Is it time to fucking start carrying cash again?

bc credit card companies charge retailers extortionate fees, and retailers have crazy low margins

Yep, captive audience and all.

Credit card companies are not charging 5%

[quote] It used to be that merchants hated dealing with cash and did everything they could to discourage you from paying with cash

I’ve never encountered this before. It takes one system to shut down and you’re screwed. You should always be carrying cash.

Cash is for olds.

that's bc they have it, r5

young people are poor and have to use credit bc they poor

Wow r6. The 21st Century hasn't really happened to you yet, has it?

I have to pay my property taxes in cash to avoid service/convenience fees. You know, since I'm inconveniencing the county by paying my goddam taxes.

r8 I've never heard of that.

r7, reread the 2nd paragraph of OP, very S-L-O-W-L-Y, if need be. Then get back to us.

[quote]young people are poor and have to use credit bc they poor

This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Smart people use credit cards because of the cash back/points. People who pay cash are subsidizing the rest of us.

That said OP, it is just a stealth price increase. Most merchants know damn well people don't carry cash. They can just tack on 5% now and blame the credit cards companies (who charge, at most 3.5% - even Amex).

I've only seen Mom & Pop places do this. If someplace like Walmart/Kroger pulls this, all hell will break loose.

[quote]So why is it that NOW we are increasingly forced to contend with all of these “convenience charges” and other surcharges for using a credit card?

Because there was a settlement between Visa & Mastercard and a number of small businesses. Previously, they weren't allowed to offer discounts on the whole (varied state by state). Now they are allowed to offer a discount.

My family and I went to a Hibachi place the other night. If I paid with a credit card they would have added 3% to the bill.

R9 Consider yourself fortunate!

R9, I just paid property taxes today and my town charged $1.00 for online check and had a $3.00 minimum for credit card charge. This while my bill increased 28% from last year. By the time I either threw a stamp on an envelope or drive to town hall, it was worth it to just pay the $1.00 and be done with it.

Yep my county charges a hefty fee to pay property taxes with a card too. 5 percent but thats 5 percent of 4 grand annually so yes it's money. . I love cash and love when the youngster behind the counter is like uhh you're going to make me unhook from my social media to touch that filthy worthless paper. I'm like, yep, suck it up buttercup. And count back each penny with a smile too or I'm summoning the manager.

Where do debit cards come in? I pay 3-5$ a month for unlimited access to chequing accts (senior)

Yes r10 I read it. I don't know where he lives but it's something I haven't encountered.

Carrying cash is a hill that eldergays will die on.

See also: Self-checkout, cursive handwriting and newspapers and other print media.

Carry cash to quick service restaurants where they try to guilt you into a tip on the credit card payment screen.

Pay cash and you’ll never see it.

[quote]I love cash and love when the youngster behind the counter is like uhh you're going to make me unhook from my social media to touch that filthy worthless paper. I'm like, yep, suck it up buttercup. And count back each penny with a smile too or I'm summoning the manager.

Miserable old cunts like you just need to be put down.

I try to pay in cash at some takeout restaurants because if you do they can't flip the screen around and ask for the tip.

r20 you just hit "no tip" and be on your way.

[Quote] I don't know where he lives but it's something I haven't encountered.

R18 do you ever dine out and I'm not talking McDonalds. Virtually every restaurant has been doing it for the last 2 years

When I had my retail store (1987 - 2012) I was strictly forbidden from charging any kind of 'fees' to my customers for accepting credit cards, or from pushing they use cash for purchases and knock off a small percentage. Each year, I had to renew my contract with them (all stores did) via my bank where I had my business account set up. If I had one complaint lodged against me from a customer, that would be the end - I would need to find a new CC processor which worked with my bank.

Back then, the percentage fees varied for the merchant.

