The end of cash?

[dsr]

You say “you owe me £1.50”. Your pal pulls out his phone and in 20 seconds the £1.50 is back in your bank account.

By BACS?

PS - he doesn't pay through the nose for an internet phone either. How much do you think is a fair payment that I would need to pay so that you could do without cash?

[Rileybobs]

By BACS?

PS - he doesn't pay through the nose for an internet phone either. How much do you think is a fair payment that I would need to pay so that you could do without cash?

Obviously that particular transaction wouldn’t be by BACS but I’ve given you a very straightforward way how that could be done.

Why are you talking about paying through the nose for an internet phone? Are you saying your pal doesn’t have an phone with internet? Honestly? If so I would ask him to pay me via his home or office computer. Or failing that, get his arse down to the cake shop himself and burn off a handful of the calories he’s about to eat.

I don’t understand your last question. If you’re asking what would be a fair payment that I would need to do without cash (that’s how it’s worded), the answer would be £0. Because I’ve already said, I only use cash for 2 things, the barber shop and the car wash. These are the only two establishments I use which don’t accept card payment. If there was no cash they would both have to use a card machine like every other business.

[timshorts]

What's a pin ?

Something that you write with if you live in New Zealand.

[tim_noone]

You say “you owe me £1.50”. Your pal pulls out his phone and in 20 seconds the £1.50 is back in your bank account.

Is that more difficult for either party? Your pal doesn’t need the correct change, or any at all, and you’re not left with a load of coins. I’ve done it loads of times in my office when someone has picked me up a bacon butty etc.

Going back to your previous post, you certainly are being a Luddite.

I'm a luddite and quite thrifty with my loose change....it goes in my bottle bank and I draw it out at christmas ...£400 last Christmas was a nice surprise. I've seen plenty of issues with cards not working and being declined in garages / stores etc.

[duncandisorderly]

The costs of going cashless to a small business are not insignificant as, depending on the type of card being used, there are fees for each transaction.
Cash isn't free either anymore, we pay I think 0.75% to deposit cash, but card fees vary from 1.5-3%. (you've also got loads of other ballachy things - line rental for the machines to dial out, 'administration fees' to the pdq provider and so on, but I would assume most places would have these set up already else they wouldn't be able to take card payments at all).

It might not seem like a lot, but 2.5% (average) of my monthly turnover is a worth a wage and a half that is being 'lost' on card fees.
When times start to bite, like now for instance, which do you think would be the first to go - the card machines or a staff member? It's not the card machines.

We're well on our way to a cashless society so it is what it is, and it's the same for everyone, but losing a few more % here and there on top of all other expenses quickly adds up.

[Raggus]

You say “you owe me £1.50”. Your pal pulls out his phone and in 20 seconds the £1.50 is back in your bank account.

Is that more difficult for either party? Your pal doesn’t need the correct change, or any at all, and you’re not left with a load of coins. I’ve done it loads of times in my office when someone has picked me up a bacon butty etc.

Going back to your previous post, you certainly are being a Luddite.

Been reading this thread as I find it interesting, what I note is you say you don't require a mobile phone or internet Riley, yet here you state you pull out your mobile phone and bang in 20 seconds it's done? This mobile device has to be a smart device which not everyone has the need for this making your whole argument null and void in my opinion.

[Rileybobs]

Been reading this thread as I find it interesting, what I note is you say you don't require a mobile phone or internet Riley, yet here you state you pull out your mobile phone and bang in 20 seconds it's done? This mobile device has to be a smart device which not everyone has the need for this making your whole argument null and void in my opinion.

You don’t need a mobile phone or internet. If dsr’s pal didn’t have a mobile phone he could use his office computer to transfer the money for the cake. If he didn’t have internet he could ring his bank and transfer the money. Or he could just owe him a cake and buy the next round. With a mobile phone it becomes much more simple, and as almost everyone has one that seems like the best solution.

I don’t see how my argument for a cashless society is null and void when the main arguments against are how would my grandkids buy lollipops from the shop and how would my mate pay me back for his cake.

