# Do you still use cash? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 6, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980 "2011-05-06T17:06:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980/21 "2011-05-06T17:51:46Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I use cash all the time. I do not care to leave an electronic trail behind me. It doesn’t matter that no one has a particular reason to look into how I spend my money; it’s the principle. This is fair, I suppose, but they still know how much money you have and where you made all your withdrawals, so… > [@](#): > > Also, despite what the commercials say, cash is still faster. Uh. Depends on where you shop, I guess, but for example, at the local coffee shop, I don’t even have to sign anything anymore. I hand over the card, the cashier swipes it, asks me “Do you want a receipt?” and I say “no”, they give me the card back, and I’m done. No popping open register drawers, flipping through stacks of bills or sorting coins. Anyway, I do carry cash, because a lot of places here (My office is just outside Chinatown) only take cash. I use credit whenever possible, because it’s like being paid to make purchases I was going to make anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980/22 "2011-05-06T17:54:19Z")
Rarely - today I had to go get a TB test and a certain place was recommended because it was cheapest but required cash - I knew that but was getting out of my car before I remembered. Had to go get to an ATM. I keep meaning to keep a 20 around just in case (and I do have a few in the house for emergencies) but if there’s a 20 in my wallet I’ll break it to buy Cokes at work. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980/23 "2011-05-06T17:55:57Z")
i use cash for most things under $30. ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980/24 "2011-05-06T17:57:38Z")
Quite often. I don’t care to provide anyone with a record of my purchases or the amounts. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980/25 "2011-05-06T18:06:17Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Also, despite what the commercials say, cash is still faster. That’s not true for me when I add in the time spent going to the bank or to an ATM to get the cash. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980/26 "2011-05-06T18:07:09Z")
I use cash for most purchases under about $40. It’s too hard to keep track of where the money goes with debit cards and my credit cards never seem to give me any valuable benefits. It’s too much trouble to write down every credit card expenditure to keep track of what you’ve spent. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980/27 "2011-05-06T18:09:54Z")
All the time. Some places don’t take plastic. Some don’t take it under a certain dollar amount. And I hate having a whole bunch of swipes for petty amounts. I’m not going to use a card to pay for a $1.00 can of soda. I can’t do my laundry without cash. It sucks to put the detergent into a machine, then put in my clothes, then realize that I have to run to an ATM. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980/28 "2011-05-06T18:09:59Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > That’s not true for me when I add in the time spent going to the bank or to an ATM to get the cash. I’ll get a few hundred dollars out at a time. Of course I am large and glowery and look like a mugger wearing a nice suit rather than a person a mugger would attack, so others may legitimately choose to act otherwise. Also I’ll use my debit card at Wal-mart buying groceries, and replenish my supply of cash at the register. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980/29 "2011-05-06T18:17:13Z")
Frequently. The way we budget is to have one big grocery shop per week, put on the debit card, and go to an ATM to withdraw the rest of that week’s budget. The rest of the week, we try to keep our spending to whatever cash we have. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980/30 "2011-05-06T18:18:19Z")
I always buy certain commodities…like ammo…in cash. Just because. ---
**Author:** ![FrancisCastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b4bc9f/32.png) [@FrancisCastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrancisCastle)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980/31 "2011-05-06T18:20:19Z")
I have a part time job that pays me in cash, so I usually have some on me. Also, we recently bought a car with cash. As in, we walked into the dealership with an envelope full of hundred dollar bills. It made me feel like I was doing something illegal. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980/32 "2011-05-06T18:20:30Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I always buy certain commodities…like ammo…in cash. Just because. Um … why do you need ammo? _All your guns were lost in a tragic boating accident_. The same thing happened to mine. Also the knives. ---
**Author:** ![buttonjockey308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@buttonjockey308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buttonjockey308)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980/33 "2011-05-06T18:25:06Z")
I use cash for everything under $1000 IRL and I use a credit card for online purchases. I use my debit card to get cash out, a few hundred at a time as needed. I do not care for the extra work I’m forced to do with a debit card and now that the hard-to-get rewards are evaporating, I’m transitioning back to cash. Just a little planning saves me fees and extra time spent working on balancing my account. Also, if I don’t have the money in my hand, I can’t buy whatever it is, which is better. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980/34 "2011-05-06T18:26:54Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > I use cash for most purchases under about $40. It’s too hard to keep track of where the money goes with debit cards and my credit cards never seem to give me any valuable benefits. It’s too much trouble to write down every credit card expenditure to keep track of what you’ve spent. My bank tracks every purchase I make with my cards and allows me to categorize spending without me having to put in any extra work. I mean, yeah, I’m getting that some folk dislike letting the bank have that much information, but I don’t personally care whether they know that I went to Panda Express twice in the last week, and it does a far better job of tracking purchases than I ever could. When I pull $20 out of the ATM, all I see is that I took out $20. I don’t know what I spent it on. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980/35 "2011-05-06T18:27:11Z")
After a rash of debit/pin and credit card information being skimmed of gas pumps in my area I went back to paying cash for gas. That used to be a minor purchase but not so much anymore. I carry plastic and cash, I like having the flexibility to use either, and I do have business with some local folks who don’t take plastic for various reasons (credit issues, they’re Amish (no, I’m not joking) and so forth). Pay the rent with a check and bills on line - hey, I’m flexible, what can I say? ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980/36 "2011-05-06T18:30:29Z")
I pay my utility bills online (all 3 of them), debit or credit card for gasoline, and cash for all but large purchases (the last one of those was a big TV). It seems I’m always getting stuck in line behind someone who’s writing a check or using a card with some sort of problem, slowing down my day! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980/37 "2011-05-06T18:33:30Z")
I already mentioned that I like cash, and just thought of another example. My business is in a rural area. I charge people primarily for my time. After giving someone a quote, I will sometimes have them say, surreptitiously, Howzabout if a I pay cash? I knock a bit off. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980/38 "2011-05-06T18:36:08Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > When I pull $20 out of the ATM, all I see is that I took out $20. I don’t know what I spent it on. Categorize it under “beer.” ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980/39 "2011-05-06T18:49:07Z")
I was startled a few months ago when I realized that I had the same $5 bill in my pocket on Friday as on Monday. I rarely, if ever, use actual cash anymore, and don’t remember when the transition occurred. Gas for my car? Debit card. Tolls? EZ Pass. Groceries? Debit card. Restaurants? Debit card. Small, non food purchases? Debit card. Large purchases? Amex. Monthly Bills? Online Billpay. My payroll check is directly deposited into my checking account, so I don’t see cash coming in either. I don’t think there’s anything I do on a day to day basis that requires actual cash anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980/40 "2011-05-06T18:50:50Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > My bank tracks every purchase I make with my cards and allows me to categorize spending without me having to put in any extra work. I love Bank of America for this feature alone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-cash/580980.md?page=3)