AMEX charged the highest - 3.25% on every sale. Discover charged 3%. If a customer used a Visa or MC which gave the customer 'cash back' or 'reward dollars' or 'airline miles' - the merchant was charged 3 %. A regular Visa / MC with no rewards or cash back charged us 2 -2.95% depending on the amount of the sale (the smaller the sale, the higher the percentage we had to pay - which is why so many retailers now set a minimum for CC purchases). Using a CC meant I wouldn't get the money from your purchase into my business checking account until 48 BUSINESS hours after (which was really horrible on a holiday weekend - a Friday purchase wouldn't hit my account until the following Wednesday). AMEX and DISCOVER took 72 business hours.

When debit cards were introduced around 25 years ago, every small retailer was excited to accept them and stick the 'pin pad' in our customer's face to make the transaction a 'debit' transaction instead of a CC one. Some customers didn't want to do debit - they wanted to use it as a CC so they had 30 days to pay it off. But a debit card only cost the merchant 50 cents - no matter how big the transaction - so it was like accepting cash (without having to go to the bank with the cash deposit). And the debit card sale was deposited into the checking account within 24 hours. This is why merchants push debit cards.

[quote]So why is it that NOW we are increasingly forced to contend with all of these “convenience charges” and other surcharges for using a credit card? Oftentimes up to 5%.

No idea what OP is referring to. The only time I am ever asked to pay some sort of service charge for using a credit card is in a luxury market, the art and auction trade. Of course businesses that depend heavily on credit card charges have to factor fees into their prices, but so what? It's a small cost for the convenience of tapping your card on a trader and you're done. It beats the fuck out of carrying was of cash everywhere, getting change for a large bill, going to the bank or cash point frequently -- all to save 0.93% in Europe (1.6% in US) for merchants who don't factor in that cost to their prices. It's just stubbornness that seems unproductive.

As an alternative to cards in Europe, bank to bank transfers are very simple (and safe) and no fees for anyone. Friends do it to transfer small sums, you can do the same when buying a painting, a car, a house, rent, taxes, most anything.

R21 you’re out of line and out of time - ignored

I hate shit

[quote]It's just stubbornness that seems unproductive.

Welcome to the world of DL's Eldergays!

[quote]As an alternative to cards in Europe, bank to bank transfers are very simple (and safe) and no fees for anyone. Friends do it to transfer small sums, you can do the same when buying a painting, a car, a house, rent, taxes, most anything.

The US has this too, it's been around for many years. Also Venmo and other apps.

Even my cleaning lady doesn't take cash, I Venmo her the $$$.

POS

PIECE OF SHIT!

Do you have change for two goats and a chicken?

The only time one should consider paying a credit card fee on large amounts like rent, taxes, etc. would be to fulfill bonus spending on a new credit card.

I knew the Euros would show up and have to make a comment, they always do.

r33 Most Americans under a certain age don't use cash anymore. It's quickly becoming a relic.

Hell, most people my age pay with their phones in stores.

I carry a little cash, I'm a sucker when it comes to panhandlers.

Slide your debit card inside your ass like a card reader swipe it up and down

Take 100 $1 bills and roll each one up real tight and cram em up your asshole!!

R34 speaks for no one only his ass

When I go to the Triumph shop to buy an authentic Triumph brand oil filter for my bike ($20.99!! and no other will fit) I have to pay a 3% surcharge if I use my Visa -- so I pay cash.

And my favorite local (family-owned) seafood joint only accepts cash, so before I get there, I have to make sure I have enough cash to purchase my meal and leave a fat tip (and those waitresses wait on me hand and foot).

BTW, generally speaking, I pay for everything with my Visa card and pay it off in full at the end of every month. And I have a credit union app on my phone that sends me a text whenever I make a Visa purchase, so if someone has stolen my number and used my card (which has happened to me three times in the last eight years), I am notified immediately and can shut it down right away.

IMHO, that's the way to do it.

Hi r37 you can crawl out of your hovel anytime.

