# ‘Cash is king.’ Oh really? Is it? Do you carry cash? Are you plastic always, all the time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 4, 2020, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191 "2020-10-04T16:07:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191/61 "2020-10-05T16:12:13Z")
I can’t remember the last time I had cash on me, other than a handful of change in my car. Of course, I rarely leave the house these days, so it’s not that surprising. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191/62 "2020-10-05T16:22:21Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > We selected a place (somewhere in lower Manhattan, I don’t recall exactly where), and we enjoyed a nice dinner. It was a somewhat fancy place, not outrageous, and entrees were about $25-30 per. When the check came I put my CC down and they said, sorry, we only accept cash. > > What? In Manhattan?!?! Cash only? Really??? I would have made them wait while I found an ATM. Virtually the only place I use cash these days is for tips in restaurants as I suspect that the waitstaff may not get a fair deal from a CC transaction. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191/63 "2020-10-05T16:23:34Z")
We pay our dog walker in cash and that’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191/64 "2020-10-05T16:34:34Z")
My guess is at a cash-only restaurant, the waitstaff knows exactly where the nearest ATM is, since this probably comes up often. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191/65 "2020-10-05T16:44:15Z")
I usually use my debit card for purchases, but I like to have $50-100 (sometimes a bit more) in cash in my wallet, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191/66 "2020-10-05T16:53:13Z")
We actually use cash MORE nowadays. Online purchases etc. are still made with credit cards, obviously. Quick jaunts to the grocery store or drugstore don’t happen; pre-COVID I’d have paid for them with credit, or with cash if the amount was small enough and I happened to have it on me. Pre-COVID, I would often have very little cash on me. I usually tried to have 10 or 20 bucks, but if I ran out, it was no big deal. I could always use plastic to pay. But nowadays we keep a bit more cash around because a) we want to tip the grocery people when we do our pickup, and b) if we do pick up a meal at one of our local restaurants, it reduces the interaction. Hand 'em a 50 or whatever, say “keep the change” (making sure the “change” is enough for a good tip), and disappear. Versus handing them a credit card, and having them run that through, then having to sign (remember, we’re Murricans and don’t have contactless readers most places). We do keep a small stash of cash around the house, and did even before COVID - our emergency stash. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191/67 "2020-10-05T16:58:04Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > We selected a place (somewhere in lower Manhattan, I don’t recall exactly where), and we enjoyed a nice dinner. It was a somewhat fancy place, not outrageous, and entrees were about $25-30 per. When the check came I put my CC down and they said, sorry, we only accept cash. > > What? In Manhattan?!?! Cash only? Really??? Yeah - there are other places that are cash only. Lombardi’s Pizza, which we visit frequently when in town, has signs out front that say “cash only”. They do have one of those scary free-standing ATMs on the premises (scary because they are much less secure). A few years ago, we were meeting someone for brunch in Chicago and asked local family where to go. Three different people in a row said “Lou Mitchell’s - but they don’t take credit cards!”. So - while unusual, it’s not at all unheard-of. Judging by the lines at Lombardi’s, it hasn’t impeded their business any. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191/68 "2020-10-05T17:18:32Z")
> [@TheCuse](#): > > I find it takes folks longer to use credit cards at the stores. They have to pull it out of their purse or wallet, decide whether it has a chip or not, then usually do it wrong by sliding it when they should be inserting it, or inserting it when they should slide it. Then they have to push the button that says either credit or debit, then they have to wait for it to get approved. Then they put the credit card back in their wallet, then put the wallet back in their pocket (or put in their purse). Of course, the cashier also has to give them the receipt. Sometimes the person then has to sign the receipt. > > I think using cash is faster. 🤨 Most of these steps are exactly the same with either a credit card or with cash. You still have to pull it out of your wallet, put the change/card back in your wallet, and then put it back in your pocket and wait for a receipt. It’s not like any of those steps really take more than a few seconds anyway. Cash/card, I haven’t really seen a noticeable difference in the time it takes for a transaction. Apple Pay, on the other hand, that is super fast and is what I use whenever possible. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191/69 "2020-10-05T17:24:43Z")
^^I don’t have Apple Pay but I have read that it’s really fast. So far as cash or card–you’re right that it’s basically the same amount of time. I am hardly ever in a rush when in line, so if it takes someone a whole five or ten seconds longer, I don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191/70 "2020-10-05T18:46:30Z")
> [@TheCuse](#): > > ^^I don’t have Apple Pay but I have read that it’s really fast. Yes the phone pay apps are very fast. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191/71 "2020-10-05T19:09:48Z")
For the folks complaining about slow checkouts, I’ve noticed that tapping the new RFID cards is much quicker than inserting them in the slot. And is more reliable than the phone-pay apps I’ve tried that seem to go through phases where they just aren’t in the mood to swap e-spit with the card reader. So I now endorse tap-n-go. That’s an extra 4 seconds of my life saved every time I buy something. Woot! ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191/72 "2020-10-05T20:06:35Z")
For the most part, we use our cash back credit cards. While I do usually have cash on me, I rarely use it for anything but tips and panhandlers. We also keep a substantial amount of cash in the safe for just in case. There have been 2 times in the last 10 years when cables were cut and half of the county had no working internet or ground lines. The outages lasted less than a day each, but really messed things up. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191/73 "2020-10-05T20:16:17Z")
I also keep cash at home but as I think someone upthread pointed out, many places refuse $100 and $50 bills, so I think my cash stash is all in $20 bills (which is bulkier than I’d like). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191/74 "2020-10-05T20:32:19Z")
I haven’t seen that as a problem for a while as long as they’re the new fancy bills. The older bills do make stores suspicious though, they don’t even want to check them anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191/75 "2020-10-05T20:54:45Z")
I haven’t tried using a hundred-dollar bill recently but do the stores make a distinction or do they just refuse any bill over twenty dollars? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191/76 "2020-10-05T21:00:14Z")
Do you mean taking new bills but not old ones? That’s what I’ve seen happen a couple of times. I haven’t see anyone hesitate to take a new bill for years. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191/77 "2020-10-05T21:12:40Z")
Again, I haven’t recently tried using a large bill but the signs in stores typically say no bills over $20. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191/78 "2020-10-05T21:16:36Z")
Just what I see around here. It could be very different where you are. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191/79 "2020-10-05T21:29:15Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I also keep cash at home but as I think someone upthread pointed out, many places refuse $100 and $50 bills, so I think my cash stash is all in $20 bills (which is bulkier than I’d like). That reminds me of an annoyance when using ATMs: they now dispense 50 dollar bills whenever they can. Which as you say, are not all that popular at some merchants, beside being too large for many purchases. I’d hate to pay for a 3 dollar hamburger at McDonald’s with a 50 dollar bill. We have our main bank account at a credit union that doesn’t have a branch all that close to our house. I opened up an account at another CU that as it happens, has a branch just a mile away from home. We can withdraw from our main account at the nearby ATM without paying a fee - but they’ve started the “all 50s, all the time” thing - so now we actually go in and write a check (on our main account, but backed by the money we have in the nearby account) and that way we can get whatever denominations we like. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191/80 "2020-10-05T21:29:56Z")
After getting a second CC a couple years ago I went to almost no cash. Since covid I think I used cash one time. I just checked and I have no money in my wallet. And I’ve stopped having my wallet on me at all times. It’s usually on the nightstand. I get it for the occasional time I go somewhere. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-is-king-oh-really-is-it-do-you-carry-cash-are-you-plastic-always-all-the-time/922191.md?page=5)