Thanks for all that information on the link Omah, that shows how paying by phone is safer, something I knew nothing about. Fortunately the limit on cards is now £45 which I find is a help. When shopping for groceries and filling the car up with diesel, it was very easy to exceed the £30 limit. The £100 limit will be even better in that regard, probably we are heading ever closer towards the ‘cashless society’ now it would seem.
My father who died before such new-fangled things as bank cards were introduced - always carried a £5 note and a farthing in his back trouser pocket. The old white fivers.
I use cash for small amounts in shops and to pay window cleaner and similar, debit card for larger purchases, and credit card for online shopping. Credit card is always paid off in full each month.
Its good to be paid in cash, not coz of the Revenue but because it gives perspective to what your hourly toil is worth money wise, ain’t the same lookin at a figure on a Bank Statement.
To this day, I have managed to work for 50/50 cash and Bank Transfer, a nice balance (perspective wise, not bank balance wise, before the begging letters flood in).
That’s just not the case though is it? if your wallet gets stolen the money is gone for ever whereas money spent using a credit/debit card is protected against theft or non supply of goods and gets refunded by the bank.
I would say that your credit/debit card is much more of a loss than a few tenners Bruce…not to mention the inconvenience, even if your money is protected…
I usually just carry cash in my back pocket…No wallet…
Yes but … assuming you don’t share your pin number, the bank will take responsibility for fraudulent activities.
But nowadays we all have contactless cards. I think we can now spend up to £100 a time, so I don’t know the situation. I think the bots block uncharacteristic purchases, meaning you may have to use the old pin method.
Banks do write off £Ms everyday but they can afford it, a tiny % built in to the margins. I don’t know how & when they suspect a pisstake and how they respond.
Nearly two-thirds of all debit card transactions are made via the tap-and-go technology.
When contactless card payments were introduced in 2007, the transaction limit was set at £10. Cards were generally used in this way in place of small change when buying snacks, papers and occasional groceries. The limit was raised gradually, to £20 in 2012, then to £30 in 2015.
The pandemic accelerated a move away from cash, with shoppers often being encouraged to use contactless in many stores to reduce close contact between staff and customers. It meant the government and industry hurriedly increased the limit to £45 and announced plans to raise it again to £100. Banks say that will allow people to pay, without the need for a Pin, when filling up the car with petrol or during weekly food shopping trips.
However, there are concerns that the next increase will prove tempting for criminals to step up efforts to steal cards. A report for UCL’s Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science said credit and debit cards were known as “hot property” for criminals.
“Raising the contactless card limit to £100 would likely make card theft more attractive, increasing a broad range of acquisitive crimes including snatch theft of wallets and purses, hold-up robberies, and home and vehicle break-ins to find cards that can be used fraudulently,” the report said. “Past experience suggests it could attract new cohorts of teen criminals who are more likely to progress to extended criminal careers, with implications for longer term crime rates.”
Cash is now a four letter word in many shops! We pay for virtually everything by card and clear the balance at the end of the month to prevent interest being added. I do always carry a small amount of cash in case of emergency, but the notes in my pocket are the same ones now as were there several months ago!
Only use a credit card on expensive items for the Section 75 protection otherwise it is debit card or cash for local shop and window cleaner. Tried usng the phone and Google Pay but it as far too tempremental and to be honest it as no easier than taking out a debit card.
I don’t, and won’t, own a credit card.
I use a debit card to purchase ‘on-line’ stuff - craft stuff from US or DVDs from Amazon.
I leave a cheque out with the milk bottles to pay the milkman
Won’t entertain Direct Debits
Cash rules in my corner of the world - much easier on the account books!
A credit card can in theory provide protection that using other payment methods won’t but in reality it’s becoming more and more of a fight with credit card companies to invoke these protections if you ever need them.
Because of this I’m seriously considering ditching credit cards too because TBH that’s the only reason I use them.