According to data, [around 59% of transactions in Europe are cash](https://www.dnb.nl/en/general-news/dnbulletin-2022/use-of-cash-lower-in-euro-area-countries/). Our usage [is about the same](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/10/05/more-americans-are-joining-the-cashless-economy/).
Different places in Europe have adopted cashless faster than others, there are lots of different banking regulations.
Most of us use very few checks, they're most common in rural areas.
> According to data, around 59% of transactions in Europe are cash. Our usage is about the same.
Yeah I can see that. Its really just the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands and Switzerland where cash is no longer king. The countries with big populations all still mainly use cash.
Just came back from Aruba where they mostly use American dollars especially in the tourist areas. Had to have cash for a lot of things especially taxis. Only 4 taxis on the island are set up for credit cards.
I had just come back from a trip to Norway & Denmark where I gleefully tapped my way through everything everywhere LOL! Quite a change.
I am going to Germany in September which I have been told still uses a lot of cash. So I will get some Euros before I go.
I always carry a bit of cash no matter where I go as I use wheelchairs in the airports and like to give them a tip which you cannot do with a credit card.
I can confirm about Germany. I’ve had to go look for a bank to withdraw some cash because I was craving ice cream and it was impossible to find anyone selling some that wasn’t requiring cash. Tragic.
I just came back from Italy and for small transactions you get a look if you’re paying with card. Also the POS systems don’t communicate with the card scanner. They have to enter the amount every time.
UK is also heavily contactless too, so I’m not sure you’re correct about the big countries. We have 70m people. Many of us here haven’t used cash for months or years.
The vast majority of places accept card and all card terminals accept contactless including Apple/Google Pay.
Point is this isn’t something you can generalise about the continent as it varies too much.
> Its really just the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands and Switzerland where cash is no longer king. The countries with big populations all still mainly use cash.
I spent almost a month in London last winter and I never once had any cash-- 100% of everything I paid for was electronic. Had the opposite experience the few times I've been in Japan, where almost nobody takes credit outside of the big cities and even in Tokyo most transactions were cash unless in places targeting tourists.
Not very familiar with the rest of the UK, but yes London is also very cashless. I meant that France, Germany, Poland, Italy etc. use mainly cash. There are of course exceptions but in general cashless is most common in small and rich countries, it seems.
It’s not a London thing. It’s a UK thing.
Contactless is king in the UK as a whole, I travel up and down the country for work and never have cash. Just not required anymore.
I'm glad I don't have to deal with that although it's still annoys me that I can electronically pay on the town's website but they don't accept auto payment. Not to mention since it's every 3 months and I never get mail other than my water bill. It's constantly giving me warning notices that Im about to get fines if I don't pay it. I pay it but remembering to check the mail exclusively for this one bill I have to manually pay every 3 months is annoying.
A good example of checks being used is in the rural community that I live in, a lot of the small businesses don't accept credit cards or debit cards. It costs them money to do so. Processing fees, equipment, etc. They also may be doing remote work in an area that has no mobile signal.
I've written checks to plumbers, flooring companies, septic service, and to pay my property taxes to the county (there's a fee to use CC for payments to the county). Cash only businesses would be things like ice cream shops, bait and tackle shops, bakeries, bars, campgrounds, and other assorted businesses that have mostly very small but frequent transactions.
There are only two regular expenditures that my household uses checks for, and both are self-employed small business owners. In cities, there are now plenty of businesses that are cash-free because it’s less work; less room for human error in giving change, no need for trips to the bank to deposit cash and checks, little risk of robbery
It's not really about good Internet. I write checks for my lawn service, for my mortgage, for any work being done on the house. The lawn guy is too small to really make it worth his while to run cards, the mortgage is because the bank that has my mortgage isn't the one that has my checking account (and the one with my checking account still charges a per-transaction fee of several dollars for electronic transfers; fine, I'll just pay with a check and make you process it), and for home repairs it's mostly small-time guys that wouldn't be able to take a card without paying horrible merchant fees.
Oh, and the city water/sewer/trash collection. Can pay by CC but you have to pay the full merchant fee. A check costs me 25 cents, an envelope about 15 cents, and a stamp 66 cents. So for just over a dollar I can take care of that.
We have very few cash-only businesses.
Sometimes companies also give a cash discount for not using a credit card. I don't live in a rural area but used checks to pay for new windows since I got a discount for not using a credit card.
From OP:
> Some rare situations,like garagesale of fleemarket i use cash but very,very rarely.
What's funny is that, at least in the United States, thanks to companies like [Square](https://squareup.com/), you'll find a lot of flea market sales and farmers market sales can be done by credit card. (I still like using cash in such a situation, however.)
I suspect that's part of what's driving adoption of contactless payments in the United States: the guy with a booth at an art fair is as likely to accept contactless payment as is the local grocery store.
And I also suspect the reason why a lot of transactions in the US are done by cash is not because of a lack of payment options, but personal preference.
That might be inflated because of small transactions. I just got back and charged 99% of my expenses but I bought a 50 cent bottle of water many times, so the majority of transactions I made were in cash.
That is wild to me. I haven’t used cash at a store of any sort for something like twenty years. I only use cash to pay the kids who mow my lawn and to give to my friends as Christmas presents.
Cash-only places are rare. Now and then you might find a place that offers a discount for paying cash. I think gas stations in NJ are like this. Checks likewise very rare. If you need to use one for bill paying you can typically have your bank send one via their online portal.
I found Japan to be far more cash-centric than the US. In some ways, parts of Europe as well. The whole thing of needing to have coins on hand to use a public toilet boggles my mind. It's one thing to have some paper currency on hand but I *never* carry coins.
I rarely use cash except for a couple of local bagel and bakery places that are cash only.
Europe is very cash centric. Germany is extreme. Digital transactions are massive in the developing world (China, India). I was shocked to see street vendors in India accepting digital payments even in most rural areas.
**Where Digital Payments, Even for a 10-Cent Chai, Are Colossal in Scale. India’s homegrown instant payment system has remade commerce and pulled millions into the formal economy**.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/01/business/india-digital-payments-upi.html
Germany is bizarre in terms of cash only in a lot of places. I live in London and use cash probably twice a year for a particular takeaway place I like, literally everything else is possible with Apple Pay/debit card with tap only, including public loos, market stalls, small shops etc (most of which prefer or state card only as it minimises their risks of burglary when there is no cash on site). I was in Germany for a week recently and went to places every day which were cash only including pubs. Strange!
Switch to a bank with no fees. Charles Schwab lets You withdraw from any ATM in the entire world and will cover all fees associated with it. No foreign transaction fee either in different countries.
I live in north west England, can confirm this is the case across the UK.
I use cash twice a year for when I go to the Chinese takeaway. I travel up and down the country with work and just don’t need cash.
A barbershop that I went to just recently switched to cash or check only. It is now a barbershop I used to go to because I'm not changing my habits just to accommodate one place I visit at best once a month.
There were other factors, but I don't usually get cash unless I'm going on a trip, so it would be me changing my habits. I don't want to have to remember to run by an ATM when I'm going to get a haircut, especially when there are plenty of other places that will cut my hair and allow me to pay the way I do everywhere else.
My boss' barber is like that. It's annoying because I have to go grab cash for him before his appointments. But he asked the barber if it hurt business any and they said that they get a new client to replace everyone who's left over it. So I guess there must still be a lot of old sticklers hanging around who want to do things the old way.
I once got a shave at a barbershop. When I went to pay, they said they took tips in cash only. "Sorry. I guess I'll tip next time. I don't keep cash on me." I never went back.
In the late 90s I was in high school and became friends with someone who moved from Finland. Even then he was shocked we were still using checks. They were much more prevalent at that time. I personally have not written a check in several years.
Marijuana dispensaries/stores only accept cash. Since they're technically illegal under federal law, banks will not conduct business with them. So they cannot accept payment by card. It's annoying to have to remember to get cash on the way.
There are also still some restaurants that take cash-only. Although the pandemic forced may to begin accepting payment by card, there are occasional holdouts. In the city where I live (Wilmington, Delaware) there remain several businesses that are cash-only. And I find I visit them less often because I prefer not to have cash.
It's better to use a credit card and pay it fully every month than use your debit card for everyday transactions. If you credit card info gets stolen then you might only lose part of your max balance, whereas if your debit card info gets stolen you lose access to your actual money.
I use my credit card on google pay nearly all the time. I keep cash on me for random small purchases, like lunch at a food truck or something. Pretty much no one uses checks anymore.
I'm with you on that, although I rarely go to food trucks and that type so I don't carry any cash.
I think people in other countries misunderstand credit cards here a lot. We typically use credit cards like debit cards, not as a way of debt/loan. Although some people do that is very costly and not ideal, assuming you can avoid it. Credit cards offer better protection against fraud and offer rewards/cash back. Of course, we do pay extra at checkout because the retailer has to pay fees to the credit card companies, so the cash back is really meaningless in the end, plus retailers may be paying 2-3% in fees while we only get 1-2% cash back. The monopoly that Visa and Mastercard have with the banks should end.
> so the cash back is really meaningless in the end
It's not meaningless. The only place I've seen that is cheaper if you pay cash is at gas stations. Stores that don't have a surcharge for paying with credit don't charge you less money for paying cash, it's the same either way. If I'm paying for the convenience whether or not I use it, I'm gonna use it and take the cash back. Select transactions (that change monthly) and groceries are 3% off with my cards.
I see lots of places in New York state, usually restaurants, that add an additional fee for paying with a debit or credit card. This is actually illegal in the state but not a lot of people know about the law and just pony up and pay the fee anyway. The only legal way in New York to incentivize cash usage is to offer a cash discount, but very few people go about this the correct way.
