Forum menu
Have location turned off
I’m not sure who you’re trying to shake, but it won’t help!
Doesn’t stop the cell towers tracking you though.
Depending on what you're doing, rather well.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/gps-alternatives?utm_source=tldrnewsletter
Have location turned off
A rather superfluous comment. Cute you think it makes any odds though.
Cash is easy to watch. When you have bought your two pints that tenner is mostly gone and you don’t spend more. A card means three!
Cards make credit easier. The last thing we should want surely?
where are you getting 2 pints for a tenner these days? Anyway, better for the bar, better for the consumer (as I presume it’s an enjoyable time you are having). If someone really can’t control themselves there are means to restrict your spending on cards.
making credit easier - is absolutely something we DO want. The ability to pay (and obtain goods and services) based on the ‘trust’ that you will pay it back; rather than limiting you to what you can pull out of your pocket right now is a key part of modern society. Whether you choose to use it or not (and I’m a big fan of only buying what you can afford, only ever bought cars in ‘cash’, etc) the fact that others can do so benefits us all.
there are these things called ATM’s that take a bank card.
So you can either
a) present your card to a retailer
or
b) schlep down the road, present your card to a machine, then return to immediately hand over all the cash you've just pulled out.
Seems efficient.
why, when I’ve always got my wallet which has my driver’s license, Nectar card, bank card, bus pass, and my RSPB and National Trust membership cards in.
When do you need those things day-to-day? My driving license is safely at home so I don't lose it, should I need to produce it I have 14 days to do so; my Nectar card is on an app on my phone along with a host of other store cards, loyalty cards and membership cards; the only reason I'd ever need a bank card is to pull money out of an ATM in order to deal with stores still operating in the 20th Century.
while I mostly use my phone, I was in Wales at the beginning of the week, and I had zero phone reception.
What do you need reception for, other than to make phone calls?
I take your point, but you seem to be going out of your way to make things more difficult than they need to be. I have a wallet three quarters of an inch thick, I can't remember the last time it left the house but it's easily months and likely in the order of years. I don't even carry stamps anymore because christ only knows what postage costs for a large letter vs a small packet, if I have to post something I go to a post office and ask them to do it.
where are you getting 2 pints for a tenner these days?
Hello from the North of England. If I handed over a tenner for two pints I'd expect change.
I very rarely go to the pub it's too expensive. I have been an early adopter of new tèch including cashless payments. However I have recently started to use cash more. The reason being it's not so long since I lived from month to month by robbing Peter to pay Paul. Many of my friends still do and I see that the cashless society significantly reduces their ability to do so. So I have started to use cash more.
V slightly off topic. Google pay on my phone has recently starting asking for a pin every time I use it when it never used to. Is there a way I can stop that?
As much as I'm happy not to use cash, I've not adopted my phone's wallet app for making payments. I'm happy to carry a slim wallet with my bank debit card, driving licence, bike club membership card and BC membership card in it.
For some reason, I'm not feeling comfortable adding my bank card details to the Wallet option on the phone.
I've got it linked to my Garmin watch, but that never gets used as I have my wallet with me (and is linked to my holiday bank card which has less than a quid in it!).
Happy to ditch the cash, not ready to ditch the actual wallet.
Cashless transactions cause problems for those who don’t have thE
Access to bank accounts or access to the internet these days. Finding an open branch or even a working atm these days appears to be a Challenge
When do you need those things day-to-day
National trust card is the annoying one, no digital version offered. I've an image of mine on my phone which works for carparks but isn't accepted for houses etc
I’ve an image of mine on my phone which works for carparks
Do you need it for carparks..... They just look at the sticker in the window round here make sure it's this year's colour.
Maybe banks aren’t a thing for you, but for many they’re a lifeline. My mum goes in, the human beings know her and sort the cash out for her, she doesn’t need to do much at all.
Banks aren’t really a thing, the last 2 banks in the town I live will be gone by January. They are opening hubs a few days a week but that’s all. They’re just not used even older folks don’t as they use their cards or devices. No need to remember you PIN as it’s contactless.
No need to remember you PIN as it’s contactless
Even though your periodically asked to insert card and pin after x transactions ....
Last time I went to the back for cash they asked me to insert my card and PIN.
End of month syndrome. Cards get declined - especially when on a low income. Emergency cash reserves came in useful yesterday for that coffee I needed after a raft bike combo on the Forth. Roll on Tuesday.
Funny thing about the PIN - Tesco's system always asks me for mine.
Was your iPad broken ?
