# Should businesses be allowed to be cashless? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 18, 2019, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796 "2019-02-18T21:44:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2019, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796/41 "2019-02-19T22:05:11Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > The primary reason given for not being banked is not having enough cash to open and maintain an account. A major reason is fees: if you don’t keep careful track of your spending and live paycheck to paycheck it is very easy to pile up overdraft charges and below minimum balance fees. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2019, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796/42 "2019-02-20T15:15:05Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > I don’t think that’s the issue, because you’re right, . No business in an area where people habitually use cash is going to decide to only take cards. But suppose I live in a lower income area, where everyone uses cash. But I work in a different area, where most people use cards, so I can’t buy a coffee or run errands on my lunch break.Or there’s no supermarket in my neighborhood, and the one in the next neighborhood over has decided to go cashless. Or I don’t live in a low-income neighborhood, but I don’t want to use cards because the stores can find out too much about me that way. > > ``` > I'm not saying I agree with the proposed law- I haven't thought enough about it to take a position. But those are the sort of situations the proponents are thinking about. > > ``` I’m still not seeing why these people can’t get a bank account, or one of those Green Spot cards, or whatever, if they want to use the cashless vendors. It seems like an awfully big sledgehammer to whack the vendors with on account of what will likely be a vanishingly tiny piece of their business. It’s not the government’s job to make things easy for people, and this seems like pretty much the tiniest of inconveniences. Next thing we know, we’ll have people proposing that telecom companies keep pulse dialing lines because there are some poor benighted souls out there with ca. 1980 pulse dial telephones. Or in another 20 years, we’ll have people demanding we keep gasoline stations around because some poor people can’t afford electric cars. I suspect that if it becomes enough of a thing (which it will, I suspect), then some low-cost provider of cashless services will arise and serve that need. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2019, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796/43 "2019-02-20T16:16:28Z")
Also I think the cost of cashless is being exaggerated, by not taking into account that people without bank accounts also have to pay fees in a cash/check economy. They have to pay check cashing fees to cash a paycheck, and even if paid in paper cash, they generally have to buy money orders for some of their bills (they might insist a landlord come pick up cash for rent, they might be able to go to each utility and cell phone co’s local offices to pay in cash, but a lot of times they don’t). Then there are prepaid/reloadable cards which are bad deals, but ones which aren’t really. As mentioned above the AMEX one is $3.95 max for the card, $4.95/mo, no separate reload fee. That doesn’t see like the kind of cost demanding an urgent public response as oppressively high. In general a lot of this comes down to the hurdle you set. I don’t rule out collective govt involvement in the economy altogether, obviously there is and will be a lot of it. But I think there needs to be a fairly urgent need to expand it, not just ‘mightn’t it be slightly better if we forced economic actors to do X, Y or Z, so let’s do that’. Also I believe that subsidizing poor people should be done as centrally and transparently as possible, tax and appropriate money and give it to them if that’s necessarily, not a thousand different mandate to private entities to subsidize them. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796/44 "2019-02-21T01:59:38Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > FYI, in the U.S., 7% of households are classified as “unbanked” (i.e., they don’t make use of any banking services whatsoever). This means that they don’t have checking accounts, debit cards, etc. The primary reason given for not being banked is not having enough cash to open and maintain an account. One would assume that these people (except maybe some isolationists etc) would be getting some level of government funding, I know this comes in various forms but in OZ you need a bank account. Also stops a lot of off the book type payments. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796/45 "2019-02-21T02:29:31Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > One would assume that these people (except maybe some isolationists etc) would be getting some level of government funding. No. A big problem for people living paycheck to paycheck is that many don’t keep careful track of how much money they have in their account [or mis-guess when funds will be added or subtracted to their account] and write checks when they have insufficient funds in their accounts. Then > [@](#): > > Whether you write or receive a bounced check — also called a nonsufficient funds, or NSF, check — it will cost you. Write one and you’ll owe your bank an NSF fee of between $27 and $35, and the recipient of the check is permitted to charge a returned-check fee of between $20 and $40 or a percentage of the check amount > **[NSF Check: When A Check You Wrote (Or Received) Bounces](https://wallethub.com/edu/bounced-check/13879)** > > NSF Check: When A Check You Wrote (Or Received) Bounces This gets very expensive. So it is cheaper to cash your payroll check at Walmart or a grocery store and pay your utilities at the same places and get money orders there or at the post office for other bills you have to pay. ---
