First checks went by the wayside and next on the chopping block? Cash. That seems like a crazy concept to me. Cash is cash: a universally accepted form of payment. Except it’s not. A few stores around the country are no longer taking cash, and the reason might surprise you.
Speed of service.
It actually costs a store more to take only plastic, but like Bluestone Lane in Philadelphia, it moves the line quicker. The faster the customer can get in and out mean the better the customer service is in the minds of the time-conscious consumer. They say it’s a difference of 20 seconds. It takes about 1 minute to pay with cash and 40 seconds to pay with a card. Seems like no big difference to me but to a fast food-type restaurant that needs to move customers through a line quickly, I could see how it might add up. So they take no cash and no checks, only credit and debit cards. If you don’t have plastic you’re out of luck. They don’t even have a register! And it’s looking like many businesses are following suit, believing cash might be a thing of the past and cash-free restaurants are the future.
What do you think? Does it seem as odd to you as it does to me that dollar bills might be something that fade away? No more “find a penny, pick it up” because there might not be any pennies!!
How often do you use cash? Are you a card-only family? Do you use the cash envelope system so you’d hate a non-cash restaurant? Do you prefer cash or debit/credit?
~Mavis
Mary says
It sounds illegal to me for a business not to take cash. It’s the legal tender of our country. How can they be allowed to refuse it?
Shari Harniss says
I don’t think it would be a very good idea, either. But, if it’s my business, I get to make those decisions, no one else.
Mable says
Not if it discriminates, as this does against the poor.
Cheri says
Can’t the poor get a bank account and debit card? They cost nothing.
Cheri says
Not that I think a business should get rid of cash–I don’t.
Pamela says
Bank accounts don’t always cost nothing.
Cheri says
I think most banks provide free checking, but I can see how it would be a problem if the bank a poor person could access did not provide free checking and the person couldn’t get to a bank that did.
Laura Dietrick says
How about we all just slow down for one minute. How about customer service instead of rushing and racing. Ive worked at grocery stores where people would pay in pennies because that is all they had. I gladly counted pennies, nickles and dimes because that person needed food or just a gallon of milk. Slow down and talk to people and have a real moment with someone. I currently work for a city municipality. Some calls take 20 seconds but sometimes people just need to talk to someone and I’m the only one that will listen. Sometimes people cry or scream. I know its not at me or about me. Human interaction is important. Even for just a few seconds.
Susie says
Laura, I love your perspective. So much interaction has been lost, humanity and kindness. We should all take a break & pay attention to who is around us. I try to smile & say “hi” to as many people as possible, especially the elderly I see, or those being pushed in wheelchairs, who people often avoid acknowledging. If we all took a minute to listen, be kind, slow down, the world might be better.
Peg says
Yes, Laura and Susie, well said. The hardest job I ever had was the year I worked at our local sheriff’s office. In addition to working the window where everyone came to first, I was also one of four who answered the main phone. I was cussed at in person and on the phone regularly. The most satisfying part of that entire year was helping an elderly woman who came in to report she was raped. I tried my hardest every day to be nice to everyone who called or walked in. You take away human interaction, and that includes paying by cash, and we become an automated society without empathy. And paying by check is not dead for me because I still have a few bills I pay every month by check.
KC says
That’s interesting – I thought cash was legally required to be “legal tender”?
Barb says
I MUCH prefer using a debit or credit card. It’s easy to carry, I dont have to dig around and put things away, I can track what I spent instantly on Quicken. The only time it bothers me to not have cash is when the little kiddies are selling girl scout cookies outside the door or somesuch and then I get a bit of cash back. I realize many people feel that you spend more with a card, but my experience is just the opposite. It’s too easy to spend a few bucks here and a few bucks there. And frankly, I’m more likely to have luck with a card in the water machine when I forget my water bottle than with cash. And since I have an app that rounds up “digital change” and saves, I’m not even missing that change jar.
Mrs. C. says
I use cash all the time. I don’t want to charge a latte or a bottled water.