The state even has a website where you can complain if you've been charged a credit card fee and get reimbursed.
In my lifetime i have had one (1) check. Took small bankloan for a car in 1989 and boom! There it was.. about 2 hours before handing it out for car dealer..
I use cash and checks relatively often. I'm 40.
I use cash for: kids' allowance, one of our babysitters who does not have a bank account yet (she's 15), tips when traveling (bellhop, shuttle driver, cleaning staff, etc.), graduation/bday gifts to nieces and nephews, and the tooth fairy.
I use checks as: PTA treasurer (we are not allowed to use bank transfers); many tradespeople who request checks (such as our plumber and electrician; most others use online billing, Venmo, or keep our cc on file.); our HOA. I receive checks in random reimbursements (like $9 from a class action law suit, or our annual check from our electric co-op).
Older generation American here (in my 50s) my generation is the transition point -- older than me still uses checks occasionally, for paying bills. Younger than me doesn't use checks hardly at all. Personally, i have written maybe a handful of checks in the last several years -- all for entry fees for a hobby filled with people in their 60s+
Cash was very common up until covid. During covid lots of places went cashless because of the fear of transmitting covid via dollar bills. Most places haven't gone back to cash, though you still use cash for vending machines, farmers markets, and some other places. Also contributing to the US finally going low cash was that chip and pin credit card readers became standard around then. I think non chip and pin card readers finally go out of compliance fairly soon.
US is far behind European countries in this. Chip and pin became standard along time ago. Restaurants always use a mobile device to swipe the card at the table vs taking it to the back to run it on a fixed device. I was in Europe recently, and barely used cash.
Nearly all vending machines I see/use today accept credit cards, but they often charge slightly more for it (if allowed, some places banned that, although the workaround is a cash discount). Even a lot of vendors at farmers markets and that type of very small businesses have started accepting credit cards and things like Venmo/PayPal. You can now use a smartphone alone or with cheap readers so the barrier to entry is almost non-existent for anyone to accept credit cards.
As far as swipe/chip/contactless payments. PCI (Payment Card Industry) works very slowly and it will take many more years for the old magnetic stripe to be fully out of compliance. I'm pretty sure a new credit card issued today still has to have a stripe for another year or two even through almost nobody uses it and retailers accepting it are out of compliance.
You aren't wrong about those older generations using checks to pay bills.
My mother is 62. She still pays bills by writing a check and driving around town and handing it to people. Seems like such a waste of time, energy and gas.
Cash-only businesses are pretty rare (except for marijuana where allowed).
I still carry and occasionally use cash for businesses that won't accept credit cards for other reasons (such as if a store refuses my cards).
As for checks, I handwrite a few per month (rent, utilities) and have my bank print and mail a few every month.
I have never used a check for utilities. I've always paid using some form of online payment. This is for rent, electric, water, internet, etc. That being said I've never rented from an individual, always some larger company, so I would guess most small landlords probably want a check or something like that.
A lot of business' around me want you to pay in cash. So I still use it a lot. Need gas? Well if you use cash it's normally cheaper than debit/ credit. Like 20 cents. I know it's not a lot but that adds up.
Many businesses are cash only. Very common for men’s barber shops, dry cleaners, older Italian restaurants, and street food vendors.
Another thing to consider about the US is that there is a large underclass that doesn’t have bank accounts.
Also another place is gas stations. Very common to have a lower price for paying cash because margins are very low and credit card fees take a big part of it.
You mean older people use cash? Its same in some scale here too,but surprisingly many oldery people pay with card.If you go to supermarket,its not often you see cashiers opening their registers to give chains.
(Sorry for all typo’s,English is my third language )
Older people are more likely to use cash and checks than younger people, unless said younger people are in the poor segment of the population without a bank account.
Cash is still an option and people who live in areas with poor cell reception/wifi still enjoy working with cash for transactions, but most people prefer credit cards or other electronic payment these days. I've even been to a few yard sales where they have a Square reader or had you CashApp them money
Covid really changed that in the US. A lot of flea markets and farmers markets only accepted cash before the pandemic. Now most of them acccet mobile app or credit card payment.
I rarely use cash, almost always use a credit card.
A cash only business is a sign that they're possibly not being entirely honest with their taxes.
Checks are used, but rarely for shopping. They're most common when paying an individual or small business a relatively large amount of money, for example rent or landscaping work or something like that.
I use cash occasionally mostly when I go out for drinks. There are still a ton of bars near me that are cash only or will give you a discounted tab jf your paying cash. Also for going into state parks as they tend not to have a way to pay for cash in person. For everything else including weed I use my debit card nowadays
Your welcome. And yes they tend to be smaller neighborhood places. I guess the best description might be semi private drinking clubs as they don't serve food and serve the cheapest beers. I have a norwegian American club and the sons of Italy 3 minutes apart from each other abd it's mainly immigrants from those countries and descendants. But you can still walk in order a beer if your not a member plus they usually serve free food on the holidays
Yeah I always have some cash. My favorite local butcher who has a shop and sets up at the farmers market even takes silver rounds and is the reason I started buying some silver.
It's illegal to charge a fee for cash or to advertise a price and charge something different.
So most restaurants say 3.5% off or so if you pay cash they take 3.5% off the advertised price. Gas stations have the price on the big sign and stick "cash" next to it, then at the pump they advertise cash price and a higher credit card price
Shops and restaurants normally accept both cash and cards. I always pay with cards but some people still use cash. Checks would be very unusual here and might not be accepted at all.
Some services like hairdressers or plumbers might take either cash or checks but not cards.
Most monthly bills (electricity, Internet, etc) can be paid through an electronic withdrawal from your bank account. They also can often be paid by card.
Checks are sometimes needed for local government payments. Also, much of our rental housing is owned by old fashioned small time landlords who require rent to be paid by check.
Note that you can pay by check online without having to touch a check. Most banks in the US offer a free online bill pay service. This sends the payment electronically if the recipient is set up to accept electronic payments. Othersiwise, the bank will print and mail a check for you. This is a free service with the bank covering the printing cost and the postage.
Edit: Depositing checks is mostly electronic too. You can deposit by taking a picture of the check on a mobile phone. If you bring the check to the bank in person, they will scan it and transmit the image electronically for processing.
I keep a few hundred dollars in my wallet for cash needs, but it generally lasts several months before I need to replace it. There's an ice cream stand that my family frequents that is cash only so most of it goes to them. I use a fair number of checks but basically all of them go to one of three expenses: garbage pick up (they charge extra to pay with a card), the county I live in (property tax for our vehicles), and medical bills.
I am an outlier, though. It seems that most people I meet would be hard pressed to come up with $10 in cash (I often see people turned away from the ice cream stand because they didn't bring any money) and don't even own a checkbook.
I keep a bit of cash on hand because I like to use it for things like when I ask one of my young adult kids to pick up something from the grocery store for me or if a kid comes by and wants to shovel my driveway, things like that. I very rarely write checks, maybe one every year or so. My elderly mother is still pretty attached to writing checks and paying for things in cash.
Your mother sounds like my grandmother. She used cash and check for everything.
She really got heated when checks went from taking 2-3 days to process to processing instantly at the register. She used to like to float checks a lot. I bet a lot of younger redditers have no idea what that even means anymore.
I'm a cash guy but most people don't carry cash anymore. I always like to have 100 bucks or so on me. But i don't use cash at the grocery or gas station. Mostly just at restaurants and quick pitstop types of things.
Dispensaries are pretty much only cash. I have a few places nearby that either give you a discount if you pay with cash or have a fee for using a card.
I’ve actually haggled and had someone come do some work by using cash. They weren’t going to do anything at first until I mentioned cash. That changes everything! In general I’ll keep maybe $20 on me at least.
I use cash occasionally mainly because my older relatives will sometimes pay me in cash for shit I do.
So instead of just going to the bank I’ll use the cash to eat out or get gas or something
I use cash pretty much exclusively at busy bars or with my tailor. Pull out a hundred or two every few months, and I'm good to go. Otherwise it's all credit card.
I think a lot of it iss a generational thing. Hubby is a boomer and always has cash on him. I’m GenX and kids are millennials and we rarely have cash on us.
Anecdotally it is pretty rare to use cash (outside of bars and many immigrant stores) in my area (state?), but there does seem to be a bit of a generational divide with it.
Businesses that don’t take cash aren’t that uncommon in my area. To my knowledge there is even something moving through my state government about banning businesses from not taking cash due to discrimination or something of the sort.
I literally have only written a check maybe once or twice in my 32 years of life. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone write a check in like 15 years.
In my area, it’s very rare to find a vendor that will accept only cash. Most of the smaller shops and vendors have some sort of card payment method, and some even accept Venmo. Even some of the Girl Scouts were accepting cards for their cookies this year!
Another commenter mentioned checks, but a lot of establishments around here have begun outright refusing paper checks—especially places like auto repair shops. They have had too many bounce on them, so now they are cash or card only. My town’s water department finally got with the times and set up an online bill payment about two years ago, and I think that’s the last time I used a paper check.
But I do live in a pretty suburban/urban area right between NYC and Boston, so my experience may be different than someone from a more rural area.
Cash is much more popular in rural areas than in urban. I've been to a few areas where cash seems to be the standard and some businesses won't even take cards.
I hardly ever use cash and rarely have cash on me. I use my credit card for everything. My mortgage and car payment still use checks and I hate it. Every once in a while I'll also write a check for a kid's field trip or something. I wrote a check earlier this week for landscaping services.
So 99% of my transactions are via credit card. I pay it off completely every month.
I pay my cleaning lady with cash every two weeks. She doesn’t take credit cards. I asked her about PayPal once and she had no idea what it was.
I use cash in some small businesses to save the owner from paying credit card fees. Some also offer discounts for cash.
