How much cash do you normally have on you.

People who don't have cash on them annoy me like no other. There is always somewhere that doesn't take a card. Be prepared for it.

Also, the pile of cards when out with friends at restaurants is ridiculous.

Also, you are a jerk if you are purchasing anything $10 or less with a card.

rowberringer wrote:

People who don't have cash on them annoy me like no other. There is always somewhere that doesn't take a card. Be prepared for it.

Also, the pile of cards when out with friends at restaurants is ridiculous.

Also, you are a jerk if you are purchasing anything $10 or less with a card.

Virtually every possible legit service takes cards these days, thanks to companies like Square that can put a card reader right on your iPhone for a few dollars.

Paying with cards at restaurants just makes sense. What's ridiculous is trying to figure out how to make change when everyone only has $20s. Cards eliminate that problem. They keep things simple.

Am I a jerk for making small purchases on my card? Fine with me. What do you care? Are you a cashier? Everyone in line behind me should appreciate it -- my card transaction is faster, simpler, and cleaner than paying cash and dealing with the change.

Credit card transactions are not quicker than cash.

Have you done one recently? Most of the time you don't even need to sign.

If I buy a coffee it's: Me: [Swipe] Two seconds later, Cashier: "want a receipt?" Me: "Nope." Done, and I walk away. Total transaction time: 3-4 seconds.

Cash transaction: Cashier: "Okay, that will be $2.43". Me: [digs around in wallet, finds a $5] -- 5 seconds elapsed. Cashier: [digs around in cash drawer, counts $1s, counts change, dumps it all in front of me] -- 10 seconds elapsed. Me: [pick up cash, puts it in my wallet, pick up change, put it in my pocket or their tip jar or whatever] -- 5 more seconds elapsed. Total transaction time: 20+ seconds.

I haven't left my house since they stopped using those big carbon copy machines to get the imprint of your card. https://declanandkady.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/credit-card-machine.jpg

not anymore wrote:

Have you done one recently? Most of the time you don't even need to sign.

If I buy a coffee it's: Me: [Swipe] Two seconds later, Cashier: "want a receipt?" Me: "Nope." Done, and I walk away. Total transaction time: 3-4 seconds.

Cash transaction: Cashier: "Okay, that will be $2.43". Me: [digs around in wallet, finds a $5] -- 5 seconds elapsed. Cashier: [digs around in cash drawer, counts $1s, counts change, dumps it all in front of me] -- 10 seconds elapsed. Me: [pick up cash, puts it in my wallet, pick up change, put it in my pocket or their tip jar or whatever] -- 5 more seconds elapsed. Total transaction time: 20+ seconds.

$10 to $20. Whenever I have anymore than that I end up handing $20s to my wife, or paying for everything. 95% of spending is with the debit card.

Ya Better get ya cash up, my wrist Antarctica, my neck is Alaska, my pinky is the North Pole call me Santa, I spit nicotine, call me cancer

$50-$200

In Canada bank fees can run you $100/month by using your business banking ATM card. I don't have any personal accounts only biz.

Canadian banks make you bend over at least once a month and it's painful without lube.

$20 or less for rare situations where plastic isn't accepted...paper money is dirty and does not give me reward points/miles/etc.

CashMan wrote:

Using cards for everything is dumb. It makes you more likely to spend money on junk that you don't need because it's easy. If you rely on cash, it makes you stop and think about whether you really need something before you buy it. Cash is much better for sticking to a budget.

That's probably true for some people, but I've been using the credit card for routine transactions for more than 20 years. Over that time I've had less and less need for cash as credit cards have become accepted almost everywhere. I don't overspend and I pay every month, never carrying a balance.

None except when I know I am going to a place that requires cash - like a summer festival or something...

Also, it may be a generational thing. I'm 37. I'd guess that most people older than I - guys especially - carry cash because that's just how things were done years ago. Nothing wrong with it, it's just what others prefer.

CashMan wrote:

Using cards for everything is dumb. It makes you more likely to spend money on junk that you don't need because it's easy. If you rely on cash, it makes you stop and think about whether you really need something before you buy it. Cash is much better for sticking to a budget.

The idea that cash is "better for sticking to a budget" probably makes sense for people who grew up spending cash, but it isn't a given for those of us who were born into a credit card world. It really depends on which method you're used to.

If I just started every week by throwing $500 in cash in my wallet, I'd probably blow through that money way more quickly than if I set the same budget and used my card. With my card, I have a real time record of my transactions, and I can see exactly how much I've spent at any moment in time.

I personally am way more likely to make a ton of small purchases with cash that I wouldn't make with a card. I feel like an idiot if I look at my credit card history at the end of the week and see a ton of little transactions for bottles of water, snacks that I really didn't need, transit/cab fares for trips that could have been walked, etc. With cash, there is no record that forces me to evaluate and modify my behavior. It's easy to just spend a few dollars here and there until there's nothing left.

$200 to $500 probably.

I have exactly one credit card, no annual fee. Have never paid a penny of interest on it.

I'm old, born in the 50's.

I stopped using a wallet along time ago. I use a black binder clip to keep a few card and $0 dollars. If I need cash for some reason I will stop and get it but any extra bills when I get home go in a mason jar that I empty at the end of the year to buy Christmas gifts.

I try to use my cash tips as summer spending money, so I'm usually carrying over $100 on me. I tuck away my paychecks into my bank account. If the $ in my wallet ever exceeds two hundred, I throw some into the ATM.

I usually have $500 for emergencies (2 x $100, 4 x $50, 5 x $20).

When I travel internationally, I carry about $2k in gold coins in addition to CC and cash. When you get in a situation abroad, gold is king.

Only terrorists use cash!

zero

loonie [$] to unlock shopping cart maybe

usually none. I'll stop and get some cash to use at the farmers market or for an entrance fee to a state park occassionally, but most of the vendors at the farmers market take cards nowadays. I don't think state parks have card readers at the entrance booths yet, but half the time there is no one to take my money anyhow.