I cannot believe how out of touch some Dlers are. No, a lot of people under a certain age do not use cash. They pay with their phones or cards. I dont' even see most older people use cash anymore in grocery stores etc. How much of a total hermit does one have to be to actually have to challenge this simple fact of modern life?

I'm 72 and I pay for almost everything with Google Wallet on my smart watch.

R39 go fap to your ugly ass heartstopper humanoid

[quote]I love cash and love when the youngster behind the counter is like uhh you're going to make me unhook from my social media to touch that filthy worthless paper. I'm like, yep, suck it up buttercup. And count back each penny with a smile too or I'm summoning the manager.

I might be older than R16, but I think it's past time for him to die when his great pleasures are 1.) using cash for no obvious benefit other than 2.) as some sort of superiority shield for being a sour old cunt.

Someone needs to come up with a better way to tip people without using cash. I don't mean like in restaurants --- I mean like hotel personnel (doorman, bellman, etc.) or others that you'd normally give cash to.

Now on to my cash story...

I rarely carry cash with me for purchases, unless the purchase is under $10. The other night I was in HomeGoods with a friend of mine, and I spotted a 'fall decoration' which was perfect for the door to my office. The cute twink behind the register rang me up and it came to $9.62 with tax. When I gave him a $10 bill, he just stared at me - and then asked, "Can you use a credit card, instead ?" I told him no.

His cute twink coworker standing next to him told him to put the amount of $10 in and 'just hit the fuckin' cash tendered key'. He did, and it showed I was owed .38 cents - so he didn't dare have to do math in his head.

Once the drawer opened is where the problems really began. He kept looking at the screen that said .38, and staring at the drawer. He had no idea which coins to give me to make it add up to 38 cents. No idea at all. He then reached in and gave me three dimes and shut the drawer. He then asked me if that was right, and I told him 'no'. His twink co-worker just laughed at him. I told him he owed me 8 more cents, and he told me he'd have to call the manager to come open his drawer - I told him it wasn't worth my time. I was curious about this kid - I asked him if he was new at this job, he said he's been there since last November. I asked if he was in school - he said he's a senior in college (a school nearby), and majoring in economics. He asked again if I wanted him to call the manager to give me my eight cents, I told him no, grabbed my bag and wished him a good school year. He just smirked. He never even apologized for his mistake.

We're doomed.

Cash serves a godamned purpose in 2024

I don’t give a fuck if you hate it.

Eat dog shit

So what r44? Cash is becoming more and more obsolete, I wouldn't expect a teenaged kid to know what to do with it.

Christ, I can barely remember how to use a fax machine.

Of course the shops only inform you with a tiny sign at the register. They may have an ATM there but you are hitnwith fees

Cash is sexy.

R46 Sorry Zoomer - a senior in college is not a teenager. He's in his early 20s.

With your response, you only prove what I concluded - we're really doomed.

Even a person in their early 20s wouldn't be familiar with cash.

And I'm Gen X, btw.

You know who loves cash? Young people in service industries. Tip in cash, you’re a king. Tip on a card, meh.

The underground economy is still alive and well and lots of younger people are participating in it. Untraceable cash income means no taxes.

Every time I see this service charge at an establishment, I think "Tell me you keep 2 sets of books without telling me you keep 2 sets of books." I think a lot of these places are just using this as a way to commit tax fraud by not declaring all of their cash sales.

^ and that’s why cash is king

Cash isn't king anymore.

Bar ist wahr

Agree with R53. It’s not about avoiding the credit card fees, it’s about not declaring income. Sometimes they call it a “discount” for cash. Pisses me off. I avoid those stores and when I do make a purchase I always use a card, even though I carry cash.

I pay a fee to pay my rent with a card, but the fee is less than my cash back points.

If I were dining with other people in a "nice" restaurant and paid my bill with cash it would be kind of embarrassing. I'd get sideways looks.

