Is it the end of cash?

[Kim]

Bangor University no longer accepts payments in cash.

Ah yes, I remember as a new student at the university now known as Kent, getting a welcome leaflet from UKC Hostility pushing their Shiny! New! campus-wide cashless purchasing system.  The idea being that well-meaning parents would load their little darling's account with money at the start of term, on the assumption that it could later be used to purchase useful items such as food, toiletries or UKC branded stationery at the campus shop.

What they failed to tell you was that the campus shop was operated by the Stupid Union, and didn't accept the cashless cards.  Which the now-PSOs would inevitably discover a couple of weeks into term when their supply of KitKats and 3.5" floppies ran out.   While I'm sure much of the credit ended up languishing in the university's bank account, the more resourceful PSOs would then seek out the various UKC-Hostility-operated retailers at which to make use of their healthy credit balance.  No prizes for guessing what sort of merchandise was primarily on offer there...

[Mr Larrington]

Weak lemon drink?

[“No. No, not that.” – Ed.]

[quixoticgeek]

Ah yes, I remember as a new student at the university now known as Kent, getting a welcome leaflet from UKC Hostility pushing their Shiny! New! campus-wide cashless purchasing system.  The idea being that well-meaning parents would load their little darling's account with money at the start of term, on the assumption that it could later be used to purchase useful items such as food, toiletries or UKC branded stationery at the campus shop.

What they failed to tell you was that the campus shop was operated by the Stupid Union, and didn't accept the cashless cards.  Which the now-PSOs would inevitably discover a couple of weeks into term when their supply of KitKats and 3.5" floppies ran out.   While I'm sure much of the credit ended up languishing in the university's bank account, the more resourceful PSOs would then seek out the various UKC-Hostility-operated retailers at which to make use of their healthy credit balance.  No prizes for guessing what sort of merchandise was primarily on offer there...

One of my friends at uni had this happen to him. His mum put about 1000 quid on the card in 2001 numbers. He was no pleased.

J

[Cudzoziemiec]

I doubt his mum was very happy about it either.

[Polar Bear]

We ventured into the pub for an evening with a few friends for the first time in two years.  I used cash all night.

What struck me as interesting though was the number of oldies flashing plastic where the younger drinkers seemed happiest with cash.  The staff seemed to have no preference either way.

[Mr Larrington]

I actually paid in cash for last week's trip to Mr Sainsbury’s House of Toothy Comestibles as cash is the only way Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.) can pay me back sundry expenses, at least until such time as the Enduring Power of Attorney gets registered and we (legitimately) set up online access to his accounts.

[Kim]

Ah yes, I remember as a new student at the university now known as Kent, getting a welcome leaflet from UKC Hostility pushing their Shiny! New! campus-wide cashless purchasing system.  The idea being that well-meaning parents would load their little darling's account with money at the start of term, on the assumption that it could later be used to purchase useful items such as food, toiletries or UKC branded stationery at the campus shop.

What they failed to tell you was that the campus shop was operated by the Stupid Union, and didn't accept the cashless cards.  Which the now-PSOs would inevitably discover a couple of weeks into term when their supply of KitKats and 3.5" floppies ran out.   While I'm sure much of the credit ended up languishing in the university's bank account, the more resourceful PSOs would then seek out the various UKC-Hostility-operated retailers at which to make use of their healthy credit balance.  No prizes for guessing what sort of merchandise was primarily on offer there...

One of my friends at uni had this happen to him. His mum put about 1000 quid on the card in 2001 numbers. He was no pleased.

That's a lot of Mungo's curly fries and [weak lemon drink]...

[Cudzoziemiec]

Some boys are taught by their fathers how to skim stones or bowl cricket balls. Mine taught me a far more important life skill: how to politely summon the bill in a restaurant from a distance. A hand raised. An eye caught across the dining room. The flourish of an invisible pen, writing a cheque in the air. Job done.