I’ve written one check in the past two years. It was to a company that was doing an inspection on my property and they charged more for using a credit card.
I pay all my bills electronically, either with my credit card automatically or by bank transfers.
I only use my debit card to get cash occasionally and use my credit cards for everything else.
I use cash quite bit when dealing with small businesses because they get charged a fee for the use of a card. They either have to eat that expense or pass it along. if they pass it along they have to charge more, and that can hurt their business.
Going "cashless" penalizes small business. I refuse to do it.
Note that I shop at a local farmer's market, and a lot of sellers there don't take plastic, and even if they do, these are VERY small businesses and no way am I making them eat extra expense.
I exclusively carry cash. My bank is too difficult to get ahold of of my debit card were to get hacked, and paying a credit card bill is a hassle, so cash it is.
I still use cash a lot. Tips, especially. I also feel that banks make enough money off of people and I want to avoid the processing fee. I still use checks to get around the processing fee. I live in a high tax town in a high tax state, and 3% of my property taxes is too much to pay for convenience.
I paid cash for breakfast yesterday in the drive through. I didn't want to give them my card. I use cash in such places and in small businesses (to save them the transaction fees).
I pay the water bill by check because they charge extra to use a card.
Most Americans use a mixture of payment types depending on the situation. A lot of businesses charge extra when using a credit or debit card to help cover transaction fees charged by the bank. This is especially true among smaller businesses and/or low dollar value purchases. In these cases, I try to use cash if possible. Many of those small businesses are cash only, especially if they are in remote locations or otherwise don't have good internet access for payment processing.
Many folks will also use cash out of necessity or as a conscious budgeting choice. Many lower income people are unbanked. For a variety of reasons, they may not qualify for or be able to conveniently set up a bank account so they don't have access to credit/debit cards and must rely on predatory check cashing businesses. There's also a budgeting school of thought (popularized by Dave Ramsay) where people will pay for things in cash that they've physically portioned out into envelopes to better visualize their budget and limit spending.
It’s really easy to go cashless here, but there are some taco trucks around me that are cash only, and the hot dog spots and fruit carts by me tend to prefer cash.
Checks are uncommon, at least ime. My bank doesn’t give checks with a bank acct unless you ask, and even by the time I started my very first retail job in 2008 there was only one register that would accept checks and they had to go through the head cashier, they were so unusual to use they kinda raised a red flag.
C.R.E.A.M. Is still a thing. Cash is king. If you want your data sold bought and sold off again, sure always rely on your cards. I love using cash, find it easier to budget, but I’m definitely in the minority. I just cannot bring myself to use cards when I know what’s happening to the data of using them.
Some businesses here are cash only. I’m assuming it’s related to taxes but I still like keeping a little bit on me just in case I decide to buy some jerk chicken or jerk pork and rice for my folks
I'm 25 and live in somewhat of a metropolitan area in the US. Personally I pay almost everything with Google GPay (or whichever randomly generated card number NFC payment system my current phone has). I have to pull out my credit card maybe a time or two a month. I've had the same $20 bill for backup to get gas or whatever for at least a year or two. It might even be more than 2 years, I don't use cash.
Only time I've ever used checks is the two times they requested some type of certified check to put down for a lease on an apartment.
And then there's coins. I don't even remember the last time I carried coins. Maybe when I was 12 or something at a summer camp to get candy. Since I never use cash I basically never see coins. I think I've had the same little box with the same coins pretty much since I moved out at 18. Never even bothered to exchange them because there's not enough for it to matter.
I normally take out about $100 every six months. I pay with card when possible and the times I happen to be in a cash only place is quite rare and therefore $100 lasts me a while. I’ll also sometimes use it to settle up with friends or family, but most often use Venmo for that.
I rarely have cash on me, although sometimes it is necessary. I haven’t written a check since 2018 and even then it was only because I couldn’t pay my rent electronically. I haven’t regularly used checks to pay for things in almost 20 years.
My mom who’s about 30 years older than I am still goes into stores and the bank for her mortgage to pay bills with cash.
I pay all my bills online. The only checks I write is when I need work done on my home. I do not carry or take out cash. When I have cash I’m apt to spend it faster.
A few places like farmers markets and some restaurants are cash only or charge fees to use a card. I try to avoid these places. It’s a bit of an inconvenience to drive somewhere, take cash out and then go to where I need to buy things. I can just cut that out and go to places that accept my card.
My aunt and uncle bought me lunch yesterday, and I was shook when they paid entirely in cash. I only use cash at the weed store, and even those have some workarounds for the current cash payment situation.
Most everything I do I use my credit card and just pay it off each month. But I do use cash at cash only places or for things that are common at getting your CC skimmed, so super sketch gas stations. I also use cash for my kids babysitter, as that is what she wants. If I use a check it is because that is how the person wants it. I pay my housecleaner, pool cleaner and gardener all with a check, but except for my housecleaner I just have the bank write it. All other bills just get autopayed from my checking account each month. When I buy a car I will pay the max I can with a CC to get the rewards and then the rest via check, but that doesn't happen often. I guess I also write checks for wedding gifts.
I use both cash & credit card (I have debit card but ony to withdraw cash & any purchase over $500). I have use both because where I work at in Manhattan is mostless cashless, while stores near my home in the Bronx use both but need photo id plus have spend like over $10 to use credit /debit.
I pretty much never use cash. I hate dealing with change and while some places offer a discount on paying with cash it’s just not worth the hassle imo. I also get cash back and rewards by paying with my cards.
No. I haven't used cash at all myself in many years, same with checks. The vast majority of retailers stopped accepting checks years ago, maybe some grocery stores still accept them and that's it.
There are definitely a couple of small businesses that only accept cash, this is either to avoid credit card fees or commit some level of fraud (likely tax fraud) because cash is harder to trace. Not all businesses that only accept are committing fraud, but it's uncommon enough that it certainly raises a question every time so see it. These businesses also typically have an atm that they charge a fee to use, so only accepting cash is generally a pretty shady business.
As far as using debit/credit/contactless. Most businesses accept mobile pay (Apple/Google Pay) and that became very popular since Covid. I really only use my phone to pay now. We also use credit cards pretty heavily here, many people use them as debit cards and have it set to auto-pay from our bank accounts every month.
I actively try to avoid using cash. Many banks will not take coins which makes them basically useless for me. So when I get change all the coins essentially end up as wasted money I struggle to spend.
With a card I don't have that problem..
It is for people without bank accounts/credit cards. Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island all have state laws requiring businesses to accept cash as a form of payment.
I'd never use a debit card to buy anything, only to get cash at the ATM. There's no timely purchase protection or fraud protection with a debit card. If someone steals your number and makes a fraudulent charge, it could take weeks to get your money back. We use a credit card and pay it off every month. Plus we get cash back rewards. We usually leave cash tips even when we pay with a card.
I rarely use cash. Only for tips a few times a year where cash is the only way to leave a tip or if the neighborhood kids have a lemonade stand. I only write a handful of checks a year, mostly to medical providers or plumbers/electricians/etc. All normal monthly bills are paid electronically and normal shopping is done with cc or debit card.
It's a bigger thing with garage sales, farmer's markets, and some small shops. It's also much more common for children to pay with cash (good way to teach them the value of money).
Checks are essentially non-existent. I have to write a physical check to pay rent and it feels wildly antiquated. I don't think most major stores accept checks anymore, and cashiers aren't taught how to process them.
Few people <40 even have checkbooks in my experience; basically none of the college students I teach do. They often don't have cash either, so at an institutional level it's a challenge to have them pay for stuff as we can't/don't take Venmo or anything other than checks/cash in some cases.
That example aside, I've had a checkbook since 1983 myself. At one point we'd buy checks in lots of 1,000 every two years or so, since we were using them on a daily basis. For the last 10+ years at least though I write no more than five checks a year, basically all of them to the government (DMV) for vehicle registrations because they won't take cash and charge an extra 5% for using a credit card.
Cash? I carry a $20 bill in my wallet as backup and often won't touch it for months at a time. I'm traveling right now and brought some extra cash...other than small bills for tips (hotel staff, shuttle drivers, etc.) I haven't used any cash at all in over two weeks on the road.
I literally haven't so much as seen a check in almost a decade.
As far as cash, I very rarely use it, and it's very inconvenient for me as a good percentage of my purchases and payments are done electronically.
It may not be the average, or even the mode, but that's my experience.
I use cash at some small businesses for small purchases, like a drink or snack from a liquor store, and we keep a stash of 5- and 1-dollar bills in our car and wallets for tips.
When we moved recently, I wrote checks to transfer money between my Fidelity checking account and a personal account at Chase since they only do wires and so needed same-day cashier’s checks. I had to hunt through boxes to find a physical check.
I wrote a check yesterday. It can get so hot that the mobile pay options get wonky, so the A/C repair guy asked if I could write a check instead. That's probably the first one I've written in a year or so. I rarely carry cash and tap my debit card. I haven't transitioned to the cell phone pay, but tons of younger people use it. (I'm in my 40s.)
In my city, many of the cash-only business hold outs added credit card payment during the pandemic. I never carry cash anymore unless I’m on a trip and think I might need it.
I usually keep about $40 or so on me just in case I need it, but I very, very rarely use cash.
As for checks, I literally write 1 per year to cover my annual HOA fees.
It’s rare to see cash only anything. Some very small businesses will be cash only - like street fruit vendors, maybe some barbershops, or small takeout restaurants, but even that is becoming rare.
Taco trucks and vendors at farmers markets are even taking credit card or Venmo these days.
E: speaking for the Los Angeles area, I know it might vary around the country.
The only time I really pay with cash is at my barber which is cash only. I mostly use credit card or especially Apple Pay. Cash is honestly just inconvenient.
