# Why do you never carry cash? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 1, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768 "2010-10-01T19:48:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768/101 "2010-10-04T23:45:31Z")
> [@NinetyWt](#): > > > [@suranyi](#): > > > > That’s the point of this thread, I think. To explain WHY we do things differently. > > Except for the guy who thinks I’m foregoing “a huge range of conveniences and social niceties” by not carrying cash around. That wasn’t me, I don’t think. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768/102 "2010-10-04T23:47:10Z")
Girl A out cookies don’t tempt me. There are dozens of types of cookies I want more. Anyway my cravings are rarely for sweets. Furthermore I hate it when my colleagues or friends try to sell me things. It’s coercive. I prefer to conduct business with people I don’t have other relationships with. And I hate being asked to donate to causes by my friends etc. I give my charity only to strangers too. Im not a member of organizations that are likely to demand cash without notice. I go to farmers markets weekly. All the vendors take cards. Even the Amish market in the countryside I stopped at on the way back from the beach rook cards. I’m hardly ever in a situation in which I unexpectedly need cash. Usually I know inadvanve that I have to stop for cash. Most restaurants take cards and will split checks. Not having cash occasionally saves me from buying snacks or making expenses I’m better off avoiding. There are cash machines everywhere. Most of the mom and pop establishments I frequent take cards. The few that don’t have cash machines on location or nearby. 2 20s a five and 3 ones? Now I have to carry a specific range of bills too? Are you joking? It doesn’t hurt me to CARRY cash. It hurts me to have to ensure that I always have some with me. I don’t do a job that can be easily covered by a co-worker but even if it would be possible it would he tacky to offer cash in exchange. More likely to exchange favors or offer lunch or coffee sometime in the future. The subway takes cards. Many parking meters now take cards. I no longer use a laundromat. Tips all go on my credit card slip. Overall I also resent vendors who force me to obtain cash when it’s inconvenient for me to get it. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768/103 "2010-10-04T23:55:37Z")
I’m wondering, what are all these “mom and pops” you guys are talking about anyway? In SE Michigan, the only “mom and pops” outside of the ghetto are national franchises. Yeah, the 7-Elevens are technically “mom and pops” and all take credit cards. Ditto for gas stations. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768/104 "2010-10-05T02:03:33Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > That wasn’t me, I don’t think. Correct, it wasn’t you. I was just pointing out that several people (not you) were incredulous that a person could live a satisfying and interesting life without carrying cash. I thought that was a weird attitude. 🙂 > [@Chopper9760](#): > > Shit happens, be prepared and have some cash. Would you mind elaborating on this? What kind of stuff do you mean? ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768/105 "2010-10-05T10:02:04Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > There’s a _lot_ of emphasis on the Girl Scout cookies in this thread. Do they have heroin as a secret ingredient now, or what? Pretty sure it’s always been a central ingredient in Girl Scout cookies. Sugar, flour, heroin, spice, everything nice. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768/106 "2010-10-05T12:01:24Z")
> [@kittenblue](#): > > So the Girl Scouts don’t set up tables outside Wal-Mart and grocery stores where you all live? Here you can order directly from a Scout, but they also sell at tables to move more product. During cookie season I must pass at least eight tables in various places. If there’s such a situation and I _desperately_ need Girl Scout cookies, then I can walk in and have cash from an ATM in a minute or two, since they’re conveniently located in front of Wal-Mart or a grocery. I think the only time I’d never be able to buy would be if they still sold door-to-door, which I think is discouraged. ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768/107 "2010-10-05T13:57:37Z")
> [@NinetyWt](#): > > > [@Chopper9760](#): > > > > Shit happens, be prepared and have some cash. > > Would you mind elaborating on this? What kind of stuff do you mean? I mean for places, rare though they are that don’t accept credit. This is actually rather timely, last week I picked up some handrails that I had powder coated, they said they only took cash. Surely they would have accepted a check? _shrug_ I just know that I was glad I had cash on hand as my schedule was pretty tight. When I was 15 I had a fuel line break, I limped the truck to an auto shop but they refused to fix it because they didn’t have a hose with the right pressure rating. I was 30 miles from home, out of gas, and upset. A guy in the waiting room volunteered to fix my car with the ‘wrong’ hose for $50. It’s been a decade and the repair holds. I couldn’t have paid that guy with credit. Plenty of places accept credit but if their phone/internet goes wonky or their credit machine breaks it’s really nice to whip out cash and be done with it. The really frustrating thing about that situation is that you don’t find out their machine is on the fritz until you go pay. This might be regional but paying with cash is faster than credit. Most places I have to sign a slip and even when I don’t it still seems faster to hand over cash than wait for the computer. All of these situations are rare occurrences and they could have all been handled without cash but having cash saved time and trouble. It’s perfectly valid to dislike cash but it seems silly not to carry a little bit for convenience/emergencies. ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768/108 "2010-10-05T14:44:12Z")