WAY back in 2006 I was in a rather upscale bar in NY with a group of people and when we paid off our tabs I decided just to use cash since I had some in my wallet. I'll never forget the woman sitting next to me saying "I haven't seen THAT in a while!" And this was nearly 20 years ago!

But you don’t get invited to nice restaurants, r58.

Hilarious r59! You're a real card!

I try to tip service people in cash when I have it on me.

R46 I've see high school students using cash at DD, Quick Check and other businesses all the time. I live 2 blocks from a high school. Do school cafeterias accept credit cards?

^^^ I see

R35 I was in San Francisco airport parking and a pan handler approached me, he had a phone and a card reader readied. I was like fuck no. . I really don't see why people are so into their cards. It's a form of Stockholm syndrome. You all think it's cool to give a third party a cut of every transaction because it's hip groovy and modern? If running off a cliff was hip groovy and modern would you do it.

Cash is king you bitch

Long live cold HARD cash

"Cash is king you bitch "

Don't I know it!

No one is talking about tipping strippers?

Somethin' wrong with STRIPPIN'?

Because R8, when you try to “pay” your $4,000 property tax bill with a credit card, Visa charges the state/county roughly a $100+ for the “convenience” of giving them your money. So the state/county only gets about $3885 towards your $4,000 bill. With the other payment forms your bill is paid in full. With cards your account is actually delinquent.

So, if you prefer not to pay with cash, check or a direct deposit and instead want to use a credit card, the state has two choices:

1. Refuse to accept cards;

2. Increase the tax bills of everyone to cover their card related shortfalls; or,

3 Charge YOU extra because you chose to use a costly card (probably because you were trying to score some “free” airline miles/points).

Actually three choices

Everytime I read the headline of this thread I keep thinking I am going to read “do we need to start carrying mace again”

[quote]With cards your account is actually delinquent.

This is total horseshit. I have never heard of anyone's account being delinquent because they paid with a card.

I love how some posters here think paying with a card is some kind of damnation. God, you're all so weird.

I pay my property taxes with an online account transfer, but that might be too much for the old queens here to handle. They might think I'm talking science fiction or voodoo.

You city slickers wouldn't last a minute up here in the pines. Best keep to the paved road and make sure you don't stray too far from cell reception. We don't take a check either. Especially a local check.

As far as property taxes, not all counties handle them the same, some have free online transfers others don't and you have to pay with cash or check. I would think they all would charge a service fee for credit cards as the cards will take a percentage.

But I think it's like OP said. Because they've become more transparent with the fees, people will start using cash.

I had a bit of car repair done at the dealership last month. The bill was $1000+ which I broke into two transactions: one debit and one credit.

It wasn't until I drove away and looked at the receipt that I noticed they charged me a "Credit Price" and the "Cash Price" listed on the receipt was almost $150 less than the credit price.

I think next time, I will go in there and drop a couple stacks in cash a lá R16.

"We can't accept cash for this transaction, sir."

"Sure you can. It's legal tender and you specifically identify a 'cash price' please go get your manager."

Even though I've met the manager at that location and she is a bitch....

There's a reason why businesses might actually prefer cash transactions

r77 it's called "skimming." There's a local mom and pop restaurant not too far from me that's cash only. Everybody knows the owner walks out of there with some extra money in his pocket every day. This is very common in the bar and restaurant business.

and mechanics: R78 save up to 100$ with cash

R78, most of us who have run a business learn all the tricks AFTER we go out of business.

My policy was that I shouldn’t have to cheat to stay in business. I was not cut out to be a proprietor.

I went to South Dakota last year on vacation and every restaurant gave a discount (maybe 1%) if you paid in cash. I've never seen that anywhere else. I paid cash and gave the difference to the servers as a boosted tip. I wish they did that everywhere.

