Census Cash - an elegant means of payment for a more civilised age.

The thing about cash is that you're probably not the only one who has touched it. It's toxic and bacteria-ridden, probably more than mildly radioactive. It's been colluding with the Russians. It doesn't have your best interests at heart. It spreads rumors about you, some of which are true.

 

Think about how many people handle your card each day.... it's no cleaner than cash,

 

The average lifespan (time spent in circulation) of most US bills is about five years. They're touched by many different people during that time, often by multiple people per day. There's no way anyone has a credit or debit card that has been touched by that many people, especially since many places you swipe it yourself.

Anyway, for small purchases cash is fine, but generally I always use a credit card for convenience.

 

Lick your credit card.... I dare you.

 

Basically zero for me since the payment is done through either tapping or using my PIN.

 

The other day I went to buy a space cake at the local coffeeshop, really one of the only places left where they just take cash. The customer before me was a super filthy homeless dude. I got his change.

Harps, does this happen with your card?

 

A while ago I decided to simplify, and eliminated all need to cash or cards.

Being a professional shoplifter really is a wonderful thing.

 

*touch* *runs away*

 

No, but I frequently hand my card to cashiers who likely don't wash their hands after wiping their cracks.

 

I don't get charged for doing that here. I think that's an American thing.

 

They're not evading tax. They're offshoring profits by treating them as repaid loans to a company domiciled usually in the Republic of Ireland, where they pay 15% tax on them.

Pls get it right.

Except it's England, where they have industrial relations laws.

SuperWatto - more #Americentrism.

Same!

I mean, it can't do what yours can, but...

EDIT: @Healer_Leona, there is also the fact that tapping for payment treats it as a credit transaction, meaning it won't register as being a debit until the merchant posts the transaction to Visa/MasterCard. Meaning strictly speaking, your cash balance is not always, in real time, correct. That's also worth bearing in mind.

 

Took you 2 years to find that out.

 

The only good reason to use cash is to help the merchant avoid the credit card companies extorting fees from them for every transaction.

 

Yep, the worst being American Express. They're gougingly expensive to use.

Merchants here are allowed to pass that cost on, but nothing more than that cost:

http://www.rba.gov.au/payments-and-...payments-regulation-qa-conclusions-paper.html

 

Yeah, I've heard awful things about AmEx. I've never used it.

 

I cannot for the life of me work out why anyone would use an Amex card.

 

The only reason anyone I know has an Amex is because Amex teams up with various professional bodies like Law Societies and offers its members 'pre-approved' cards. So for example when law graduates leave Uni and get their first jobs they are issued with a practicing certificate and an invitation to join the Law Society. You pretty much just sign an extra form with the membership application and you receive a pre-approved Amex card with your certificate of membership. Most graduates in their first jobs earn sweet **** all so a pre-approved Amex credit card is like a gift. Until you use it and get arse ****** by all of the fees. Amex is quite evil.

 

They're all evil.

 

Been running into more and more cashless situations.

I understood during COVID...but it is time to return to cash.

A farmers market should not forbid transactions in cash. No one peddling veg from the back of an old truck with out of state plates needs to swipe my card information into their phone.

Deciding to go to a high school football game should not require me to establish an account with a ticketmaster-like service.

Heck...even car repair shops, who will let you pay by cash or check, still want a credit card on file.

Life was easier when cash was king.

 

it's taken me 3 years to get a paper bank statement .