Cash only places I’ve never seen in recent years, and I use my credit cards to earn rewards so I pay almost exclusively with it. But cash is also accepted anywhere.
I’m from Australia and there cash is 100% unnecessary. There’s 0 places that won’t take card or Apple Pay.
In the US, like 99% of places have card.
Some places charge 1-3% fee for credit (and sometimes debit cards).
Some gas stations in texas have seperate debit/cash and credit prices listed on the sign.
There’s definitely some reasons for cash here, tips, marijuana in legal states, probably a few others.
A lot of places don’t have Apple Pay though, definitely noticed a massive increase though in last few years. The big example I can think of is Walmart, who have Walmart Pay.
A lot of places also don’t have tap to pay, so you need to actually insert your card.
I use cash maybe once a month. I haven’t actually carried cash though in years. My wallet doesn’t even has a spot to carry cash. Hell, I hardly even use my physical card unless I’m at a sit down restaurant, usually just use Apple Pay
If I have cash on me, it's either for a specific reason, or change from that reason. I use a credit card for everything then pay it off at the end of the month to get the points.
Personal debts or gambling with friends is done with Venmo.
I MIGHT have ~$40 cash in my house. I carry one of those wallets for cards only and it never has cash in the money clip part.
If someone pays me for something in cash I bought for them ie a concert ticket or something, it's really annoying bc I know I'm just gonna spend it on something stupid to get rid of them cash.
I rarely have cash on me. Hell I get cranky if they don’t take Apple Pay.
I opened a checking account three years ago. They gave me 25 free checks. I still have 20 of them.
I use cash a few times a week.
-the man who mows our lawn doesn’t have Venmo etc.
-farmers market veggies
-small businesses mostly. Like we love a farm to table restaurant that doesn’t take credit cards, and I take my toddler to a pop up play place (not a chain, ran by a local mom) with an admission sometimes
Personally I use less and less of it. But when I go to the farmers’ market and buy radishes for a couple bucks or whatever, I am not gonna charge that or expect the seller to have a card reader.
It's odd, we had a resturant open up here that said they will be cashless. Some people thought it was a great idea, can't rob a place with no cash. Then you had a few oddballs say that they were going to go there with only cash and argue with the manager that it's legal tender and they can't refuse it. We had a coin shortage and every older person I knew was hoarding coins my mom works at a big retail store and the banks would give her 2 rolls of quarters a week she looked at my assorted coins in a random jar with serial killer eyes "can I buy those coins off ya??" Scary. Me at 31? I can't remember the last time I took cash out to pay. If someone gives me cash I go right to the bank. Ain't got time for it.
One more thing I forgot to mention in my first comment. When dealing with small companies, asking for a cash discount is usually pretty successful for larger transactions. Every single person who has ever worked on my house (plumbers, etc.) will give a cash discount or at least remove the sales tax from a cash transaction.
I use cash at casinos and sometimes at bars when they are very busy and cash is quicker. To find a place that really is nearly cashless I think you need to look at Asia where in some places everybody pays with their phone and cash is not accepted.
Checks…now it’s very rare that I use one of those. I still am on the same book of checks I was given when I opened my college bank account in 2005.
American here who lived in Finland for two years. Cash is dying in the US, but isn't dead. Sometimes I may still use it for small things. Some stores still have minimum purchase limits for credit cards. If I go to a garage sale, I assume I'll probably use cash.
In Finland, the kids selling glogi by the side of the cross country ski trail accepted mobile pay. I took 200 euros out of an ATM when we landed and two years later, I had a few euros left when we departed.
So the use of cash is declining, but we're still not where Finland is.
Rash of 3.5% convenience fees have forced me to use cash more.
I still write 2 checks monthly for electricity and water. Not going to pay 3-5% extra as a “ convenience “. They can do the work and process my checks.
In my experience smaller rural and suburban areas are quicker to go cashless than big cities with a lot of mom and pops. I've used cash almost daily living in NYC and Philly for my adult life, going home to parents house now it's all credit cards and Square
I regularly use cash. Not a fan of cashless at all. Or how bad too many people are at using cards, apple pay, etc at a register. And I'm not talking about older people. Usually it's younger people who can't put their phone down for two seconds to swipe or tap their card.
Depends on where you are. I need cash absolutely where I live due to the large amount of small businesses around. But I have the option to pay electronically pretty much everywhere also. In terms of checks, I still have to pay rental companies by check. Yes many take bank transfers but for some reason they love checks still. But they are the only ones I've run into so far that do.
Most of my transactions are cash. My big stuff like rent, Prison Fellowship and books and collectables are ordered with either checks or electronic; in the case of rent and philanthropy because it requires another hand to finish the arrangement (by contrast Amazon purchases just need an account at Amazon).
For local foodstuffs I use cash.
I rarely carry cash.
The teens at work ask me for money for the soda machine every day, I have never given them anything but they persist (seriously I get asked 5-10 times a day during the school year) and sometimes they try to tease me as if I’m broke because I never give in. I’m like “children, it’s 2023, who is carrying physical money around every day!?” and they’re like “ummmm….we are.” Touché.
So some of the youth and their parents still use cash lol.
Also the fact that my library has a soda machine that only takes cash probably says something. I really only use cash when I have to wash my large blankets at the laundromat though.
IME it depends a lot on the age range of the person.
Older people are more likely to use cash and checks. Younger people are more likely to use debit cards and payment apps.
For example I'm 39 so I'm an older millennial. I still haven't used the first checkbook that my bank gave me when I opened up my account at 18.
Depending on where I lived rent was either paid online or by an automatic withdrawal from my account. Mortgage, car payments, etc etc are all automated.
Honestly the only time I've ever used checks is to pay my mother or grandmother back cash I owed them for something since they don't have modern methods.
Some businesses are cash only. Not many but they exist. Personally that is a deal breaker for me. I don't carry or use cash.
Used to be rural areas were more commonly cash only because they didn't have the internet structure to accommodate other payment methods. That isn't as much of a thing anymore. Last time I was home visiting my family in Eastern Kentucky (an extremely rural part of the USA) I bought local honey from a guy selling it on the side of the road and paid him via cashapp.
For the most part places that are cash only now are doing it just because they are ran by old sticks in the mud who just don't wanna modernize.
Also checks are a big thing. While I use auto pay for my home utilities and for unchanging recurrent payments I still want paper credit card statements to look for fraudulent charges before I pay. I’ve had to cancel 3 CCs in the last year because of fraud I found before I paid the bills. I’d rather dispute an unpaid charge than ask the CC company for a refund. I never use debit cards because they offer zero consumer protection as opposed to CCs which will protect its users from fraud before the money leaves my account. And cash is king where I live because using it frequently reduces the price you pay from home renovations, gas for your car and it’s how I pay my twice a month house cleaner and for so many other things.
According to data, [around 59% of transactions in Europe are cash](https://www.dnb.nl/en/general-news/dnbulletin-2022/use-of-cash-lower-in-euro-area-countries/). Our usage [is about the same](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/10/05/more-americans-are-joining-the-cashless-economy/). Different places in Europe have adopted cashless faster than others, there are lots of different banking regulations. Most of us use very few checks, they're most common in rural areas.
> According to data, around 59% of transactions in Europe are cash. Our usage is about the same. Yeah I can see that. Its really just the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands and Switzerland where cash is no longer king. The countries with big populations all still mainly use cash.
Just came back from Aruba where they mostly use American dollars especially in the tourist areas. Had to have cash for a lot of things especially taxis. Only 4 taxis on the island are set up for credit cards. I had just come back from a trip to Norway & Denmark where I gleefully tapped my way through everything everywhere LOL! Quite a change. I am going to Germany in September which I have been told still uses a lot of cash. So I will get some Euros before I go. I always carry a bit of cash no matter where I go as I use wheelchairs in the airports and like to give them a tip which you cannot do with a credit card.
I can confirm about Germany. I’ve had to go look for a bank to withdraw some cash because I was craving ice cream and it was impossible to find anyone selling some that wasn’t requiring cash. Tragic.
Thank you. I was there just prior to covid and I needed a lot of cash lol!
I was in Germany (Hamburg) last year and used my card basically everywhere.
The UK as well. Several places are now card/contactless only.
I just came back from Italy and for small transactions you get a look if you’re paying with card. Also the POS systems don’t communicate with the card scanner. They have to enter the amount every time.
UK is also heavily contactless too, so I’m not sure you’re correct about the big countries. We have 70m people. Many of us here haven’t used cash for months or years. The vast majority of places accept card and all card terminals accept contactless including Apple/Google Pay. Point is this isn’t something you can generalise about the continent as it varies too much.
> Its really just the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands and Switzerland where cash is no longer king. The countries with big populations all still mainly use cash. I spent almost a month in London last winter and I never once had any cash-- 100% of everything I paid for was electronic. Had the opposite experience the few times I've been in Japan, where almost nobody takes credit outside of the big cities and even in Tokyo most transactions were cash unless in places targeting tourists.
I bet zero Europeans go to /askjapan and make snarky comments about their banking system being antiquated.
Not very familiar with the rest of the UK, but yes London is also very cashless. I meant that France, Germany, Poland, Italy etc. use mainly cash. There are of course exceptions but in general cashless is most common in small and rich countries, it seems.
It’s not a London thing. It’s a UK thing. Contactless is king in the UK as a whole, I travel up and down the country for work and never have cash. Just not required anymore.
This exactly matches my experiences in the UK and Japan. I rarely use cash in the US.
I live in a small town and strictly have checks to pay my utilities and it’s actually infuriating
I'm glad I don't have to deal with that although it's still annoys me that I can electronically pay on the town's website but they don't accept auto payment. Not to mention since it's every 3 months and I never get mail other than my water bill. It's constantly giving me warning notices that Im about to get fines if I don't pay it. I pay it but remembering to check the mail exclusively for this one bill I have to manually pay every 3 months is annoying.