Cash -- tips; very small purchases, €5/$5 or less

Credit cards -- most everything

Bank transfers -- large sums (e.g., a house purchase, property taxes, automated utility bill payments); person-to-person, for paying your friend your share of the holiday rental; and for small, occasional vendors who don't have enough business volume to offer credit card payments/Square/whatever

Personal checks -- for the oldest living Data loungers

I recently got petrol at a gas station. Tapped my phone and it wouldnt work. Trued 3 more times with no luck. I had no cash. i ended up Revoluting money to the cashier who tried tapping her phone...and she had no luck either. What to do in this scenario?

[quote] [in South Dakota] every restaurant gave a discount (maybe 1%) if you paid in cash...I paid cash and gave the difference to the servers as a boosted tip.

Oh happy day for the restaurant servers of South Dakota.

That $3 tip on on a $20 lunch just became $3.20! Thank you virtuous spender!

[quote]Tapped my phone and it wouldnt work.

Ever hear of a thing called a credit card?

We're doomed

I agree with you but, you realize that's been said forever and we're still here.

R84 Yup. Those servers made an extra $3.20 for carrying a salad to a table, which took 60 seconds away from that server posting selfies at work.

Not bad at all.

Cunting cocksucking maybe. I shiteating motherfucking used to carry goddamn $20-50 in my dicksucking wallet, and fucking Christ I may soon pissing again.

It's all fun until the power goes out (due to storm, blackout, cyber attack, etc.) and cash is the only means of commerce.

I love saying "I told you so."

Yeah, when was the last time the power went out and plunged us all into Little House On the Prarie?

The oldtimers on NextDoor have been complaining that restaurants are tacking on a 3 percent fee for using credit cards.

I sorta get it if you're a small business - but they should include that in their pricing to cover costs.

I always carry cash, anyway. I go to the bank, go inside, and always try to get an array of 20s, 10s, 5s and 1s.

R90 Ask the people of Louisiana that, as they wait for power to be restored after Hurricane Francine.

Honey, they're just going to loot anyway.

Hell's Kitchen, the summer of 2019 comes to mind immediately, r90.

Never heard of that r95. And I live in NYC.

Oh shit r95 yes you're talking about the brownout. Yes, I remember that now. That had nothing to do with cash, that was lawlessness. Even if debit cards and credit cards and smartphones never existed that shit would still happen.

You bitches really think that in the event of a disaster cash would mean anything anyway? People turn into animals.

And eat them!

I'll wager there's a lot you've never heard of, R96, R97, as you seem slow. I am a native New Yorker who has experienced every blackout since 1959, including the major outages of 1977 and 2003.

Lawlessness? WTF are you talking about? There is no power during a blackout, leaving cash registers, ATMs, etc. useless. No cash? No goods or services for you until the power is restored.

Pull your head out of your ass - you'll increase the odds of your surviving in the city.

Okay r100 I'm a dual CT/Nyer my entire life. And despite your smug and ancient condescension the point I was referring to above is that cash doesn't mean jack shit during a blackout as there will always be looting.

[quote]Lawlessness? WTF are you talking about?

[quote]Lawlessness? WTF are you talking about? There is no power during a blackout, leaving cash registers, ATMs, etc. useless. No cash? No goods or services for you until the power is restored.

In the event of a catastrophe, cash is useless due to looting

I just don't understand why the credit/debit/phone thing is so alien to you elders. And gay men in particular. It's odd - gay men are supposed to be at the forefront of cultural and social change but honestly it is shocking how Luddite-ish the elder gay men are on here. My flyover extended relatives in the Midwest are more in touch with the modern world.

We're already in a digital world, cash and print media etc. is going away. It's nothing to be afraid of.

BTW r100 re: Your signature. I really do have to say this, and it just doesn't apply to you, but for others of your type and age:

There are unlimited places for political junkies to post.

There was only one Datalounge, and the way the vehement political junkies spam it with endless, repetitive, frankly tedious chatter is destroying what remained of the DL. I'm positive it's mostly elderly fanatics who have no one else to accost with their, em, brilliant, incisive analysis about what Mika and Joe said today, etc.