Heidi says
In my experience, cards take way longer than cash. The part of paying with cash that can take more time is young people working at stores today are not taught how to make change. They have the change amount right in front of them on the register, but they have no idea how to count out the coins. I have told them, “it’s two quarters, a dime and three pennies” . I guess they don’t learn about dimes and quarters in 2nd grade anymore like we did.
Ranee says
We had a garage sale a couple of summers ago and a lady had paid with a $20.00 bill for $7.75 worth of items. I laid the $20 on the top of our cash box and obtained the change and counted it out to her. She was shocked that anyone still knew how to do that. She also noted how I put the $20 on our cash box, so we both know what she used to pay for her items. A $20.00, not a $10.00, for example. I was taught this when I was a waitress in a cafe at 16 years old. I’m 64 now having worked in other retail situations, continue to do it the same way. Also, a note about people having to pay with change and counting out pennies…many times a sweet older lady would keep digging into her coin purse, determined to pay the exact amount, even though I know she didn’t have much cash to work with. Whatever happened to “cash is king?”
Heather says
I have cash for businesses that don’t take a card. I have checks for the business account because my husband doesn’t like a card. But the majority of my purchases are made with a credit card for points and paid off every month. I suppose in big cities, the need to rush is important. I carry my water, coffee and lunch because we don’t have much selection and I’d rather save the money. I wonder when they will go to just computer ordering or self checkout? I see so much of it when we travel in Europe. A meal to go is half of what a meal with table service costs.
Deborah says
I use both but since i work in retail a card is fast, until it doesnt work for some reason or the wifi is out etc.
Not accepting cash is hurtful especially to the elderly and those who are
Poor. The government will have more control with cards along with AMAZON who is trying sucessfully to take over retail in America.
Kara says
I live in rural western New York and several restaurants in the area don’t accept credit cards- cash or check only. LOL!
Coleen says
I live outside of Philadelphia and we have stores that take only cash, not even checks.
Robyn says
The cynic in me doesn’t like the idea of a cashless society because all your transactions can be under surveillance and privacy becomes a huge issue. Also using cards can for some,lead to impulse and other indiscriminate spending. Having said that, I admit that I use cards almost always even though I use to be a cash in the envelopes person. Laziness on my part!
I agree with the commenter who said maybe we all need to slow down and take a minute to interact with fellow humans! Yes!
Theresa says
I agree. I like the anonymity of paying with cash. Our spending is being tracked. I also agree that it is easier to overspend when using a card.
Mary Ann Davis says
This is very interesting because as more businesses move to automation a lot of jobs will go with it. Our Walmart just started the scan and go, and I won’t use it. I guess I am old and behind the times but I like people working together, talking to each other, and just feel if we keep up this hurry up and get it done in a couple of seconds mentality the divide we have now will just worsen. As far as Europe goes, a lot of the countries there have stipends for their people. I am not sure I want to go there either. If I came across a business that didn’t take cash I probably wouldn’t do business with them. In my old age I’ve gotten where I choose very carefully where I put my money. I guess some people would see me as grumpy…..lol
Marcia says
It’s tricky, isn’t it? It’s not that the jobs necessarily go away – they are just different. Yes, you have fewer checkers – may only have one person to 4 self checkouts. But there are people who are being hired to build the self-systems, program the computers, etc.
It’s the wave of the future. It does mean though, I think, that we are eventually heading to a Universal Basic Income (like a stipend). If there aren’t enough jobs for people to afford to live, you need to make sure they can live.
l bryant says
I have gone to using my cash back credit card for almost all purchases. I enter the receipts in my categories and keep purchases within the established budget. If it weren’t for the cash back and points I earn I would use cash.
Jan says
I haven’t used cash for years, never have any on me. I find cards much easier and faster. I think cash should still be part of the currency though.
Sheila says
I use cash envelope system and love it, but do use a debit card for gas so I don’t have to go inside to pay.