> [@Chopper9760](#): > > A guy in the waiting room volunteered to fix my car with the ‘wrong’ hose for $50. It’s been a decade and the repair holds. I couldn’t have paid that guy with credit. Yeah, but it’s not a decade ago anymore. Today, anybody with an e-mail address and bank account can take a credit card payment, like through Paypal. > [@](#): > > This might be regional but paying with cash is faster than credit. Most places I have to sign a slip and even when I don’t it still seems faster to hand over cash than wait for the computer. Now, here I really have to disagree. Waiting for someone to fiddle with separating their bills and counting the change out of their change purse takes a LOT longer than swiping a card and signing the slip. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768/109 "2010-10-05T15:27:09Z")
> [@ReticulatingSplines](#): > > Now, here I really have to disagree. Waiting for someone to fiddle with separating their bills and counting the change out of their change purse takes a LOT longer than swiping a card and signing the slip. It’s not even a matter of signing a slip anymore in most places. You slide the card _while_ the dude is ringing up your order, and then sign the screen as soon as he hits total. These aren’t dial-up terminals; they’re connected full time. It’s generally _faster_ than cash, even if the cash user has the $20 in his hand and isn’t digging for change or separating bills. ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768/110 "2010-10-05T15:40:44Z")
> [@ReticulatingSplines](#): > > > [@Chopper9760](#): > > > > A guy in the waiting room volunteered to fix my car with the ‘wrong’ hose for $50. It’s been a decade and the repair holds. I couldn’t have paid that guy with credit. > > Yeah, but it’s not a decade ago anymore. Today, anybody with an e-mail address and bank account can take a credit card payment, like through Paypal. > > > [@](#): > > > > This might be regional but paying with cash is faster than credit. Most places I have to sign a slip and even when I don’t it still seems faster to hand over cash than wait for the computer. > > Now, here I really have to disagree. Waiting for someone to fiddle with separating their bills and counting the change out of their change purse takes a LOT longer than swiping a card and signing the slip. LMAO. I’m not saying you’re wrong, I’m sure a person could get by without using cash ever again. I’m really not trying to be a dick here but your response to my hose story really has me chuckling. If the same thing happened tomorrow I should just ask the stranger for his email and assure him that I’ll Paypal him? If the reverse happened I should just assume that a stranger will send me the money? I suppose the whole thing could be handled on the spot with smart phones but even setting aside the vagaries of cell service it seems ridiculous to do an on-site web transaction when I could hand the guy a piece of paper out of my wallet. As to the speed of cash vs. credit, this really might be more regional than anything else. I’m going to blame slower internet/phone connections and a class of people who still aren’t used to running credit card machines. I almost always have to swipe my own card and then refuse cash back and sign the little screen. Usually goes fine for me but a lot of people have trouble with it. The occasional old lady who digs through the change clutch seems to have been replaced by damned near everyone over 40 cursing at the CC machine and requiring checker intervention. Again, I’ll concede that a person could get through life with no cash but I don’t understand the stubborn refusal to use cash when it has advantages in certain situations. I could maybe get through life with a Letherman but I like having a bunch of different tools. **kittenblue** - I always thought I was being paranoid when I wondered if servers actually got the tips. Thanks for sharing, that makes me feel less crazy for always tipping in cash. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768/111 "2010-10-05T16:06:09Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Just want to mention that this thread seems surreal to me! 😃 Me, too, but mainly because of the amount of cash non-cash people are carrying around _for emergencies_… > [@AmunRa](#): > > \*\*I do keep 100 dollars in my wallet for emergencies, but it is hidden \*\*(from me, my town is regularly listed as one of the ten safest in the nation, so I am not worried about being mugged or anything like that). > [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I do keep \*\*a few hundred bucks \*\*in my wallet, mostly in fives and ones, and nothing larger than a 20, in case I do encounter some situation which can only be resolved with cash. > > \ > > Before I converted to a debit card, I **usually kept a couple of thousand in my wallet** , and I got cash from the credit union much more frequently. What kind of emergencies would require you to carry that much money? Other than one’s car being towed, I can’t think of any. And why would you ever walk around with a few thousand in your wallet? That I don’t get at all. There are places I need cash—the barber where my kids get their hair cut, the gas stations that offer me a discounted price/gallon if I pay cash. I think I’m probably 50/50 cash vs. plastic. Equal opportunity spender, I am. ETA: I’m also gobsmacked that churches have CC/debit card collection options. But my surprise is only because I haven’t been to church…probably since the advent of debit cards and it never occurred to me. ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768/112 "2010-10-05T16:14:50Z")
> [@Chopper9760](#): > > LMAO. I’m not saying you’re wrong, I’m sure a person could get by without using cash ever again. > > I’m really not trying to be a dick here but your response to my hose story really has me chuckling. If the same thing happened tomorrow I should just ask the stranger for his email and assure him that I’ll Paypal him? If the reverse happened I should just assume that a stranger will send me the money? > > Again, I’ll concede that a person could get through life with no cash but I don’t understand the stubborn refusal to use cash when it has advantages in certain situations. I could maybe get through life with a Letherman but I like having a bunch of different tools. Yes, I was assuming smartphone usage here, but even if one or both of you don’t have one, you wouldn’t even be in that situation with a credit card. My American Express card has free roadside assistance. I don’t _refuse_ to use cash, and it may even be necessary on occasion, but on a day-to-day basis, as I understood the OP to mean, I can’t see how not carrying cash puts you at a disadvantage relative to credit cards. ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768/113 "2010-10-05T16:36:45Z")