**Author:** ![Littleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ccd318/32.png) [@Littleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Littleman)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796/46 "2019-02-21T03:05:50Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > A major reason is fees: if you don’t keep careful track of your spending and live paycheck to paycheck it is very easy to pile up overdraft charges and below minimum balance fees. I do not use banks. Just before National City became PNC I used my card for everything, I lost track of one purchase of $6 ish which would have put me at -$1.83 However I had purchased an $850 air compressor just prior to that transaction. Instead of a $35 overdraft fee on my $6 purchase that put me $2 negative they looked at my account as a two week block, and did all transactions not in order of date, but from largest dollar amount to least so the compressor I purchased came off first, 13 days before it’s actual purchase. This meant I had several transactions per day as overdraft. My account was $1100 negative after my paycheck was confiscated. Changing direct deposit took two weeks which meant the next check was at their mercy as well. All in all $2600 in fees for a $1.83 overdraw And I had $400 for the whole month. Nearly got evicted because I couldn’t pay rent, gathered fees on that. Had to sell the compressor for $350 just to feed my baby boy and get diapers and still have gas to continue working . The costs just kept racking up … I’ve never used a bank again. > [@bump](#): > > I’m still not seeing why these people can’t get a bank account, or one of those Green Spot cards, or whatever, if they want to use the cashless vendors. > > It seems like an awfully big sledgehammer to whack the vendors with on account of what will likely be a vanishingly tiny piece of their business. It’s not the government’s job to make things easy for people, and this seems like pretty much the tiniest of inconveniences. Next thing we know, we’ll have people proposing that telecom companies keep pulse dialing lines because there are some poor benighted souls out there with ca. 1980 pulse dial telephones. Or in another 20 years, we’ll have people demanding we keep gasoline stations around because some poor people can’t afford electric cars. > > I suspect that if it becomes enough of a thing (which it will, I suspect), then some low-cost provider of cashless services will arise and serve that need. As soon as there’s a captive audience, prices will rise, look at the car insurance industry after laws dictated everyone have it, it was supposed to get cheaper because a large pool meant the companies didn’t need to charge so much ������ There better be gas stations in 20 years a fair amount of people buying new cars right now expect them to last that long. Rightfully so. There are tons of 20 yr old cars and trucks on the road now. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796/47 "2019-02-21T03:36:11Z")
yes there’s a dozen or so no fee ATMs in town …. but the actual fee is no more than what chase charges me for using my b of a at their ATM since my nearest branch closed down… ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796/48 "2019-02-21T03:47:04Z")
> [@Littleman](#): > > I do not use banks. > Just before National City became PNC I used my card for everything, I lost track of one purchase of $6 ish which would have put me at -$1.83 > However I had purchased an $850 air compressor just prior to that transaction. > > Instead of a $35 overdraft fee on my $6 purchase that put me $2 negative they looked at my account as a two week block, and did all transactions not in order of date, but from largest dollar amount to least so the compressor I purchased came off first, 13 days before it’s actual purchase. This meant I had several transactions per day as overdraft. > My account was $1100 negative after my paycheck was confiscated. > Changing direct deposit took two weeks which meant the next check was at their mercy as well. > > All in all $2600 in fees for a $1.83 overdraw > And I had $400 for the whole month. > Nearly got evicted because I couldn’t pay rent, gathered fees on that. Had to sell the compressor for $350 just to feed my baby boy and get diapers and still have gas to continue working . The costs just kept racking up … > > I’ve never used a bank again. Banks sometimes act unfairly, but if your ability to keep track of your finances is as poor as your ability to present a coherent account of a sequence of events and their causal relationship to one other, I suspect that you weren’t blameless here. ---
**Author:** ![Littleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ccd318/32.png) [@Littleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Littleman)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796/49 "2019-02-21T04:24:43Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Banks sometimes act unfairly, but if your ability to keep track of your finances is as poor as your ability to present a coherent account of a sequence of events and their causal relationship to one other, I suspect that you weren’t blameless here. It’s not my fault if your reading comprehension is so poor you can’t understand chronological structure. Just take a deep breath, realize you can’t understand it, and refrain from comment. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796/50 "2019-02-21T06:37:56Z")
How can I purchase a brick of cocaine or sell ‘my’ stuff to the pawnbroker without cash? Eventually people who deal in cash will be considered dodgy. In Hong Kong I primarily use my Octopus card which gets topped up from my credit card automatically when I deplete the amount stored on it. The top us about ~$125 USD, although I can manually add up to about $250 on the card itself. If the Octopus isn’t accepted, then I’ll use paywave or google pay, etc. Last choice is cash. The Octopus card is a stored value card that costs about $8USD one time fee. I can get the functionality on a SIM card from my mobile provider as well. I avoid vendors who don’t take Octopus or Visa as I hate getting coins in change. ---