But it's as bad as the loons dissecting Heartbreakers or Supernatural.

That is all.

My emergency supplies include Bic lighters, Tide detergent, Slim Jims, tin foil, and dead weed vapes.

I know my barter market; I don’t need cash.

Nothing you say makes sense, r101, particularly your uninformed attempt to correlate cash with looting. What is your obsession with looting? Where the hell do you live that makes you so fearful of *looting*??

You might be better off moving back home to Dog Patch; in the meantime, enjoy an extended stay on the Ignored Ward. I no longer have patience for plebeian trolls, and your rambling about everything from the state of this forum to my avatar to what you assume to be political is ... boring.

The drugs will destroy you. Go back home to your loved ones, young man, before it's too late.

Pax.

Hey r104 I'm up on th UES don't visit me. I'm not "young." I'm 48.

You poor man in your rent-controlled hovel. You can kiss my ass.

Seriousl, you can't be put down fast enough.

Where do you live?

I'm on East End.

[quote]Nothing you say makes sense, [R101], particularly your uninformed attempt to correlate cash with looting. What is your obsession with looting? Where the hell do you live that makes you so fearful of *looting*??

WTF are you even talking about? You have ignored everything else about cash. Try to do any thing with cash in a blackout you old fuck.

[quote]The drugs will destroy you. Go back home to your loved ones, young man, before it's too late.

Baby, just be put down.

r104 is waving his flag "I have CASH! I'm not one of those LOOTERS!"

A $0.05 or $0.10 discount per gallon if you pay cash at a lot of gas stations here. When gas is $4-5/gallon or more, I'll take whatever savings I can get.

^^Are you POOR?

No, R110. I'm already being ripped off by the oil and gas industry. Why should I give them MORE of my money? Are you retarded?

I am fine with using only CC. However, I have been in London and it has been impossible for me to find anyone to exchange a 20 pound bill for 4 fivers. I have given up. I feel bad for the people who clean my room because I love to leave a fiver every morning, but I guess that is over also. No cash ever, for anything.

I like to have $5s and $10s (cash) for tips. I tip the shuttle driver when I get my car serviced. When I travel, I tip the housekeepers and people who store / retrieve my suitcase (early arrival b/f hotel check-in).

Cash is for The Poors.

The cost to accept credit cards that a merchant pays has a lot of hidden fees, charges and exceptions that add up quickly. When I had a store, our discount rate was 2% (2.5% for Amex) plus $0.50 per transaction, a very good rate. But then you realize that when someone brings something back, the merchant is refunded only the 2%; that $0.50 is still charged, plus another $0.50 to process the refund to the customer.

Then there's chargebacks, for which I could write a whole post about this racket: the bank charges the merchant anywhere from $30 to $50 just because a customer filed a chargeback, and it's non-refundable even if the merchant wins the dispute. I had one little old lady customer who was a delight in person, but she ran a chargeback on every transaction saying she didn't remember buying anything. I finally had to stop taking her credit card, but rather than tell her I wouldn't, I told her the machine was down and I could only accept cash.

And don't forget that the merchant has to have a merchant account to accept credit cards, and they charge $25 and up, per month, for this service.

So at the end of the day, 5% to accept a credit card is just about break-even for the merchant. The credit card industry is a nothing but a cartel.

You need to keep some cash around. If there's a power outage or something goes wrong with their software, merchants will not be able to process credit or debit cards. So be smart. Carry some in your wallet and make sure you have a stash in your house.

Anyone mocking people for using cash have never owned a small business and had to be extorted by credit card companies. Thank you R115.

I always carry some cash. During Superstorm Sandy, my family and I were able to eat and buy gas because we had cash on us. All diners, and most restaurants, cook with gas so cooking was not a problem.

I understand using CCs (which I also use) but I'm not putting my CCs on my phone. I don't even have any banking apps on my phone. Better safe than sorry.

r112 They don't have banks there?