Your _credit card_ gives your roadside assistance? Cool! That brings up more cultural/regional baggage; roadside assistance never even occurs to me. Cell coverage is getting better all the time but we’re not even close to comprehensive yet. Threads like this are fun! ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768/114 "2010-10-05T16:46:48Z")
Yeah, I suppose if you don’t get cell coverage, it’s moot, but I think it’s a really cool perk. You have to be at least 50 miles away from your home though. [http://www201.americanexpress.com/getthecard/compare-cards/roadside-assistance-cards](http://www201.americanexpress.com/getthecard/compare-cards/roadside-assistance-cards) ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768/115 "2010-10-05T18:20:32Z")
> [@Chopper9760](#): > > All of these situations are rare occurrences and they could have all been handled without cash but having cash saved time and trouble. It’s perfectly valid to dislike cash but it seems silly not to carry a little bit for convenience/emergencies. Thank you for your explanation. My backup for situations like that is my husband. He works right here in town and his job is such that he can break loose and come help me any time he needs to. He is a mechanic and also happens to be one of y’all who carries cash with him at all times. In effect, he is my roadside assistance. If there is something terribly wrong with the car which can’t be fixed in situ, he can bring our trailer, load it and take it home. ---
**Author:** ![AmunRa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AmunRa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmunRa)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768/116 "2010-10-05T20:43:25Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > Me, too, but mainly because of the amount of cash non-cash people are carrying around _for emergencies_… In my case it is really just a hold over from the days when if I didn’t carry cash I wouldn’t be guaranteed to have it available. Now thanks to better financial security and money management skills it is largely unnecessary, but it is still convenient if I find myself in a restaurant or something where they only take cash. Plus 100 dollars isn’t exactly a huge sum, if I lost my wallet I would be mildly disappointed, but it wouldn’t destroy me financially. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768/117 "2010-10-05T21:13:16Z")
I never carry cash. Everything I do is paid for with my debit card. I actually spend _less_ using a debit card than using cash. When I have cash I spend it indiscriminately. I check my checking account pretty much every other day and have my budget memorized, so I pretty much know exactly how much I have left to spend in any budget category at any time. The only time I use a check, standardly, is for my rent. I pay everything online, too. Agree that geography means a lot. When I lived in Chicago I needed cash more often than I ever do now that I’m in Omaha. In Omaha, I only need cash for situations I have to plan in advance for (ie - parking downtown). I just get ten bucks/twenty bucks back from my grocery store purchase as needed. I haven’t been to an ATM in years. I’m a single gal in my 40’s with no cell phone, and every day I drive around with no cash at all. I live on the edge. 😉 I haven’t had an emergency in over twenty years that I can think of that could _only_ be solved with cash. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768/118 "2010-10-05T23:30:09Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > > [@ReticulatingSplines](#): > > > > This is not really true, or at least you’d have to be very negligent to get cleaned out like that. Debit cards DO have a $50 liability limit if you report the loss within two days. After two days but before 60 days, you have a maximum $500 liability. After 60 days, your liability is unlimited. > > We’re not talking about a stolen card. We’re talking about one that has been duplicated. It’s up to the individual to prove they didn’t buy something. I’ve been through this and it was with a merchant who tried to tack on someone else’s purchase to my card. I had the same thing happen with my card and my bank was really cool about it. The most I had to do was record the fraudulent charges in a letter, sign it, and fax it to the home office (which I did at the branch in my grocery store). I had the money back in my account before the end of the week and a new card in less than two weeks. They even refunded me the lost interest on the money that was out of my account for that week. Meanwhile, I had the original card in my wallet the entire time so it was definitely a copy. On top of that, I would not have noticed the crap charges for at least another 24 hours if my bank hadn’t called me with an automated message telling me to check out my balance because there were a couple of suspect transactions there. I suppose it would have been much harder had the fraudulent purchases been in a local store instead of on the east coast while I was clearly in the midwest at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768/119 "2010-10-06T00:11:52Z")
I’ve been defrauded thrice with credit cards. The first was simple identity theft (by a family member at that!). The second, my credit card let _me_ know about it (some hotel in the backwoods of Arizona). The third, my company card was skimmed at an ATM and drained. It was inconvenient because I was working out of the country at the time. My liability and headaches in all of those occasions? None. Nada. Zilch. I don’t have a problem handing my card to a waiter, gas station attendant, or anyone (within reason, ya bum!). ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768/120 "2010-10-06T06:34:42Z")
> [@](#): > > What kind of emergencies would require you to carry that much money? Other than one’s car being towed, I can’t think of any. And why would you ever walk around with a few thousand in your wallet? That I don’t get at all. For two or three decades, I only had a savings account, and my credit union is quite inconvenient to get to. So I tended to carry most of my spending money around with me. Now I have electronic deposit and a debit card. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-never-carry-cash/555768.md?page=7)