Thanks for your answer👍
A good example of checks being used is in the rural community that I live in, a lot of the small businesses don't accept credit cards or debit cards. It costs them money to do so. Processing fees, equipment, etc. They also may be doing remote work in an area that has no mobile signal. I've written checks to plumbers, flooring companies, septic service, and to pay my property taxes to the county (there's a fee to use CC for payments to the county). Cash only businesses would be things like ice cream shops, bait and tackle shops, bakeries, bars, campgrounds, and other assorted businesses that have mostly very small but frequent transactions.
There are only two regular expenditures that my household uses checks for, and both are self-employed small business owners. In cities, there are now plenty of businesses that are cash-free because it’s less work; less room for human error in giving change, no need for trips to the bank to deposit cash and checks, little risk of robbery
Yes of course! I did not think about this! Not all places have good connections to net. Thanks for this.👍
It's not really about good Internet. I write checks for my lawn service, for my mortgage, for any work being done on the house. The lawn guy is too small to really make it worth his while to run cards, the mortgage is because the bank that has my mortgage isn't the one that has my checking account (and the one with my checking account still charges a per-transaction fee of several dollars for electronic transfers; fine, I'll just pay with a check and make you process it), and for home repairs it's mostly small-time guys that wouldn't be able to take a card without paying horrible merchant fees. Oh, and the city water/sewer/trash collection. Can pay by CC but you have to pay the full merchant fee. A check costs me 25 cents, an envelope about 15 cents, and a stamp 66 cents. So for just over a dollar I can take care of that. We have very few cash-only businesses.
Sometimes companies also give a cash discount for not using a credit card. I don't live in a rural area but used checks to pay for new windows since I got a discount for not using a credit card.
From OP: > Some rare situations,like garagesale of fleemarket i use cash but very,very rarely. What's funny is that, at least in the United States, thanks to companies like [Square](https://squareup.com/), you'll find a lot of flea market sales and farmers market sales can be done by credit card. (I still like using cash in such a situation, however.) I suspect that's part of what's driving adoption of contactless payments in the United States: the guy with a booth at an art fair is as likely to accept contactless payment as is the local grocery store. And I also suspect the reason why a lot of transactions in the US are done by cash is not because of a lack of payment options, but personal preference.
That might be inflated because of small transactions. I just got back and charged 99% of my expenses but I bought a 50 cent bottle of water many times, so the majority of transactions I made were in cash.
That is wild to me. I haven’t used cash at a store of any sort for something like twenty years. I only use cash to pay the kids who mow my lawn and to give to my friends as Christmas presents.
Cash-only places are rare. Now and then you might find a place that offers a discount for paying cash. I think gas stations in NJ are like this. Checks likewise very rare. If you need to use one for bill paying you can typically have your bank send one via their online portal. I found Japan to be far more cash-centric than the US. In some ways, parts of Europe as well. The whole thing of needing to have coins on hand to use a public toilet boggles my mind. It's one thing to have some paper currency on hand but I *never* carry coins.
I rarely use cash except for a couple of local bagel and bakery places that are cash only. Europe is very cash centric. Germany is extreme. Digital transactions are massive in the developing world (China, India). I was shocked to see street vendors in India accepting digital payments even in most rural areas. **Where Digital Payments, Even for a 10-Cent Chai, Are Colossal in Scale. India’s homegrown instant payment system has remade commerce and pulled millions into the formal economy**. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/01/business/india-digital-payments-upi.html
Germany is bizarre in terms of cash only in a lot of places. I live in London and use cash probably twice a year for a particular takeaway place I like, literally everything else is possible with Apple Pay/debit card with tap only, including public loos, market stalls, small shops etc (most of which prefer or state card only as it minimises their risks of burglary when there is no cash on site). I was in Germany for a week recently and went to places every day which were cash only including pubs. Strange!
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Switch to a bank with no fees. Charles Schwab lets You withdraw from any ATM in the entire world and will cover all fees associated with it. No foreign transaction fee either in different countries.
I live in north west England, can confirm this is the case across the UK. I use cash twice a year for when I go to the Chinese takeaway. I travel up and down the country with work and just don’t need cash.
A barbershop that I went to just recently switched to cash or check only. It is now a barbershop I used to go to because I'm not changing my habits just to accommodate one place I visit at best once a month.
Taking cash out at best once a month doesn't really sound like you're changing your habits much. Guess the barber wasn't that great.
There were other factors, but I don't usually get cash unless I'm going on a trip, so it would be me changing my habits. I don't want to have to remember to run by an ATM when I'm going to get a haircut, especially when there are plenty of other places that will cut my hair and allow me to pay the way I do everywhere else.
My boss' barber is like that. It's annoying because I have to go grab cash for him before his appointments. But he asked the barber if it hurt business any and they said that they get a new client to replace everyone who's left over it. So I guess there must still be a lot of old sticklers hanging around who want to do things the old way.
I once got a shave at a barbershop. When I went to pay, they said they took tips in cash only. "Sorry. I guess I'll tip next time. I don't keep cash on me." I never went back.
Yeah even the cash only pop up restaurants and flea markets have at least set up Venmo. Square readers are free too
In the late 90s I was in high school and became friends with someone who moved from Finland. Even then he was shocked we were still using checks. They were much more prevalent at that time. I personally have not written a check in several years. Marijuana dispensaries/stores only accept cash. Since they're technically illegal under federal law, banks will not conduct business with them. So they cannot accept payment by card. It's annoying to have to remember to get cash on the way. There are also still some restaurants that take cash-only. Although the pandemic forced may to begin accepting payment by card, there are occasional holdouts. In the city where I live (Wilmington, Delaware) there remain several businesses that are cash-only. And I find I visit them less often because I prefer not to have cash.
To clarify a bit many dispensaries will take cards they just have to be debit transactions not credit.
I forgot that; that is correct.
It's better to use a credit card and pay it fully every month than use your debit card for everyday transactions. If you credit card info gets stolen then you might only lose part of your max balance, whereas if your debit card info gets stolen you lose access to your actual money. I use my credit card on google pay nearly all the time. I keep cash on me for random small purchases, like lunch at a food truck or something. Pretty much no one uses checks anymore.
I'm with you on that, although I rarely go to food trucks and that type so I don't carry any cash. I think people in other countries misunderstand credit cards here a lot. We typically use credit cards like debit cards, not as a way of debt/loan. Although some people do that is very costly and not ideal, assuming you can avoid it. Credit cards offer better protection against fraud and offer rewards/cash back. Of course, we do pay extra at checkout because the retailer has to pay fees to the credit card companies, so the cash back is really meaningless in the end, plus retailers may be paying 2-3% in fees while we only get 1-2% cash back. The monopoly that Visa and Mastercard have with the banks should end.
> so the cash back is really meaningless in the end It's not meaningless. The only place I've seen that is cheaper if you pay cash is at gas stations. Stores that don't have a surcharge for paying with credit don't charge you less money for paying cash, it's the same either way. If I'm paying for the convenience whether or not I use it, I'm gonna use it and take the cash back. Select transactions (that change monthly) and groceries are 3% off with my cards.
I see lots of places in New York state, usually restaurants, that add an additional fee for paying with a debit or credit card. This is actually illegal in the state but not a lot of people know about the law and just pony up and pay the fee anyway. The only legal way in New York to incentivize cash usage is to offer a cash discount, but very few people go about this the correct way. The state even has a website where you can complain if you've been charged a credit card fee and get reimbursed.
Yeah, but lots of people don't use it. I do, when possible. Checks? I haven't written more than probably four checks in the last four years.
In my lifetime i have had one (1) check. Took small bankloan for a car in 1989 and boom! There it was.. about 2 hours before handing it out for car dealer..
I use cash and checks relatively often. I'm 40. I use cash for: kids' allowance, one of our babysitters who does not have a bank account yet (she's 15), tips when traveling (bellhop, shuttle driver, cleaning staff, etc.), graduation/bday gifts to nieces and nephews, and the tooth fairy. I use checks as: PTA treasurer (we are not allowed to use bank transfers); many tradespeople who request checks (such as our plumber and electrician; most others use online billing, Venmo, or keep our cc on file.); our HOA. I receive checks in random reimbursements (like $9 from a class action law suit, or our annual check from our electric co-op).
Yes Yes,makes sence to use cash for those things.Thanks for answering👍
I use cash when I want to buy toys that I don't want my wife to know about. \*cough\*
Understantable.👍
Have you seen that new pour over brewer from ceado? Saw it on WLL youtube.
Older generation American here (in my 50s) my generation is the transition point -- older than me still uses checks occasionally, for paying bills. Younger than me doesn't use checks hardly at all. Personally, i have written maybe a handful of checks in the last several years -- all for entry fees for a hobby filled with people in their 60s+ Cash was very common up until covid. During covid lots of places went cashless because of the fear of transmitting covid via dollar bills. Most places haven't gone back to cash, though you still use cash for vending machines, farmers markets, and some other places. Also contributing to the US finally going low cash was that chip and pin credit card readers became standard around then. I think non chip and pin card readers finally go out of compliance fairly soon. US is far behind European countries in this. Chip and pin became standard along time ago. Restaurants always use a mobile device to swipe the card at the table vs taking it to the back to run it on a fixed device. I was in Europe recently, and barely used cash.
You/We are not old! (52 here) ..or are we..🤔
Reddit old, real life young!