Delorise says
At fast food restaurants you can keep your eye on your credit cards– but other restaurants you hand it to your waiter and it is out of your sight. No way am I letting my card out of my sight for someone to copy down the info off of it. Even though I have taken every precaution we have still had our credit cards compromised twice–the filing of a police report and the paperwork at the credit union is just a hassle plus the sense of violation that occurs.
I don’t use a debit card because of the access that gives to my banking accounts. I use cash only the majority of times and when I or hubby use credit cards I keep a very close eye on the balances – meaning my OCD kicks in and I check it about every 2 days. Okay I admit I have major trust issues- too much watching the ID channel. If a business doesn’t want my cash, well I can find ones that do.
Barb says
No debit card use here for that same reason.
Diana says
I guess this is why there is more than one restaurant and more than one grocery store. You don’t have to frequent the ones that only take cards and want to hustle you through the line. Go to the Mom & Pop shop that is willing to chat with you and let you pay how you want. Personally I pay with my card everywhere that I can because I like getting the cash back and I don’t like carrying cash on me. As someone above said, you vote and give your opinions with your money. If places that only let you use a card experience a drop in sales because people who like cash don’t come in, then maybe they will change.
Tami Mitchell says
I wonder if it also has to do with problems with employees making change incorrectly and loss there and also, employee theft. People will pocket sometimes 🙁 They can often get away with small amounts frequently because tills are allowed to be off by certain amounts to account for change errors. Often $5-$20 depending on sales volume.
Brianna says
It takes me longer than 40 seconds to check out with a card. I never know if thy want the chip or swipe and I tend to get it wrong. I’m not ready to use a digital wallet and I hate using my cards. It doesn’t seem like my cards ever get to expire since usually they get compromised and then I have to call the bank, wait for a new one after they cancel, and then activate my new card. I hate plastic, but I keep a lot of cash in my house because a lot of the time I prefer to pay for things in cash, especially small purchases. I don’t want to be required to spend $5 minimum to use my card or to have a fee added to my card because I paid for school lunches online. I prefer to tip in cash too.
Anne in VA says
I prefer cash and my husband prefers the card. He laughs when I am treated like a criminal because I pull out cash. Years ago I decided that I’d get a chicken dinner for our family from a new fast food place that was supposed to have good fried chicken (I can’t remember how the chicken was, but do I remember the service??!!) I handed the cashier a fifty and it may as well have been a hostage note! She called the manager and several other staff members. They did the pen-test. It was real money. After much hub-bub the manager carried my cash to the office (out of my sight, which irked me) and eventually brought me two 20’s and a ten back. I then had to give the cashier smaller bills. I never understood why they made change with it, but the line behind me was steamed up and ranting.
In our small town there are plenty of places that didn’t accept cards until recently. Many will offer a percentage discount if you pay with cash. Husband laughs at me on this too- I know which businesses do this and show the credit card, have them tell me they’ll reduce the bill if I pay with cash and quickly whip the cash out of my pocket! Easy way to get a discount!!
Kari says
If you are on the Dave Ramsey plan, you use cash all the time. I find it frustrating at times when I am not allowed to pay with cash. Most stations at Walmart’s self-check are now card-only (all the more reason NOT to shop there) and Dominoe’s didn’t want my cash the other day because they couldn’t give change if the change back was over $10 or something stupid. You would think they’d want to save themselves the high bank fees!
Lisa MTB says
I very rarely use cash. I think we’d probably be OK cutting out most of the small change in circulation, but I think people will want to keep paper money around for the foreseeable future.
Marybeth says
Sounds fine until you have a problem. I work at a movie theatre and if the card doesn’t swipe correctly we have to get a manger to come manually put in their card for security purposes. It takes forever. Also cards are declined all the time. While I was Christmas shopping my card was declined so I just pulled out the cash. Had to call the bank. They said it was a odd purchase for me so they declined it.