Only used banks in last 10 years for large withdrawls but never been asked for a pin - formal identification yes but not a pin.
The local post office does some good basic banking for bank accounts - withdrawals and deposits, they also offer a cheque pay in service ( that takes a day longer for funds to clear)...I thought it was good news when the contract the post office has with banks got extended for another few years as more places have a local post office than bank branch.
I don't understand small businesses that blank refuse to take card..
You can buy a sumup/zettle machine for very little, and I'm 100% certain they will have SOOO many more customers by taking card..
I live on the south coast, and there's a little ice cream booth that doesn't take card... I would probably be tempted to get a cone practically every time I go past...but all I have is a phone on me.. so they lose out each time. And there must be hundreds of people after a coffee/cone that simple don't have change in their swimming trunks, but do have an apple watch etc!
DrP
Work in banking and cash is massively expense to manage from an equipment, locational, fraud, security and logistical point of view which is a significant driver towards contactless. It’s not far removed from the demise of telephone boxes as nearly everyone has a mobile phone.
Always be outliers who can’t or won’t accept change but that’s true of nearly everything in life. Internet has been around 25 years plus so difficult to accept old folk argument.
Hello from the North of England. If I handed over a tenner for two pints I’d expect change.
I live in the far North of England.
Apart from the CIU Club, you are not getting change from a tenner for 2 pints.
Went out with the Mrs for drink the other night, it was about £17 for a pint and a large glass of wine.
Bloody hell were at Beadnell Towers? I can get 2 pints for £10 easily but also not have enough in other bars.
Anyway. I did a few hours behind the bar again yesterday, took over £100 all but £4 on card and it cost only a few pence in fees for the rest. Straight into the bank, no having to count up the takings and no shortages.
Where are all these folk who can't remember PINs getting their money out, 1989 with their pay in book? All the banks in town are shut, the post office is heading the same way and cash machines are spotty at best (and expensive to withdraw from at worst).
I can't remember the last time I was asked to enter a PIN for contactless either. Then again I use Google pay connected to my account which allows me to overdraw just as much as the cash equivalent so another argument that makes no sense.
@gobuchul head over to Lancaster, £4.50 a pint even in the station. Spoons is about £2.80 a pint tops around Glasgow.
Only used banks in last 10 years for large withdrawls but never been asked for a pin – formal identification yes but not a pin
Paying cash in at Lloyds, Santander or a Post Office I always have to insert card and enter my PIN. I don't know about withdrawals as I'd go to an ATM
I can pay in cheques via my phone, on the rare occaision some luddite gives me one.
I had a mobile mechanic come out to me on Friday, removing a snapped glow plug.
He had a portable card machine. Twenty minutes wandering around in a field waving it about with a signal dropping in and out and still failed to pay. I didn't have that much cash on me, I do have a chequebook in the van, but he wouldn't take one, pain in the bottom paying someone where there is no signal,
Had to phone the office later when I had a signal and pay by card over the phone.
This is, from the customer point of view, not an improvement on cheques, which would have taken me thirty seconds to do, and it would have taken him much less time to pop into a post office to bank it next time he passed one than it took trying to get a signal on his machine.
This is, from the customer point of view, not an improvement on cheques, which would have taken me thirty seconds to do, and it would have taken him much less time to pop into a post office to bank it next time he passed one than it took trying to get a signal on his machine.
Not even that long if he can pay it in his app.
But assuming he was cash only, what would your solution have been then? Same problem.
I can’t remember when I last owned a chequebook.
Back when contactless was in short pants you'd to enter your PIN every few transactions. I can't remember the last time I had to do so outside of a cash machine.
I don't doubt that for some folk banks are a lifeline, however I highly doubt that it's "many." My nearest branch is two towns away and it's open something pointless like 10am-4pm four days a week. The many then presumably being the unemployed and pensioners. The last time I used a branch was to pay in a cheque addressed to "the estate of [my deceased mum]," thinking it would be awkward. They took the cheque, walked me to the paying-in machine and processed it there, I could have done that myself.
The last chequebook we got was a big fat one. Maybe the idea was "that should do you until cheques are no longer a thing".
Bloody hell were at Beadnell Towers?
Black Swan.
For some reason, I’m not feeling comfortable adding my bank card details to the Wallet option on the phone.
The wallet is significantly more secure than having your bank card stolen.
Wallet is heavily encrypted and behind FaceID (a LOT more secure than a 4 digit bank card pin). Your physical card being nicked from your pocket or the back of your phone can be tapped away, instantly...