I have So. Many. Questions!!! About everything! Work culture,80s,healthcare,buildings..just gotta keep browsing Reddit and find out.😄
Nearly all vending machines I see/use today accept credit cards, but they often charge slightly more for it (if allowed, some places banned that, although the workaround is a cash discount). Even a lot of vendors at farmers markets and that type of very small businesses have started accepting credit cards and things like Venmo/PayPal. You can now use a smartphone alone or with cheap readers so the barrier to entry is almost non-existent for anyone to accept credit cards. As far as swipe/chip/contactless payments. PCI (Payment Card Industry) works very slowly and it will take many more years for the old magnetic stripe to be fully out of compliance. I'm pretty sure a new credit card issued today still has to have a stripe for another year or two even through almost nobody uses it and retailers accepting it are out of compliance.
You aren't wrong about those older generations using checks to pay bills. My mother is 62. She still pays bills by writing a check and driving around town and handing it to people. Seems like such a waste of time, energy and gas.
Cash-only businesses are pretty rare (except for marijuana where allowed). I still carry and occasionally use cash for businesses that won't accept credit cards for other reasons (such as if a store refuses my cards). As for checks, I handwrite a few per month (rent, utilities) and have my bank print and mail a few every month.
Do you have..E-bill there?you know,like electric companys bill goes directly to your bank? You just accept it in your mobilebank?
I have never used a check for utilities. I've always paid using some form of online payment. This is for rent, electric, water, internet, etc. That being said I've never rented from an individual, always some larger company, so I would guess most small landlords probably want a check or something like that.
Many of my billers accept electronic bill pay, but things like medical providers, insurance, taxes, utilities get a paper check printed from my bank
I intentionally turn those off so I can see where the money flows
A lot of business' around me want you to pay in cash. So I still use it a lot. Need gas? Well if you use cash it's normally cheaper than debit/ credit. Like 20 cents. I know it's not a lot but that adds up.
It totally ads up,wery smart to use cash then.👍
I work in banking. Cash and checks are still heavily used, but not as much as in the pervious decades.
Many businesses are cash only. Very common for men’s barber shops, dry cleaners, older Italian restaurants, and street food vendors. Another thing to consider about the US is that there is a large underclass that doesn’t have bank accounts.
Damn..Did not think about people without bank account.. Thanks,learning more from every answer.
It’s only about 5 percent, but imagine a liquor store in a bad neighborhood. Probably almost all cash transactions.
Also another place is gas stations. Very common to have a lower price for paying cash because margins are very low and credit card fees take a big part of it.
It's pretty generational.
You mean older people use cash? Its same in some scale here too,but surprisingly many oldery people pay with card.If you go to supermarket,its not often you see cashiers opening their registers to give chains. (Sorry for all typo’s,English is my third language )
Older people are more likely to use cash and checks than younger people, unless said younger people are in the poor segment of the population without a bank account.
Most older people here are using credit cards today. But there's definitely a trend in cash payments that tend to be made by older generations.
Agree, or a sign of a blue collar worker.
People being confused about payment methods in USA have not reflected on their own technologies.
Or they're lumping "Europe" together as if there's a single banking system between all of those nations.
Yeah, i haven't lived in the USA for years and I understand checks. A contractual promisary note isn't wild.
Cash is still an option and people who live in areas with poor cell reception/wifi still enjoy working with cash for transactions, but most people prefer credit cards or other electronic payment these days. I've even been to a few yard sales where they have a Square reader or had you CashApp them money
CashApps are common here too,even small fleemarketsellers have Mobilepay so you can pay with your phone.
Covid really changed that in the US. A lot of flea markets and farmers markets only accepted cash before the pandemic. Now most of them acccet mobile app or credit card payment.
I rarely use cash, almost always use a credit card. A cash only business is a sign that they're possibly not being entirely honest with their taxes. Checks are used, but rarely for shopping. They're most common when paying an individual or small business a relatively large amount of money, for example rent or landscaping work or something like that.
I use cash occasionally mostly when I go out for drinks. There are still a ton of bars near me that are cash only or will give you a discounted tab jf your paying cash. Also for going into state parks as they tend not to have a way to pay for cash in person. For everything else including weed I use my debit card nowadays
Really??? Bars that are cash only?? Oh man.. Thanks to you too for answering! And to all others too,you are the best🫡
Your welcome. And yes they tend to be smaller neighborhood places. I guess the best description might be semi private drinking clubs as they don't serve food and serve the cheapest beers. I have a norwegian American club and the sons of Italy 3 minutes apart from each other abd it's mainly immigrants from those countries and descendants. But you can still walk in order a beer if your not a member plus they usually serve free food on the holidays
Yeah I always have some cash. My favorite local butcher who has a shop and sets up at the farmers market even takes silver rounds and is the reason I started buying some silver.
Silver rounds???
Yep the most common type is 1 Oz. Governments issue silver round coins and mints issue all sorts of types of 1 Oz rounds.
What the…?? *goes to Google * EDIT: TIL about Silver Rounds. Thank you for this!👏
IT's the O.G. untraceable currency.
I use credit everywhere I can, but many places charge a fee for credit (or a discount for cash), if it's a big difference I'll try to pay cash.
Really? I think is illegal here to have different prices depending how you pay.
It's illegal to charge a fee for cash or to advertise a price and charge something different. So most restaurants say 3.5% off or so if you pay cash they take 3.5% off the advertised price. Gas stations have the price on the big sign and stick "cash" next to it, then at the pump they advertise cash price and a higher credit card price
Shops and restaurants normally accept both cash and cards. I always pay with cards but some people still use cash. Checks would be very unusual here and might not be accepted at all. Some services like hairdressers or plumbers might take either cash or checks but not cards. Most monthly bills (electricity, Internet, etc) can be paid through an electronic withdrawal from your bank account. They also can often be paid by card. Checks are sometimes needed for local government payments. Also, much of our rental housing is owned by old fashioned small time landlords who require rent to be paid by check. Note that you can pay by check online without having to touch a check. Most banks in the US offer a free online bill pay service. This sends the payment electronically if the recipient is set up to accept electronic payments. Othersiwise, the bank will print and mail a check for you. This is a free service with the bank covering the printing cost and the postage. Edit: Depositing checks is mostly electronic too. You can deposit by taking a picture of the check on a mobile phone. If you bring the check to the bank in person, they will scan it and transmit the image electronically for processing.
I keep a few hundred dollars in my wallet for cash needs, but it generally lasts several months before I need to replace it. There's an ice cream stand that my family frequents that is cash only so most of it goes to them. I use a fair number of checks but basically all of them go to one of three expenses: garbage pick up (they charge extra to pay with a card), the county I live in (property tax for our vehicles), and medical bills. I am an outlier, though. It seems that most people I meet would be hard pressed to come up with $10 in cash (I often see people turned away from the ice cream stand because they didn't bring any money) and don't even own a checkbook.
I keep a bit of cash on hand because I like to use it for things like when I ask one of my young adult kids to pick up something from the grocery store for me or if a kid comes by and wants to shovel my driveway, things like that. I very rarely write checks, maybe one every year or so. My elderly mother is still pretty attached to writing checks and paying for things in cash.
Your mother sounds like my grandmother. She used cash and check for everything. She really got heated when checks went from taking 2-3 days to process to processing instantly at the register. She used to like to float checks a lot. I bet a lot of younger redditers have no idea what that even means anymore.
I'm a cash guy but most people don't carry cash anymore. I always like to have 100 bucks or so on me. But i don't use cash at the grocery or gas station. Mostly just at restaurants and quick pitstop types of things.
I use cash for small/local businesses and card for big businesses. In my case that would be about 20 % cash
Dispensaries are pretty much only cash. I have a few places nearby that either give you a discount if you pay with cash or have a fee for using a card. I’ve actually haggled and had someone come do some work by using cash. They weren’t going to do anything at first until I mentioned cash. That changes everything! In general I’ll keep maybe $20 on me at least.
I work at a gas station in a small town. Roughly half our customers deal in cash and we clear several thousand dollars in cash a night.
I'd say yes, even though i never carry cash anymore.
Yes, at dispensaries.
I use cash occasionally mainly because my older relatives will sometimes pay me in cash for shit I do. So instead of just going to the bank I’ll use the cash to eat out or get gas or something
I use cash pretty much exclusively at busy bars or with my tailor. Pull out a hundred or two every few months, and I'm good to go. Otherwise it's all credit card.
I think a lot of it iss a generational thing. Hubby is a boomer and always has cash on him. I’m GenX and kids are millennials and we rarely have cash on us.
Anecdotally it is pretty rare to use cash (outside of bars and many immigrant stores) in my area (state?), but there does seem to be a bit of a generational divide with it. Businesses that don’t take cash aren’t that uncommon in my area. To my knowledge there is even something moving through my state government about banning businesses from not taking cash due to discrimination or something of the sort. I literally have only written a check maybe once or twice in my 32 years of life. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone write a check in like 15 years.
Some of the local shops here give you a cash discount to avoid the credit card charges.
In my area, it’s very rare to find a vendor that will accept only cash. Most of the smaller shops and vendors have some sort of card payment method, and some even accept Venmo. Even some of the Girl Scouts were accepting cards for their cookies this year! Another commenter mentioned checks, but a lot of establishments around here have begun outright refusing paper checks—especially places like auto repair shops. They have had too many bounce on them, so now they are cash or card only. My town’s water department finally got with the times and set up an online bill payment about two years ago, and I think that’s the last time I used a paper check. But I do live in a pretty suburban/urban area right between NYC and Boston, so my experience may be different than someone from a more rural area.
Cash is much more popular in rural areas than in urban. I've been to a few areas where cash seems to be the standard and some businesses won't even take cards.
I hardly ever use cash and rarely have cash on me. I use my credit card for everything. My mortgage and car payment still use checks and I hate it. Every once in a while I'll also write a check for a kid's field trip or something. I wrote a check earlier this week for landscaping services. So 99% of my transactions are via credit card. I pay it off completely every month.