R118 me too. No credit cards or bank apps on my phone.

R115, do you use Square? Or anyone on the DL?

Just curious. I know a lot of small businesses seemed to like certain elements of it in the beginning and said it was better than the fees they had to pay for a point of sale credit card processing machine or system, but I don't know if that's still the case.

(Yes, DL'ers, businesses also have to pay a monthly subscription or fee to have the credit card processing machine for your convenience.)

My county charges 3.5% to pay property taxes with a credit card. It'd be about $160 if I paid my taxes this way. Their online site proudly states that all cards are accepted. After entering all the information needed to pay your tax bill, which is a considerable amount, you hit "Pay Taxes Now" and then, the very last step before actual payment is made, a flag pops up saying "you will be charged 3.5% if you use credit". No warnings before that.

[quote]No credit cards or bank apps on my phone.

It's called a password, babe.

R123, the password isn't the problem, babe.

Having my phone stolen is the problem. While we're at it, how many times have you been notified of a data breach? I'm not trusting any financial info to a device I can easily misplace or can be stolen. I have my banking apps on my Ipad which never leaves the house. I also have all 3 credit reporting accounts on freeze due to a data breach.

Babe, if they hack your ipad they can hack your phone. It's all the same in the cloud.

I love these old fucks who think a device has to be stolen to be hacked into.

Where the hell do you live that makes you so fearful of *looting*??

looting is an everyday occurrence in big cities. NY and San Francisco Walgreen's have everything from Ice-Cream to aspirin behind locked cases. Governor Newsom signed a bill that would enact harsher penalties for 'smash and grabs'

Troll-in-training r127 wrote:

[quote]looting is an everyday occurrence in big cities.

Who is teaching you this drivel? The same loonies who inundate social media with tales of pet-eating immigrants?

There are reference books (called dictionaries) that are full of definitions for both big and little words. There, you will learn the meaning of the word "looting." As your tiny brain kicks into gear, through further research you will discover, too, that your comment as written is inaccurate.

Aw, fuck it! There is no sense in my arguing with a home school dropout. Have it your way; take pride in your arrogant ignorance. I don't possess the tools needed to fix stupid.

Hope those anger management classes work out for you R128 PS cut back on the meth.

Sounds like a nightmare!

Simply smashing!

I got mugged once. I don't know if I have PTSD or what but I don't like carrying any more than $10 on me at any time. I pay with my card or phone almost always. If someone steals your card or phone you can shut off your bank account quick and not lose a single dollar.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Thursday bringing back tough criminal penalties targeting large-scale stealing schemes and smash-and-grab robberies that have fueled voter frustration across the state.

How does that grab you R128 METHinks it's a good move.

Organized crime

Damn! Sorry I cannot feed you, troika tyke, having fed the last of the troll food to your litter mate upthread yesterday

I'm afraid it's back to pureed borscht for you.

(^.^) I know it's the meth talking trollina

Yes, R121, it was Square. I started using NCR Silver and it was really bad and more expensive (2.75%-3.5%). The migration to Square was easy and they promised a good game on providing an online store but it was wonky.

It's time ... Cash Only, bitches!

I have cash in the house in case of an emergency wide spread power failure. And I keep about $50 in my pocket.

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t carry cash. Cash is always king.

since 1959

Hello Methuselah, you must look like a dried up DEAD toad.

never stopped carrying cash OP it's in my wallet along with my credit cards and debit card

I carry around $50 cash, but it's for emergency use.

I was one of the last cash hold-outs. I just got tired of all the dirty coins, crumpled bills, and trying to organize it in my wallet. I also don't like handling cash (taking it out and putting it into my wallet) in front of strangers.

If I were in Japan, I'd probably like using cash. The cash is less crumpled. The coins go to 500 yen (probably $4 USD). It's also a safer place, less likely to get mugged.