QuoteIn London particularly there are more and more places going cashless;

I would be avoiding such establishments.The government would love to do away with cash,the black market would disappear,but so would another bit of our freedom.And what happens when the networks go down?mind you its a nice way to control the population,sorry we think your getting overweight  your cards been stopped in the pie shop, saladsRus is the only retailer who will take your card now.

Well yes, you'd go hungry in a growing number of places, so maybe it will deal with obesity, and of course you wouldn't be able to get a bus in London either, so you'd have to walk. You may be onto something there...

I'd happily do away with cash.

Quote from: themadhippy on February 06, 2019, 01:16:19 PM
I would be avoiding such establishments.The government would love to do away with cash,the black market would disappear,but so would another bit of our freedom.And what happens when the networks go down?mind you its a nice way to control the population,sorry we think your getting overweight  your cards been stopped in the pie shop, saladsRus is the only retailer who will take your card now.

Absolutely totally agree. The other reason is that every service can then charge for using something that's free with cash - Paypal, credit cards etc etc. It's all about control and creaming more money from us.

I use cash as much as possible.

Cheers,
Alan

Or rather than perhaps wild conspiracy theories about freedoms/controls perhaps it is just about convenience...

Cash is not free - many banks charge retailers for paying in cash.  Paying by card often gives consumers various protections in addition to payment. Businesses should factor into their prices the transaction costs (whether by cash or card) - the net impact on consumers is small.

Quote from: Dr Al on February 06, 2019, 01:31:52 PM

Quote from: themadhippy on February 06, 2019, 01:16:19 PM
I would be avoiding such establishments.The government would love to do away with cash,the black market would disappear,but so would another bit of our freedom.And what happens when the networks go down?mind you its a nice way to control the population,sorry we think your getting overweight  your cards been stopped in the pie shop, saladsRus is the only retailer who will take your card now.

Absolutely totally agree. The other reason is that every service can then charge for using something that's free with cash - Paypal, credit cards etc etc. It's all about control and creaming more money from us.

Technically they can't, retailers are no longer allowed to charge any premium for any sort of personal payment method.

I totally agree with Mike, it's all about convenience, security, safety, cost saving and nothing about charging you more money.

Quote from: njee20 on February 06, 2019, 02:59:11 PM

Quote from: Dr Al on February 06, 2019, 01:31:52 PM

Quote from: themadhippy on February 06, 2019, 01:16:19 PM
I would be avoiding such establishments.The government would love to do away with cash,the black market would disappear,but so would another bit of our freedom.And what happens when the networks go down?mind you its a nice way to control the population,sorry we think your getting overweight  your cards been stopped in the pie shop, saladsRus is the only retailer who will take your card now.

Absolutely totally agree. The other reason is that every service can then charge for using something that's free with cash - Paypal, credit cards etc etc. It's all about control and creaming more money from us.

Technically they can't, retailers are no longer allowed to charge any premium for any sort of personal payment method.

But sadly, and worryingly, some retailers and organisations still do!

Take care to check every payment, before and after using any method, to ensure you are not being overcharged in this way.

Details and sound advice here:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2018/01/some-credit-card-users-still-being-charged-despite-law-change/

That was a year ago, but yes, definitely worth checking.

Quote from: njee20 on February 06, 2019, 04:40:43 PM
That was a year ago, but yes, definitely worth checking.

True, but my 20-something granddaughter, who has been with me for a couple of days, had just such a problem with a payment just last week, which is why the problem was high on my radar.

Quote from: njee20 on February 06, 2019, 02:59:11 PM
I totally agree with Mike, it's all about convenience, security, safety, cost saving and nothing about charging you more money.

Fair enough - but it's been openly admitted by the banking industry as to why they want to kill cash:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b097rqr4

Worth watching when it's next repeated...

As for costs, whether retailers pass the cost on - they do - even if not directly, they'll simply raise their retail price to soak it up.

Cheers,
Alan

But as you can't differentiate on the payment method, you pay the same for cash, and attributing price rises due to a rise in card payments versus market forces, material costs, inflation etc is impossible, I stand by my 'meh'. I'm happy to pay a few pence here and there for convenience. I always pay for parking by app where available, there's nearly always a c20p charge for this, but that's fine by me.

I agree that some service providers who were forced to remove card fees (I think Deliveroo were among them) didn't remove the fee they just unified the prices at the higher level, but that's hardly surprising.

I'm all for choice, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I actively want to abolish cash, I'm just not fussed, and would be totally happy if it were removed from circulation as I use it so little.

Until all the world utilises cashless systems like those from Nayax and others, I will keep a bit of cash on me when out and about for those moments when I need to 'spend a penny' (or 20p or half a Swiss Franc, or whatever it is these days.)

https://www.nayax.com/cashless_solution_public_restrooms/

What a random niche to pursue, given they seem to just be selling NFC card readers like myriad other solutions out there!

Spare a thought for those who work in the banknote printing/paper industry.

Some of the world's leading companies in this industry are UK-based and bring in millions with their export earnings.

I myself work for a banknote paper company that has just gone bust.

Best regards,


Joe

Quote from: njee20 on February 07, 2019, 10:03:37 AM
I always pay for parking by app where available, there's nearly always a c20p charge for this, but that's fine by me.

I work hard for my money, so I am principled against these kind of surcharges. It all adds up, and the banks make more than enough money out of me as it is.

And parking....another cash cow.....don't even start me!

Cheers,
Alan

I agree, but what price on your time? I'd need to go to the bank (repeatedly) to get the requisite cash, which is worth significantly more than the 20p cost to use an app, and avoids me having to carry large amounts of change at all times.