Or at least it was once an important skill. Recently, I raised my hand and scribbled in the air at the delightful twentysomething who had been serving us. And I realised what a ludicrous gesture this now was. Sure, they understood, but God knows how. It’s likely they’ve never written a cheque. We have not yet come up with an internationally recognised gesture for putting your pin number into a card reader, or holding your phone against it. But the cheque-scribbling thing is definitely out of date. This makes me sad. I loved doing the whole invisible cheque-writing thing. It felt suave.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2022/mar/17/air-scribbling-cheques-will-soon-be-a-thing-of-the-past-like-fish-knives-and-melba-toast-jay-rayner

[ian]

The floppy disk icon is still the default for save.

Though for reasons, even Microsoft fucked that up in Office, by creating an entirely redundant 'file' page. Who needs an option on the toolbar and a dialogue box when you can have an entire cluttered page to navigate.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Good point ian. googling "pay icon" got me a couple of phones, one of a hand holding a card, and a whole load of an outstretched hand with either a dollar bill (marked as such) or a disembodied $ sign floating above the palm.

[Mr Larrington]

The floppy disk icon is still the default for save.

Though for reasons, even Microsoft fucked that up in Office, by creating an entirely redundant 'file' page. Who needs an option on the toolbar and a dialogue box when you can have an entire cluttered page to navigate.

And thus were born keyboard shortcuts.  Or something

[Pickled Onion]

Having recently moved to London, an astounding number of places are now refusing cash at all. And the ones that accept cash don't accept cards. It's a right pain.

[Cudzoziemiec]

The WI at the village hall I was assisting the control at on Sunday (I was not the controller, just the controller's monkey and stand in) was not taking cards. Although the hall has a card machine – but it belongs to the Post Office.

[Polar Bear]

Two grocery transactions today: both paid with cash.  I am just about back to pre pandemic cash use now.  So much better imo.

[ian]

Our for dinner with two friends the other week. We split the bill and they offered me cash for their shares.

At the rate I'm spending cash, that £90 would last me till 2154.

[orienteer]

Paying for a pub lunch today, I told the waitress to add a tip to to the bill, but when the manager brought the card machine, he'd already entered the basic amount, and said he didn't know how process tips on it anyway; this wasn't the first time I've experienced this. I managed to round up enough coinage for a tip.

[PaulF]

Our local toll bridge has reopened the toll booth so now I need to find some 5p coins to take my son to his piano lesson.

[Syd]

I’ve had the same two notes in my wallet since March 2020.

Been 100% card payment since.

[quixoticgeek]

The floppy disk icon is still the default for save.

Though for reasons, even Microsoft fucked that up in Office, by creating an entirely redundant 'file' page. Who needs an option on the toolbar and a dialogue box when you can have an entire cluttered page to navigate.

"Look mum! a 3d printed save icon!" says the child pointing at a floppy disk.

J

[Mr Larrington]

I’ve had the same two notes in my wallet since March 2020.

Been 100% card payment since.

I've had the same four since September 2019 but they’re USAnian dollars so they don’t count

[Polar Bear]

Two grocery transactions today: both paid with cash.  I am just about back to pre pandemic cash use now.  So much better imo.

Another two cash transaction day.   So happy to be able to use cash freely once again. 

[Jaded]

Just found loads of Euro coins. I wonder if they still use them 

[Polar Bear]

Big treat.  Realised that I had forgotten a couple of items and went out and doubled down on the cash.  Even worse, I didn't take my mobile out with me.

Am I becoming a luddite? **

**  OK, so luddites were not really anti technology, just concerned for their employment and survival but using the commonly abused meaning of the term ...

[ElyDave]

the only cash I've used recently was a car parking machine 3 x £1 coins and a couple of taxis.  Even the veg man on the market with holes in his jumpers, muddy overalls and dirt under his nails accepts cards these days. I don't think it's dead but it's definitely diminished. 

[rafletcher]

the only cash I've used recently was a car parking machine 3 x £1 coins and a couple of taxis.  Even the veg man on the market with holes in his jumpers, muddy overalls and dirt under his nails accepts cards these days. I don't think it's dead but it's definitely diminished.

Our local car parks haven’t taken cash for at least 2 years, it’s contactless or (spit) Ringo.