Marcia says
I almost always use credit but keep cash for small things…I’m not using credit to buy a $1 bag of chips, for example. Like I did today.
I’ve seen the opposite – we have 1 or 2 mom & pop restaurants/ take out places in town that JUST started taking credit. For years cash only.
Elaine says
I use cash almost 90% of the time. I never use my debit card because I’ve been victim of fraud more than once and debit card gives a person access to money that needs to pay the bills. The managers at my bank told me to STOP using my debit card. I find I budget better with cash (used to use the envelope system but now I just withdraw X dollars a week and that’s it) when I used a card I spent SO much more money and the loose change adds up using cash! I also agree with someone’s earlier comments as well…I don’t like anyone tracking my spending. Cash keeps me under the radar. I tried to use a $50 in Starbucks and they acted like I was paying with a traveler’s check…had to get a MANAGER to approve it, kept asking me if I had anything smaller and I kept saying, “No. Do you want my money or not?!” I don’t know that cash can fully ever disappear – we had a blackout several years back and I was the only one with cash to buy ice, water (beer), and gas.
Jenny Young says
We still pay one bill with a check because they charge a fee if we pay any other way.
I still carry cash for snacks/coffee/eating out some so I know when the cash is gone I can’t splurge anymore.
Beyond that, we use a credit card for everything & pay the balance off in full every month. I admit to being frustrated in line when someone in front of me is paying with cash. But the comment about teenage cashiers I disagree with to a point. The registers now tell you how much to give back for the most part. I’m more frustrated with slow elderly cashiers (Walmart) who need to examine every item I buy & make comments about them. There are some cashiers I will not use in my local store they are so bad. I always look for the teenage cashiers.
I know…I sound really snarky here. I’m 51 with lots of white hair & slowing down myself. I do so hate to shop & usually just want to get out as fast as I can. But I guess I could always be the old lady cashier if I live long enough!
Patti says
I wouldn’t use a business that didn’t take cash, even if I preferred to pay with my card. Just rubs me the wrong way.
I use credit cards for things I track carefully like groceries, gas, etc. I also use them for monthly bills like the cable, just to earn miles.
I use cash for fast food or other small personal purchases. We each get a certain amount of money each month for these items and we are not accountable to each other for how we spend it.
I track my budget at least once a week, so that I don’t overspend on the cards and pay everything off every month.
I als keep plenty of cash on hand, just in case.
Gigi says
There was a discrimination lawsuit recently (Chicago, I think) against a business that did not accept cash. Arguing that it discriminated against the homeless and privacy of people. I went to a small brewery that was cashless and they said so as we were about to order.
One benefit of going to mostly cashless society has been a reduction in drug trafficking since all of the transactions are accounted for.
Katherine says
I use my card most of the time, for the points and pay it off. Most of the line hold ups i experience is from customers that don’t have not even pulled out their method of payment until the cashier has given them the total and all their merchandise is bagged. It’s frustrating to wait on someone to write out a check that could have been filled out partially while they were waiting in line, or digging out their wallet or billfold. Grr!
Lynne says
I haven’t seen anyone try to pay at a store with a check in years! But I so agree with you, Katherine – I get beyond furious when someone seems surprised that they have to pay for the items that they just checked out. Whether it’s cash or a card, why do we all have to wait for someone to go through their purse, find a wallet, and then either rifle through bills and change or decide which card to offer?
At the ice rink yesterday, a friend was commenting on the Wi-Fi antennae on top of a bank of vending machines, and we decided those were there because the machines took cards. I wonder how secure those networks are.
Mari Hewson says
I am from New Zealand and it seems, from reading these comments, we are way ahead of the rest of the world. I have a Visa debit card that I use for everything. I can only spend what I have in that account. We have a system here called Paywave – which I have not seen anyone mention. It means you just touch your card to a Paywave terminal and your transaction (to the value of $80 per purchase, with a maximum paywave spend per day) automatically goes thru. Anything over that, requires you to input your pin number. I was sceptical when this first came out but it is absolutely brilliant – for that top up shop at the supermarket, cup of coffee and snack or at the petrol pump. It is super fast and takes longer to print the receipt than it does pay. It is wonderful at automatic tellers.