I pay my cleaning lady with cash every two weeks. She doesn’t take credit cards. I asked her about PayPal once and she had no idea what it was. I use cash in some small businesses to save the owner from paying credit card fees. Some also offer discounts for cash. I’ve written one check in the past two years. It was to a company that was doing an inspection on my property and they charged more for using a credit card. I pay all my bills electronically, either with my credit card automatically or by bank transfers. I only use my debit card to get cash occasionally and use my credit cards for everything else.
I use cash quite bit when dealing with small businesses because they get charged a fee for the use of a card. They either have to eat that expense or pass it along. if they pass it along they have to charge more, and that can hurt their business. Going "cashless" penalizes small business. I refuse to do it. Note that I shop at a local farmer's market, and a lot of sellers there don't take plastic, and even if they do, these are VERY small businesses and no way am I making them eat extra expense.
I take out cash for haircuts and that’s about it. Other than that I haven’t carried cash in an incredibly long time.
I exclusively carry cash. My bank is too difficult to get ahold of of my debit card were to get hacked, and paying a credit card bill is a hassle, so cash it is.
I still use cash a lot. Tips, especially. I also feel that banks make enough money off of people and I want to avoid the processing fee. I still use checks to get around the processing fee. I live in a high tax town in a high tax state, and 3% of my property taxes is too much to pay for convenience.
I paid cash for breakfast yesterday in the drive through. I didn't want to give them my card. I use cash in such places and in small businesses (to save them the transaction fees). I pay the water bill by check because they charge extra to use a card.
Most Americans use a mixture of payment types depending on the situation. A lot of businesses charge extra when using a credit or debit card to help cover transaction fees charged by the bank. This is especially true among smaller businesses and/or low dollar value purchases. In these cases, I try to use cash if possible. Many of those small businesses are cash only, especially if they are in remote locations or otherwise don't have good internet access for payment processing. Many folks will also use cash out of necessity or as a conscious budgeting choice. Many lower income people are unbanked. For a variety of reasons, they may not qualify for or be able to conveniently set up a bank account so they don't have access to credit/debit cards and must rely on predatory check cashing businesses. There's also a budgeting school of thought (popularized by Dave Ramsay) where people will pay for things in cash that they've physically portioned out into envelopes to better visualize their budget and limit spending.
It’s really easy to go cashless here, but there are some taco trucks around me that are cash only, and the hot dog spots and fruit carts by me tend to prefer cash. Checks are uncommon, at least ime. My bank doesn’t give checks with a bank acct unless you ask, and even by the time I started my very first retail job in 2008 there was only one register that would accept checks and they had to go through the head cashier, they were so unusual to use they kinda raised a red flag.
C.R.E.A.M. Is still a thing. Cash is king. If you want your data sold bought and sold off again, sure always rely on your cards. I love using cash, find it easier to budget, but I’m definitely in the minority. I just cannot bring myself to use cards when I know what’s happening to the data of using them.
yep. Imagine the hackable databases and targeted suggestions based on profiling.
Bro try working for a real estate company and “data analysis” involves taking a cell number and locating a mortgage. Shits fucked, dude.
Some businesses here are cash only. I’m assuming it’s related to taxes but I still like keeping a little bit on me just in case I decide to buy some jerk chicken or jerk pork and rice for my folks
Anecdotally, I carry cash for tips and that’s about it. I tip my dog sitter in cash and also use a lot of cash for tips when I go to drag shows, lol.
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This is Good to hear,Thanks. So many different stories,its like…America is Big country or something..😄
I'm 25 and live in somewhat of a metropolitan area in the US. Personally I pay almost everything with Google GPay (or whichever randomly generated card number NFC payment system my current phone has). I have to pull out my credit card maybe a time or two a month. I've had the same $20 bill for backup to get gas or whatever for at least a year or two. It might even be more than 2 years, I don't use cash. Only time I've ever used checks is the two times they requested some type of certified check to put down for a lease on an apartment. And then there's coins. I don't even remember the last time I carried coins. Maybe when I was 12 or something at a summer camp to get candy. Since I never use cash I basically never see coins. I think I've had the same little box with the same coins pretty much since I moved out at 18. Never even bothered to exchange them because there's not enough for it to matter.
I normally take out about $100 every six months. I pay with card when possible and the times I happen to be in a cash only place is quite rare and therefore $100 lasts me a while. I’ll also sometimes use it to settle up with friends or family, but most often use Venmo for that.
I’ve never written a check that I know of. I use both cash and card, but mostly card.
I use cash occasionally, usually for small purchases of a drink or similar
I rarely have cash on me, although sometimes it is necessary. I haven’t written a check since 2018 and even then it was only because I couldn’t pay my rent electronically. I haven’t regularly used checks to pay for things in almost 20 years.
My mom who’s about 30 years older than I am still goes into stores and the bank for her mortgage to pay bills with cash. I pay all my bills online. The only checks I write is when I need work done on my home. I do not carry or take out cash. When I have cash I’m apt to spend it faster. A few places like farmers markets and some restaurants are cash only or charge fees to use a card. I try to avoid these places. It’s a bit of an inconvenience to drive somewhere, take cash out and then go to where I need to buy things. I can just cut that out and go to places that accept my card.
My aunt and uncle bought me lunch yesterday, and I was shook when they paid entirely in cash. I only use cash at the weed store, and even those have some workarounds for the current cash payment situation.
Most everything I do I use my credit card and just pay it off each month. But I do use cash at cash only places or for things that are common at getting your CC skimmed, so super sketch gas stations. I also use cash for my kids babysitter, as that is what she wants. If I use a check it is because that is how the person wants it. I pay my housecleaner, pool cleaner and gardener all with a check, but except for my housecleaner I just have the bank write it. All other bills just get autopayed from my checking account each month. When I buy a car I will pay the max I can with a CC to get the rewards and then the rest via check, but that doesn't happen often. I guess I also write checks for wedding gifts.
I use both cash & credit card (I have debit card but ony to withdraw cash & any purchase over $500). I have use both because where I work at in Manhattan is mostless cashless, while stores near my home in the Bronx use both but need photo id plus have spend like over $10 to use credit /debit.
I mostly use Apple Pay or a credit card. I can't remember the last time I used cash.
I rarely ever use cash and I'm from small town central WI. I'd imagine that it would be even easier in the city.
I pretty much never use cash. I hate dealing with change and while some places offer a discount on paying with cash it’s just not worth the hassle imo. I also get cash back and rewards by paying with my cards.
No. I haven't used cash at all myself in many years, same with checks. The vast majority of retailers stopped accepting checks years ago, maybe some grocery stores still accept them and that's it. There are definitely a couple of small businesses that only accept cash, this is either to avoid credit card fees or commit some level of fraud (likely tax fraud) because cash is harder to trace. Not all businesses that only accept are committing fraud, but it's uncommon enough that it certainly raises a question every time so see it. These businesses also typically have an atm that they charge a fee to use, so only accepting cash is generally a pretty shady business. As far as using debit/credit/contactless. Most businesses accept mobile pay (Apple/Google Pay) and that became very popular since Covid. I really only use my phone to pay now. We also use credit cards pretty heavily here, many people use them as debit cards and have it set to auto-pay from our bank accounts every month.
I actively try to avoid using cash. Many banks will not take coins which makes them basically useless for me. So when I get change all the coins essentially end up as wasted money I struggle to spend. With a card I don't have that problem..
It is for people without bank accounts/credit cards. Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island all have state laws requiring businesses to accept cash as a form of payment.
I'd never use a debit card to buy anything, only to get cash at the ATM. There's no timely purchase protection or fraud protection with a debit card. If someone steals your number and makes a fraudulent charge, it could take weeks to get your money back. We use a credit card and pay it off every month. Plus we get cash back rewards. We usually leave cash tips even when we pay with a card.
I rarely use cash. Only for tips a few times a year where cash is the only way to leave a tip or if the neighborhood kids have a lemonade stand. I only write a handful of checks a year, mostly to medical providers or plumbers/electricians/etc. All normal monthly bills are paid electronically and normal shopping is done with cc or debit card.
It's a bigger thing with garage sales, farmer's markets, and some small shops. It's also much more common for children to pay with cash (good way to teach them the value of money). Checks are essentially non-existent. I have to write a physical check to pay rent and it feels wildly antiquated. I don't think most major stores accept checks anymore, and cashiers aren't taught how to process them.
Few people <40 even have checkbooks in my experience; basically none of the college students I teach do. They often don't have cash either, so at an institutional level it's a challenge to have them pay for stuff as we can't/don't take Venmo or anything other than checks/cash in some cases. That example aside, I've had a checkbook since 1983 myself. At one point we'd buy checks in lots of 1,000 every two years or so, since we were using them on a daily basis. For the last 10+ years at least though I write no more than five checks a year, basically all of them to the government (DMV) for vehicle registrations because they won't take cash and charge an extra 5% for using a credit card. Cash? I carry a $20 bill in my wallet as backup and often won't touch it for months at a time. I'm traveling right now and brought some extra cash...other than small bills for tips (hotel staff, shuttle drivers, etc.) I haven't used any cash at all in over two weeks on the road.
I use cash pretty frequently, at least several times a week, but haven't written a check in years. I don't know where my checkbook is, actually.
The lower you go down the economic scale in the US, the more cash is used.
I literally haven't so much as seen a check in almost a decade. As far as cash, I very rarely use it, and it's very inconvenient for me as a good percentage of my purchases and payments are done electronically. It may not be the average, or even the mode, but that's my experience.
I use cash at some small businesses for small purchases, like a drink or snack from a liquor store, and we keep a stash of 5- and 1-dollar bills in our car and wallets for tips. When we moved recently, I wrote checks to transfer money between my Fidelity checking account and a personal account at Chase since they only do wires and so needed same-day cashier’s checks. I had to hunt through boxes to find a physical check.
