# Do small businesses generally prefer to be paid in cash or credit/debit? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 18, 2016, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-small-businesses-generally-prefer-to-be-paid-in-cash-or-credit-debit/772311 "2016-11-18T05:25:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2016, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-small-businesses-generally-prefer-to-be-paid-in-cash-or-credit-debit/772311/61 "2016-11-21T01:05:34Z")
> [@SmartAlecCat](#): > > IME, they vastly prefer cash, even offering a discount if you don’t need a receipt. Tax evasion is part of that but if the only goal was to avoid taxes they could still accept a check in thier name and cash it themselves or the could give a receipt and toss thier own copy. To avoid taxes it’s relatively easy to leave no record for the IRS to follow, they aren’t calling everyone the contractor has potentially worked for. What skipping out on a receipt does is it limits the contractor to a tail light warranty, as soon as thier gone if anything turns out to be wrong, they aren’t going to back the work and you have no proof they are the ones that did it. If a contractor offers a discount for cash and no receipt, buyer beware. I’d find someone else. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2016, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-small-businesses-generally-prefer-to-be-paid-in-cash-or-credit-debit/772311/62 "2016-11-21T12:08:08Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > Huh? You can use a debit card online? That doesn’t sound right… Unless it’s a credit card with a prepaid amount? My debit cards are all usable online; in fact, most of my online payments are done with either of my Visa electron. They’ve got similar double-code verification systems as the credit cards. My credit cards are set to work as if they were debit cards (instant withdrawal from associated account), I only have them because of frequent travel abroad and because rental car companies do not take debit. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2016, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-small-businesses-generally-prefer-to-be-paid-in-cash-or-credit-debit/772311/63 "2016-11-21T13:42:27Z")
Yes, any Canadian credit cards that go with my bank are also tied to my bank accounts. That means that at the ATM I have a choice of which account to withdraw from, or “VISA Cash advance”. I don’t recall having a choice to use them as debit at the cash register, but that may be the cashier’s setup that chooses that. When I was in Egypt, the ATM cards would not work (except when I was in Jordan, where there was an actual chip-and-PIN ATM). However, the VISA cards allowed me to get a cash advance just from the mag stripe. However, in Europe, Israel, and Turkey, the ATM cards worked as well as they would in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2016, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-small-businesses-generally-prefer-to-be-paid-in-cash-or-credit-debit/772311/64 "2016-11-21T19:52:19Z")
Just by chance, had some plumbing work done today. When he asked me how I would pay, I said credit card but asked if he could take debit. He said he couldn’t. Credit, cheque, or cash were the options. ---
**Author:** ![bubba001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f17d59/32.png) [@bubba001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bubba001)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2016, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-small-businesses-generally-prefer-to-be-paid-in-cash-or-credit-debit/772311/65 "2016-11-21T21:14:40Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > Tax evasion is part of that but if the only goal was to avoid taxes they could still accept a check in thier name and cash it themselves or the could give a receipt and toss thier own copy. > > To avoid taxes it’s relatively easy to leave no record for the IRS to follow, they aren’t calling everyone the contractor has potentially worked for. > > What skipping out on a receipt does is it limits the contractor to a tail light warranty, as soon as thier gone if anything turns out to be wrong, they aren’t going to back the work and you have no proof they are the ones that did it. > > If a contractor offers a discount for cash and no receipt, buyer beware. I’d find someone else. I’m pretty sure that any check you run thru a bank is traceable. If you accept a check in your name, which is how many trades guys work anyway, it’s still income. And you never have to offer the customer the cash option. Many customers will ask you for a cash discount. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2016, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-small-businesses-generally-prefer-to-be-paid-in-cash-or-credit-debit/772311/66 "2016-11-21T23:13:22Z")
> [@bubba001](#): > > I’m pretty sure that any check you run thru a bank is traceable. If you accept a check in your name, which is how many trades guys work anyway, it’s still income. And you never have to offer the customer the cash option. Many customers will ask you for a cash discount. If they deposit ito or cash it at thier own bank yes it’s traceable. If they take it to the bank it was issued at they can just cash it and do what they’d like with the money. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-small-businesses-generally-prefer-to-be-paid-in-cash-or-credit-debit/772311.md?page=3)