Cheques are a thing of the past here now. I pay everything electronically and only ever get cash out for some parking meters, market stall and garage sale shopping. Now, so many small or market stall businesses have an eftpos/credit card system that runs thru their mobile phones. It is now very very rare to find shops/merchants (outside of market stalls) who only take cash. I have walked away from purchasing in shops that only take cash due to the inconvenience, but thankfully I can only think of two that are like that now.
Here in NZ, plastic transactions are cheaper for businesses than cash. Businesses have to physically go to a bank to deposit cash, and that is often only able to be done in larger towns. They are charged by the weight of coins now I believe. Plastic is cleaner, no handling grubby coins or notes and it is said this is reducing the contagions of flu and cold bugs.
I’m an old fart and I have learnt and kept up to date with the new electronic age. I certainly prefer not having to carry notes and coins. It’s much easier carrying my phone with my few necessary cards in it, rather than a handbag to carry cash. I look forward to the day when my phone will be my ‘pastic’. It is coming and being tested here in NZ now. For a little country, we are VERY advanced on the cashless society escalator.
Anna says
I keep cash around, just in case, but rarely use it. Hubby uses it more than I do. I prefer rewards CC’s and try to pay everything I can on them, even utility bills if they don’t charge a service fee. I use a credit card that pays you 6% back on your grocery purchases for instance. Winning! But only if you pay the balance in full every month of course. So, thats the route I take and I like to use my statements as a budgeting tool. Would be a strange day indeed if cash went entirely away though!
Sarah says
I watch a you tuber who lives in Denmark. I’m pretty sure that she has said they don’t use cash there. At least maybe no one uses cash in her city, Copenhagen.
Anna says
Is that Diane in Denmark? If so, I love her! 🙂
Emily says
I saw a store in Europe that prominently advertised that they took no cash only cards so there would be nothing to steal from the register. I assume they had been robbed previously.
Serina says
I think it would help the store not to be robbed. Especially if they have a huge sign saying “No Cash”. It really is the wave of the future whether it is liked or not. I just hope the security around credit card transactions keeps up with the thieves.
Arlene says
I recently had to have physical therapy for a broken ankle. When I got there, the woman at the desk said they only take debit/credit cards, no cash or checks. I was ok because I have both but I was wondering about people who had neither a debit or credit card. How would they pay for their physical therapy? I think that’s illegal like someone said here.
Cheri says
I think getting rid of cash is a very bad idea. And I like paying with cash. I know I have the money–that I’m not mistaken about what I have in my account–and I know my identity won’t be stolen when I hand it over. It’s satisfying.
Sea says
I use my credit card for almost everything, but I always try to have a little cash on me, because you just never know. I was actually behind a woman in line at the grocery yesterday who tried to pay by check, which then got declined (I guess they do run it through electronically anyway). Then her friend pulled out cash, but the whole thing took *forever* (on top of the person in front of her who had all her groceries rung up, then left and went all the way to the back of the store to get something else, leaving us all waiting around—what is wrong with people?!!). I think the chip cards take longer to process though, so I don’t know that the time savings is so great.
This topic is timely though, because just this week I was collecting for a teacher gift at school, and requested cash or personal check. One of the parents immediately asked if I could take venmo, a cash app, or paypal. I was like “Seriously?” I’m way too old for that (and so is she )! 🙂
Joyce says
In our state we have problems with credit card skimmers at gas stations ,banks,and now grocery stores. I use cash most of the time because of this you never know where you will be compromised. I Live in pa, good article, Joyce
Sallie Borrink says
It’s pretty simple. Eliminate cash and you eliminate freedom and privacy.
Cheri says
That is an excellent point, for it’s no small matter. We are like frogs put in cold water to slowly boil.