I work in a shop, about 80% of transactions are card. We get charged to deposit cash at the Post Office / transfer to bank - the fee is about the same as a card transaction.
One of the local chippies only accepts cash - everyone knows it’s a fiddle
Have any conspiracy theories been shared yet?
I heard one a few years ago that your transactions would be monitored by a big computer and if you were trying to by something that the government doesn’t want you to have (it was the individual you, not society at large) the system would prevent you from buying it.
it was all connected to social credit and if you didn’t behave as they wanted you to your ability to buy stuff would be limited.
I can believe that...not only is it the computer but it also seems to be the shop staff and my partner...all say I can't have the shiny new toy...something about card declined due to lack of funds...
Have any conspiracy theories been shared yet?
Like all conspiracy theories, it collapses in on itself at "why?" I'm sure that 'They' will be fapping themselves raw to discover that today I bought cat food and a bag of frozen chips.
My partner's sister veers into these things occasionally, she was a full-on denier during the pandemic. Even when she caught it and was bedridden she wouldn't admit it, "it's just the lurgy." What? She posted one time on Facebook about chemtrails, "can't we just have one day where they're not spraying us with stuff?" All other arguments aside, why? If "the government" wanted us chemically altered (again, why?) then spraying it from the air is a terrible way of distributing a pathogen, far better to contaminate the water supply. I suggested this to her, apparently they do that too. So... they're spraying it from planes in order to... what, catch all the people who don't use water? I explained how steam works and was met with "well, we all have our opinions." Well, no, you have an opinion, I attended high school Physics.
it was all connected to social credit and if you didn’t behave as they wanted you to your ability to buy stuff would be limited.
That was China, as far as I'm aware none of us live in China. Problem solved.
Has nobody mentioned the WEF yet?
I heard one a few years ago that your transactions would be monitored by a big computer and if you were trying to by something that the government doesn’t want you to have (it was the individual you, not society at large) the system would prevent you from buying it.
Yup that’s a common one, I mean there is no other way they could ration items.
If it's an independent/ small local place, I'll usually ask them if better cash or card. And they mostly say 'doesn't matter'.
One of the local curry houses sometimes ask if we can play cash, as they pay some of their junior staff by the hour / each night. It's more likely that Nogel Farage is a hard working honest grafting servant to his constituency, than that lot ever appears in the books (remember thats also less employer NI paid to stop the NHS collapsing - the youngsters wont be reaching the tax thresholds).
What does **** me off is when builders, plumbers, etc do cash to avoid putting some through the books, they use that for going on the lash or buying expensive bikes without their Mrs knowing how much they REALLY spent on a Santa Cruz.
I have to pay tax and NI, they need to too (most of them already have a lower tax and near ****all NI compared to me as they are set up as limited companies) ?
The wallet is significantly more secure than having your bank card stolen.
Wallet is heavily encrypted and behind FaceID (a LOT more secure than a 4 digit bank card pin). Your physical card being nicked from your pocket or the back of your phone can be tapped away, instantly…
It is more than just encryption. The actual card details aren’t added to your phone at all. It uses a token that is unique to the device. The token is passed to Visa/Mastercard who look up your actual card details and pass them to your bank.
Much more secure than your plastic card.
Genuine question, before card payment was the norm, how much of your time did cash handling take? Cashing up, taking it to be deposited, getting change etc. what would that be in terms of an hourly rate over a year?
If you do it properly and assuming you're not a sole trader with no staff.
Cash count and reconcile to till/EPOS output.
Sort money into bundles for banking
Check till float especially coins is adequate
Record bankings in accounting system
Take cash to bank,
Obtain additional cash float coins etc if required.
Then factor in if it is not the owner cashing up there should be two people present at all times to reduce theft and fraud risk.
What's your cash in transit insurance limit for taking it to the bank? Do you need to send two people? Can you even take it yourself or do you need a secure carrier?
What's the risk to your staff from being mugged for £5k in cash? How does that sit with your h&s obligations?
How much can you hold on site and what are the requirements for the safe?
Card fees are probably quite good value in comparison, lower risk of fraud and theft and less options for evading tax.
What does **** me off is when builders, plumbers, etc do cash to avoid putting some through the books, they use that for going on the lash or buying expensive bikes without their Mrs knowing how much they REALLY spent on a Santa Cruz.
But to balance things out a bit you can buy your shiny new bike on a cycle to work scheme where you save a good % off the price and the builders most probably can’t.
But that’s a legal agreement with the government.