**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:** [February 21, 2019, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796/51 "2019-02-21T10:43:40Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > One would assume that these people (except maybe some isolationists etc) would be getting some level of government funding, I know this comes in various forms but in OZ you need a bank account. You assume wrong. Yes, there are some very impoverished people, the disabled, etc. who receive government funding which, yes, is deposited in an account you access with a card… but in the US we have a “safety net” that is largely non-existent. There are literally millions of people between “poor enough to receive government benefits” and "can meet minimum deposit requirements for a bank account. Such people are too “well off” to receive government aid yet have the problems already noted about meeting minimum deposit requirements and dealing with fees and overdrafts. > [@](#): > > Also stops a lot of off the book type payments. I think the “problem” of off the book payments is greatly exaggerated. Yes, it happens, but not as often as people think. Too many are starting to assume that people who use cash are inherently criminal, and that just further stigmatizes the working poor. This isn’t such an issue in sane countries with actual safety nets. The US is not sane in that regard. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796/52 "2019-02-21T15:04:04Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > No. A big problem for people living paycheck to paycheck is that many don’t keep careful track of how much money they have in their account [or mis-guess when funds will be added or subtracted to their account] and write checks when they have insufficient funds in their accounts. Then > > [NSF Check: When A Check You Wrote (Or Received) Bounces](https://wallethub.com/edu/bounced-check/13879/) > > This gets very expensive. So it is cheaper to cash your payroll check at Walmart or a grocery store and pay your utilities at the same places and get money orders there or at the post office for other bills you have to pay. That’s a headscratcher for sure. So you’re broke as shit, and you manage to NOT keep track of how much money you have in your account and get overdrawn? It’s one thing if you make $100k a year and you don’t keep track of your account but to the nearest 200 bucks or so, versus making 25k and not knowing if you have $20 or $40 in your account. One is a LOT more critical than the other. And there’s really no excuse these days- between smartphone apps and IVR systems, anyone can check their balance and activity at any time. It’s not like the days when the main method of communication with the bank was your monthly statement, and you were expected to track everything via your check register. Personal irresponsibilty and/or stupidity is NOT a reason to keep cash around. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796/53 "2019-02-21T21:48:38Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > Oh in Australia everyone has a bank account and most have Visa Debit or at worst EftPOS cards, these normally don’t attract a fee. Great system. Same in NZ. I guess it’s easy to assume that the US banking systems are / should be basically the same as here and not realize how hard it is for some folks. By way of contrast the bank I’m with offers a day-to-day type account (the sort that used to be called chequing), with no minimum balance, no monthly fees (unless you want a paper statement posted), free debit card, and no fee for electronic / self-service transactions including ATMs. Between the online (desktop) banking site and the mobile app I’ve not needed to go into a branch for… years. I don’t think I’ve come across a business that wouldn’t take cash… but I may not have noticed as I often go months without using cash (or even having cash on me). ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796/54 "2019-02-22T00:22:43Z")
> [@bump](#): > > That’s a headscratcher for sure. So you’re broke as shit, and you manage to NOT keep track of how much money you have in your account and get overdrawn? It’s one thing if you make $100k a year and you don’t keep track of your account but to the nearest 200 bucks or so, versus making 25k and not knowing if you have $20 or $40 in your account. > > One is a LOT more critical than the other. And there’s really no excuse these days- between smartphone apps and IVR systems, anyone can check their balance and activity at any time. It’s not like the days when the main method of communication with the bank was your monthly statement, and you were expected to track everything via your check register. > > Personal irresponsibilty and/or stupidity is NOT a reason to keep cash around. It’s interesting that people choosing not to get themselves into situations they know to be dangerous for them is somehow a failing of personal responsibility rather than example of it. Next up, scolding people for avoiding the bar because they’d rather not risk developing a drinking problem. ---
**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:** [February 22, 2019, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796/55 "2019-02-22T10:14:14Z")
> [@bump](#): > > That’s a headscratcher for sure. So you’re broke as shit, and you manage to NOT keep track of how much money you have in your account and get overdrawn? It’s one thing if you make $100k a year and you don’t keep track of your account but to the nearest 200 bucks or so, versus making 25k and not knowing if you have $20 or $40 in your account. If you’re living on the edge it can be surprisingly easy to overdraw - not the least because transactions are not always immediately posted. So you buy something and it doesn’t post on your account until two days later… after you’ve already bought something else. Or you go to buy gas for your car and don’t realize that the pump will put a bank hold on your account that leads to overdraws and fees. There are a lot of little traps like that which folks who are able to keep a couple hundred in the account at all times are often unaware of. > [@](#): > > One is a LOT more critical than the other. And there’s really no excuse these days- between smartphone apps and IVR systems, anyone can check their balance and activity at any time. Not everyone has a smartphone - yes, it’s true! About 30% of the US does NOT have a smartphone! You’re sort of screwed if you wind up in an area that has poor or non-existent cell phone coverage (not a problem in big urban areas, but there’s still quite a bit of the US with poor or no coverage). > [@](#): > > Personal irresponsibilty and/or stupidity is NOT a reason to keep cash around. If people find that using cash keeps them from getting in trouble in the bank then it’s a very good reason to continue to use case. People without smart phones are not “stupid” or “irresponsible”. They’re just people without smart phones. The fact that some people are getting along with little or no cash is NOT a reason to abolish cash. