Comments on: Why do I still have to carry cash?

By: Tom | Easy Googler

Tom | Easy Googler — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:08:29 +0000

If you think about it, the clerk that takes your debit card has already touched many well-used one dollar bills that day.

Even if (s)he hasn’t, when you type in your PIN, or take the pen to sign your name, you’re getting all the germs anyways. Sometimes I have to wonder if my credit card is dirtier than cash…

By: Making Money Journal » Friday Link Love

Making Money Journal » Friday Link Love — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:01:40 +0000

[...] at Gather Little By Little asks Why do I still have to carry cash?: Receipts are more of a nuisance to me than cash, but I am in agreement with glblguy. It would be [...]

By: Don’t Feed the Alligators » Blog Archive » Monday Roundup 4-14-2008

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:13:49 +0000

[...] at GatherLittleByLittle.com wondered why he still has to carry cash. I don’t usually carry much cash, and it tends to sit in my wallet for a long time. In the [...]

By: Sunday Money Roundup - The Visiting Mom Edition. | My Two Dollars

Sunday Money Roundup - The Visiting Mom Edition. | My Two Dollars — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 14:01:52 +0000

[...] Little By Little is wondering why we still have to carry around cash. Personally, I keep cash on me just in case the power goes out for an extended period of time as [...]

By: Lee

Lee — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 01:24:53 +0000

I sure understand the convenience of the debit card and the recording of our transactions, but I still prefer to have some cash put aside. I guess because I lived through Hurricane Katrina and the nightmare of having all electronic transactions and banks inoperable. We wouldn’t have made it through the first week if we hadn’t had cash on hand to buy what little gas and food we could find.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 14:27:16 +0000

I understand that may be a little harsh, but sometimes certain drastic events are necessary to enlighten people and cause them to rethink their decisions. You would think data breaches like TJ Maxx that had some 45 million credit and debit users information stolen would wake some people up. Just wait til people start using the contactless credit cards that you’re starting to see everywhere.

Either way, I apologize for my harsh comment. However, I’m pretty sure I didn’t state that I wished any one to encounter actual physical harm of any sort.

By: glblguy

glblguy — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 12:18:59 +0000

Jonathan said: “I cant wait for the day when theres a mass failure of some credit card network and everyone is completely stranded because of the mentality that cash is inconvenient.

Jonathan, I get it you don’t like plastic, but not sure I would wish something terrible like that on everyone.

By: BankerExtreme

BankerExtreme — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:52:56 +0000

I am not a cash user either. I am very fond of my little plastic friend. It comes right out of my checking account, but I do see some reasons why cash is still used instead of just plastic. First of all there are many people in the world who cannot qualify for a bank account or a credit card, so cash is a way of life. Second there are many banks out there that still charge to ust an ATM or debit card for everyday purchases, much less the convienience charge of so many little shops or diners that have the easy $0.45 service charge. Its not only expensive for the consumer but the merchants as well. Thirdly working at a bank, I can’t tell you how many times a day someone comes to me wanting a fee reversed because they couldn’t keep track of how many times they did use their debit card. Many people don’t have the responsibility to make good use of a card, so to eliminate cash completely probably would not happen.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:07:45 +0000

I can’t believe people’s aversion to cash. As one person said, it’s expensive for merchant’s to accept credit/debit cards. And do you think the merchant is going to eat that expense? No. They pass that down to us in the form of higher prices, which is why at some places, you can still get discounts when paying by cash.

I can’t wait for the day when there’s a mass failure of some credit card network and everyone is completely stranded because of the mentality that cash is “inconvenient.” Like Eden was saying above when she couldn’t even buy lunch because the credit network was down at the cafeteria.

Among other reasons, I use cash because I don’t like all my purchasing habits and history being logged in some database in the sky. I am a very privacy aware individual (not a crazy conspiracy theorist) and I think where I patronize and what I purchase is my business. Everything being accessible by computer is not necessarily a good thing. Look at the TJ Maxx and Choice Point data breach’s, just to name a couple of the dozens that happen every year. I’m perfectly fine with merchant’s who want to take plastic, but I only ask they continue to take both.

By: AnnMarie

AnnMarie — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:04:06 +0000

I’m a credit card person–paid off every single month. Never owned a debit card; never wanted to use one. My husband is so much better with cash. When he doesn’t have his spending money in cash, he ends up spending it over and over again with a credit card. I prefer to not carry cash, as it’s something to keep track of. but I’d feel weird paying for a 40 cent stamp with a credit card (and my local post office outlet doesn’t take CCs anyway) or a $1 candybar at the convenience store. My husband also prefers us to leave cash tips when we go out to eat. So I always keep some cash around for things like that.

One of my friends was like my husband. She explained it this way: Let’s say she needs to pay the electric bill, go grocery shopping, and buy clothes. If she has the actual cash in hand, she can set it out and say “$60 for bill. $20 for groceries. $20 for clothes.” With it just on a bank account balance, she thinks “I have $100 for the bill and $100 for groceries and $100 for clothes.” and goes and spends it three times over. I suspect a debit card would feel the same to her, but she didn’t use one.