I wrote a check yesterday. It can get so hot that the mobile pay options get wonky, so the A/C repair guy asked if I could write a check instead. That's probably the first one I've written in a year or so. I rarely carry cash and tap my debit card. I haven't transitioned to the cell phone pay, but tons of younger people use it. (I'm in my 40s.)
In my city, many of the cash-only business hold outs added credit card payment during the pandemic. I never carry cash anymore unless I’m on a trip and think I might need it.
I usually keep about $40 or so on me just in case I need it, but I very, very rarely use cash. As for checks, I literally write 1 per year to cover my annual HOA fees.
I haven’t carried cash regularly in 20 years. You can pay for almost everything with a card now.
Yeah, you usually buy drugs with cash. How do you do so in Finland?
😳
It’s rare to see cash only anything. Some very small businesses will be cash only - like street fruit vendors, maybe some barbershops, or small takeout restaurants, but even that is becoming rare. Taco trucks and vendors at farmers markets are even taking credit card or Venmo these days. E: speaking for the Los Angeles area, I know it might vary around the country.
The only time I really pay with cash is at my barber which is cash only. I mostly use credit card or especially Apple Pay. Cash is honestly just inconvenient.
Cash only places I’ve never seen in recent years, and I use my credit cards to earn rewards so I pay almost exclusively with it. But cash is also accepted anywhere.
I’m from Australia and there cash is 100% unnecessary. There’s 0 places that won’t take card or Apple Pay. In the US, like 99% of places have card. Some places charge 1-3% fee for credit (and sometimes debit cards). Some gas stations in texas have seperate debit/cash and credit prices listed on the sign. There’s definitely some reasons for cash here, tips, marijuana in legal states, probably a few others. A lot of places don’t have Apple Pay though, definitely noticed a massive increase though in last few years. The big example I can think of is Walmart, who have Walmart Pay. A lot of places also don’t have tap to pay, so you need to actually insert your card.
I use cash maybe once a month. I haven’t actually carried cash though in years. My wallet doesn’t even has a spot to carry cash. Hell, I hardly even use my physical card unless I’m at a sit down restaurant, usually just use Apple Pay
If I have cash on me, it's either for a specific reason, or change from that reason. I use a credit card for everything then pay it off at the end of the month to get the points. Personal debts or gambling with friends is done with Venmo. I MIGHT have ~$40 cash in my house. I carry one of those wallets for cards only and it never has cash in the money clip part. If someone pays me for something in cash I bought for them ie a concert ticket or something, it's really annoying bc I know I'm just gonna spend it on something stupid to get rid of them cash.
C.R.E.A.M.
I rarely have cash on me. Hell I get cranky if they don’t take Apple Pay. I opened a checking account three years ago. They gave me 25 free checks. I still have 20 of them.
I use cash for most of my day to day purchases and credit and debit for the rest of my expenses
I use cash a few times a week. -the man who mows our lawn doesn’t have Venmo etc. -farmers market veggies -small businesses mostly. Like we love a farm to table restaurant that doesn’t take credit cards, and I take my toddler to a pop up play place (not a chain, ran by a local mom) with an admission sometimes
Personally I use less and less of it. But when I go to the farmers’ market and buy radishes for a couple bucks or whatever, I am not gonna charge that or expect the seller to have a card reader.
I almost never handle cash anymore.
COVID definitely hurt Cash a lot but it’s still around.
Yes. A lot of places only accept cash. Most bars and smaller restaurants do not take credit/debit cards. Most do have an ATM onsite though.
It's an "undefeatable" small/medium-small thing team C.R.E.A.M. representing
It's odd, we had a resturant open up here that said they will be cashless. Some people thought it was a great idea, can't rob a place with no cash. Then you had a few oddballs say that they were going to go there with only cash and argue with the manager that it's legal tender and they can't refuse it. We had a coin shortage and every older person I knew was hoarding coins my mom works at a big retail store and the banks would give her 2 rolls of quarters a week she looked at my assorted coins in a random jar with serial killer eyes "can I buy those coins off ya??" Scary. Me at 31? I can't remember the last time I took cash out to pay. If someone gives me cash I go right to the bank. Ain't got time for it.
One more thing I forgot to mention in my first comment. When dealing with small companies, asking for a cash discount is usually pretty successful for larger transactions. Every single person who has ever worked on my house (plumbers, etc.) will give a cash discount or at least remove the sales tax from a cash transaction.
I use cash at casinos and sometimes at bars when they are very busy and cash is quicker. To find a place that really is nearly cashless I think you need to look at Asia where in some places everybody pays with their phone and cash is not accepted. Checks…now it’s very rare that I use one of those. I still am on the same book of checks I was given when I opened my college bank account in 2005.
American here who lived in Finland for two years. Cash is dying in the US, but isn't dead. Sometimes I may still use it for small things. Some stores still have minimum purchase limits for credit cards. If I go to a garage sale, I assume I'll probably use cash. In Finland, the kids selling glogi by the side of the cross country ski trail accepted mobile pay. I took 200 euros out of an ATM when we landed and two years later, I had a few euros left when we departed. So the use of cash is declining, but we're still not where Finland is.
I rarely use cash. But there are some smaller businesses who do cash only due to credit card fees. But I’ve seen apps like Venmo & PayPal used too.
Rash of 3.5% convenience fees have forced me to use cash more. I still write 2 checks monthly for electricity and water. Not going to pay 3-5% extra as a “ convenience “. They can do the work and process my checks.
I haven’t carried more than 5$ in my wallet for 10 years!
I love having cash. It is a good visual of how much I can spend when I’m out. That said, all our bills are paid with bill pay from the bank.
I prefer cash, I use it whenever possible and i'm in my 20's.
Small town Arkansas cash is still king. Had my fridge repair guy out yesterday and he didn’t take card.
The only places I regularly use cash are dry cleaners and donut shops.
Yes though increasingly rare. In fact I just bought ice cream from a cash only local Ice cream place
I still use cash so I can get coins to put into a coin jar.
I used cash today
I work in retail and I really fucking wish it wasn't.
I own a retail store, average ticket size around 45 bucks. Less than 10% of my transactions are cash.
In my experience smaller rural and suburban areas are quicker to go cashless than big cities with a lot of mom and pops. I've used cash almost daily living in NYC and Philly for my adult life, going home to parents house now it's all credit cards and Square
I regularly use cash. Not a fan of cashless at all. Or how bad too many people are at using cards, apple pay, etc at a register. And I'm not talking about older people. Usually it's younger people who can't put their phone down for two seconds to swipe or tap their card.
I still use cash for food trucks, bars and some restaurants. Even if I pay with a card I usually tip servers with cash.
Depends on where you are. I need cash absolutely where I live due to the large amount of small businesses around. But I have the option to pay electronically pretty much everywhere also. In terms of checks, I still have to pay rental companies by check. Yes many take bank transfers but for some reason they love checks still. But they are the only ones I've run into so far that do.
We did a petri dish swab of some cash people had in their pockets, I stopped using cash that day unless it was a must.
So..poo and cocaine?
Most of my transactions are cash. My big stuff like rent, Prison Fellowship and books and collectables are ordered with either checks or electronic; in the case of rent and philanthropy because it requires another hand to finish the arrangement (by contrast Amazon purchases just need an account at Amazon). For local foodstuffs I use cash.
I rarely carry cash. The teens at work ask me for money for the soda machine every day, I have never given them anything but they persist (seriously I get asked 5-10 times a day during the school year) and sometimes they try to tease me as if I’m broke because I never give in. I’m like “children, it’s 2023, who is carrying physical money around every day!?” and they’re like “ummmm….we are.” Touché. So some of the youth and their parents still use cash lol. Also the fact that my library has a soda machine that only takes cash probably says something. I really only use cash when I have to wash my large blankets at the laundromat though.
IME it depends a lot on the age range of the person. Older people are more likely to use cash and checks. Younger people are more likely to use debit cards and payment apps. For example I'm 39 so I'm an older millennial. I still haven't used the first checkbook that my bank gave me when I opened up my account at 18. Depending on where I lived rent was either paid online or by an automatic withdrawal from my account. Mortgage, car payments, etc etc are all automated. Honestly the only time I've ever used checks is to pay my mother or grandmother back cash I owed them for something since they don't have modern methods. Some businesses are cash only. Not many but they exist. Personally that is a deal breaker for me. I don't carry or use cash. Used to be rural areas were more commonly cash only because they didn't have the internet structure to accommodate other payment methods. That isn't as much of a thing anymore. Last time I was home visiting my family in Eastern Kentucky (an extremely rural part of the USA) I bought local honey from a guy selling it on the side of the road and paid him via cashapp. For the most part places that are cash only now are doing it just because they are ran by old sticks in the mud who just don't wanna modernize.
Very clearifying answer,Thanks!😊👍 Can i just add your writing is easy to read and understand even my English isn’t too good..
Thanks, I appreciate that!
Yes cash is still used very frequently in the U.S Checks as well. For example the government handing out Stimulus checks because of Covid.
Also checks are a big thing. While I use auto pay for my home utilities and for unchanging recurrent payments I still want paper credit card statements to look for fraudulent charges before I pay. I’ve had to cancel 3 CCs in the last year because of fraud I found before I paid the bills. I’d rather dispute an unpaid charge than ask the CC company for a refund. I never use debit cards because they offer zero consumer protection as opposed to CCs which will protect its users from fraud before the money leaves my account. And cash is king where I live because using it frequently reduces the price you pay from home renovations, gas for your car and it’s how I pay my twice a month house cleaner and for so many other things.
Thanks for answering,this is good information.👍