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796/56 "2019-02-22T13:52:08Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > If people find that using cash keeps them from getting in trouble in the bank then it’s a very good reason to continue to use case. > > People without smart phones are not “stupid” or “irresponsible”. They’re just people without smart phones. > > The fact that some people are getting along with little or no cash is NOT a reason to abolish cash. Agree on all three, but the question here is whether ‘we’ should allow businesses not to take cash. I don’t think ‘we’ should abolish cash _or_ force merchants to take it (except as far as required by court precedent under ‘all debts public and private’ which as has been mentioned doesn’t apply to merchants who refuse to do a transaction in cash in the first place). Or at the least it’s premature, pending the odd outcome that lots of people, especially lower income but not exclusively, still want to pay cash (which is true as of now), but businesses catering mainly to that clientele refuse to take cash. In Africa average people are much poorer than people considered poor in the US, but in many countries there payment by smartphone is more common than in the US. A lot of people in the US who don’t have smartphones are technophobes. It’s not as correlated with low income as more traditional financial means like having a bank account. It’s entirely possible that by the time there’s actually a shortage of basic small businesses taking cash, poor people will also predominantly not use cash. Right now they often do…but right now there’s no real trouble using cash, two things which are not a coincidence. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796/57 "2019-02-22T13:57:29Z")
I think businesses should be allowed to go cashless if they want, and I think it’s silly for governments to assume that they can stop us from becoming a mostly cashless society. It seems inevitable. I’d rather governments spend more time understanding the consequences of a cashless society for the countless numbers of people who are left in the digital cold. There’s less money going around for street beggars. As annoying as they can be, I feel for them. And as the OP initially pointed out, there are many who don’t have banks and the cashless options they have are probably limited and even predatory. Governments need to accept that people at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder are being driven into desperation and we need to have some way to reckon with the costs. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796/58 "2019-02-22T16:13:09Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > You’re sort of screwed if you wind up in an area that has poor or non-existent cell phone coverage (not a problem in big urban areas, but there’s still quite a bit of the US with poor or no coverage). This doesn’t look like “quite a bit of the US”. In fact, they cover 98% of the population. > **[Qualified for a Discount Program? Get a Low-Cost Phone Plan | Verizon](https://www.verizon.com/featured/our-network/)** > > Want to get your monthly bill lower? See if you qualify for Verizon’s internet service discounts or low cost cell phone plans. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796/59 "2019-02-22T16:25:07Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > This doesn’t look like “quite a bit of the US”. In fact, they cover 98% of the population. > > [Qualified for a Discount Program? Get a Low-Cost Phone Plan | Verizon](https://www.verizonwireless.com/featured/better-matters/?map=4glte#maps) Let’s just say that maps like this are nice, but don’t tell the whole story. First of all, that’s Verizon, which is one of the more expensive providers. I suspect that many lower-income Americans may be opting for one of the lower-cost providers, whose coverage may not be as good or reliable. My mother-in-law lives here in suburban Chicago. She’s not lower-income, but she _is_ frugal as hell, and she has T-Mobile for her cell service, specifically because it’s substantially cheaper than Verizon or AT&T. Here’s [T-Mobile’s coverage map](https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/coverage-map); they make it look like the Chicago area is completely covered. Actual experience is that that’s BS. My mother-in-law suffers dropped calls, or no signal at all, continually, including in her home. Who knows if it’s a matter of tower placement or what, but the map doesn’t tell you that. Similarly, I have AT&T (and they’re one of the “good ones,” coverage-wise). Again, if [the coverage map alone](https://www.att.com/maps/reseller.html) was to be believed, I should have coverage everywhere here in Chicago. Yes, but…there are areas (including at my house) where my signal drops to one or two bars, trying to use data is spotty at best, and calls regularly drop. It’s not like Chicago is a hilly area, either. If AT&T hadn’t given me a microcell for the house a decade ago, my cell service would be next to unusable in my home. The microcell is tied into my cable modem for its connection; if the cable is out, the odds of a cell call dropping are very high, and the data aspect of the phone is close to unusable. And this is all in a highly urbanized area, too. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796/60 "2019-02-22T16:33:22Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > This doesn’t look like “quite a bit of the US”. In fact, they cover 98% of the population. > > [Qualified for a Discount Program? Get a Low-Cost Phone Plan | Verizon](https://www.verizonwireless.com/featured/better-matters/?map=4glte#maps) Those maps are completely inaccurate. Try crowd-sourced data like: > **[Sensorly](https://www.sensorly.com/)** > > Crowdsourced coverage maps for 4G, 3G, and 2G networks worldwide. Check your carrier’s coverage and performance with Sensorly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-businesses-be-allowed-to-be-cashless/829796.md?page=4)