've never seen anyone pay anything but cash in a chippy .

I still use cash all the time for small purchases ; and sometimes for 'private sales' where it is expected - private individuals don;t normally take plastic .

 

[219]

I'm just about to move to within 5 mins dog walk of one of the best Chinese takeaways in in Norfolk, and one we used to have to drive a few miles to when we were last in the 'Far East'. I can order and pay over the phone

For Chinese and Indians , where I used to live ( near Glasgow ) it was always 'Just Eat' and paid by card , plus a cash tip for the delivery driver ( don't want them spitting in your meal , do you ? ) . Over in the east , where i currently am , all such places are rubbish - if you want a decent Indian or Chinese = go to Glasgow . Our guys used to drive the length of the country to Yagdar !

 

[219]

Not been using cash for some time now , unless it is for small amounts. Local convenience store used to have a £5 limit for card transactions , maybe they get charged for using their banks system ?

Wife works in B+Q (Tradepoint) and the verbal abuse that the staff are taking at the moment from some customers because they are not allowed take cash , due to Covid , needs to be heard to be believed.

Certain tradesmen seem to be taking it personal that their financial transactions cant presently be flown under the tax mans radar.

K

While I might have a gripe with the company ( out of principle ) I would never take it out on the staff .

Customers who don't like the policy are free to shop elsewhere .

 

[219]

Yes well we are seeing the black economy in the glare of the headlights,I am on record that there should be a law that stops all shops and takeaways displaying a notice saying cash only,and these places should be checked first offense £1000 after that £5000,the amount of money that has had no tax paid on it leaving this country every week would shock people,the chinese,well they call it luck money,and gamble it on the grounds that they should not have it in the first place.

I really don't see any problem with it - for typical sales ( under say £20 ) it is a faff and cash is simpler .

Also why should I , as a private individual , if selling a car/camera/piece of hi-fi equipment be forced to take anything but cash ? I'm not about to accept cards for something I might only sell once or twice a year .

 

[219]

To be fair, that is what I was making reference too, materials for a few hundred quid. This is because as far as I was aware, you cannot deal in large quantities of cash (multiple thousands) almost certain there is a specified amount, to stop money laundering. In the same pretext having large sums of money in the home can be subject to the seizure of the same, under the proceeds of crime act, and the onus is upon you to prove otherwise, oppose to the other way round. Obviously these things don't effect the normal hard working decent person.

You would be surprised : I attended a fire fatality some years ago : an elderly gent in a council house ( appearance was he'd had a drink , been smoking , Friday or Saturday night , can;t remember but usual pattern ) he fell asleep , lit cigarette started a fire , he died before alarm was raised by neighbours .

When we excavated through debris to investigate the cause , we started finding these wads of money stuffed down the seats etc ; had to call the police to observe ; in the end there was over £30K cash in the house , not counting whatever might have been consumed in the fire - evidently the old chap's life savings .

Sometimes people do keep large amounts of cash at home - it is not illegal .

 

[moonloops]

In my local and very middle class high street there are 5 nail bars. None take cards.

One of the signs of money laundering I guess...?

 

[C240Sport97]

in the end there was over £30K cash in the house , not counting whatever might have been consumed in the fire - evidently the old chap's life savings .

the money was probably no longer legal tender but Bank of England will change it for legal tender notes or put the amount in your bank account .. I wonder what happens in Scotland

 

[219]

the money was probably no longer legal tender but Bank of England will change it for legal tender notes or put the amount in your bank account .. I wonder what happens in Scotland

I have no idea , beyond that the police took it away .

 

[zipdip]

Well my beef about shops and take aways having signs saying cash only is that should be illegal,of course people can pay in cash,but if a shop says no then there should be a law in place to say that is illegal,it is simple,we all know that these shops are dodging tax,I always paid the tax on what I earned,and like it or not it is the tax take in a country that pays for things.

 

[Deleted member 113659]

Around 75% (young and middle aged) of my customers pay me by bank transfer which is perfect and hassle free. The remaining 25% (The older members of society) pay by cash or personal cheque. Total pita as my nearest branch is 17 miles away in Dumfries as all the local branches have closed in the last few years.

However, most of the latter just don’t do technology, have no internet, no mobile phone etc. No sure how they will manage their finances when cheques are axed and we eventually go cashless.

 

[Deleted member 65149]

I venture your wife is lucky, has a good relationship with her bank manager ( or whatever the young shiny suit brigade label themselves these says) and / or runs a relatively small business- I hope she continues to benefit from free banking

It’s a relatively small business, like many thousands of others. It’s those businesses that prefer cash payment rather than passing some of their small income on in merchant fees.

 

[Deleted member 65149]

Well my beef about shops and take aways having signs saying cash only is that should be illegal,of course people can pay in cash,but if a shop says no then there should be a law in place to say that is illegal,it is simple,we all know that these shops are dodging tax,I always paid the tax on what I earned,and like it or not it is the tax take in a country that pays for things.

I think it’s unfair to say that all businesses that ask for cash payment are doing so solely to avoid paying taxes. It’s also to limit overheads by not passing a percentage of their income to wealthy banking institutions.