[GodIsADeeJay81]

That's because you are not using any imagination. When you think a bit more closely, what you are actually saying is that you don't want cash and if you don't want it, why should anyone else.

£200 per year is an estimate of a mobile phone contract with internet. How much does it actually cost? Because without it, I can't receive money in your utopian world.

£200 a year for a contract?
Do they still do them that cheap?

[TVC15]

Cash will be around for a good few more years.
It’s still the second most popular method of payment in the UK.
It’s ok saying what we can do with technology and the last few weeks proves that we can operate largely without cash.
But more it’s a case of what people want to do and there is still a lot of people and businesses who want to deal with cash
...and let’s not forget the several thousands of jobs that exist in the UK in relation to existence and movement of cash.
A few years ago the government said it was going to get rid of cheques in 2018. Cheques had been massively in decline for several years. Faster Payments were introduced in 2009 / 2010 and the vast majority of electronic payments were taking less than 2 hours to reach the beneficiary compared to 3 days for BACs and 5 or 6 days for a cheque to clear.
So getting rid of the fast decreasing volume of cheques with plenty of years notice for everyone (almost a decade) was a pretty logical decision.
There was then various lobbying over a number of years and eventually the government reversed its decision to get rid of cheques.

The point of this is that compare the volumes of cheques used in the UK to the amount of cash and you can see why no government is going to be getting rid of cash anytime soon...if ever.

And it’s a far more complex picture than saying you can do it all on t’internet !

[basil6345789]

I went to Stockholm last year and that is pretty much a cashless city.

The only worry is when you are going on a night out because the cash in my pocket is my limit on what I’m drinking

What's a night out?

[wilks_bfc]

What's a night out?

Sitting in the kitchen kitchen instead of the living room?

[troubleatmexico]

Don't think I've used it cash or seen cash in the last 4 months here in Shanghai. Everyone uses either Alipay or WeChat pay apps (also used for paying rent, banking and many other uses). Been in some shops that don't accept cash or a credit card.

[nil_desperandum]

Don't think I've used it cash or seen cash in the last 4 months here in Shanghai. Everyone uses either Alipay or WeChat pay apps (also used for paying rent, banking and many other uses). Been in some shops that don't accept cash or a credit card.

I don't doubt that that's correct for Shanghai and other big cities, but from what I can gather there are still more cash transactions than card payments in China as a whole, and with it being a predominantly rural country that situation is unlikely to change any time soon.

[No Ney Never]

Some of the things a cashless society would take the fun out of; poker night with the lads, monopoly, a visit to a wishing well, chuck ha'penny, teaching kids to save up, keeping a few quid quiet from the wife, etc.

[TVC15]

Some of the things a cashless society would take the fun out of; poker night with the lads, monopoly, a visit to a wishing well, chuck ha'penny, teaching kids to save up, keeping a few quid quiet from the wife, etc.

Realising the person behind the bar has given you too much change - how can you ever replace that feeling of elation ?

[No Ney Never]

A trip to the arcades would be a bit dissapointing.

[ElectroClaret]

I really can't see my window cleaner accepting card payments any time soon...

[dsr]

You don’t need a mobile phone or internet. If dsr’s pal didn’t have a mobile phone he could use his office computer to transfer the money for the cake. If he didn’t have internet he could ring his bank and transfer the money. Or he could just owe him a cake and buy the next round. With a mobile phone it becomes much more simple, and as almost everyone has one that seems like the best solution.

I don’t see how my argument for a cashless society is null and void when the main arguments against are how would my grandkids buy lollipops from the shop and how would my mate pay me back for his cake.

You probably won't like the comparison, but you remind me of Margaret Thatcher in one of her worse moments. Football had no appeal for her, it wouldn't have affected her if it went, so she was quite happy to abolish it because other people's views weren't that important.

Or Blair's digital radio fiasco, which so far as I know remains government policy - that when the majority of radio listening is digital, we can scrap analogue radio because the minority are only a minority and can be trampled on.

You're getting desperate if you are trying to find simpler solutions to using cash. There is no simpler thing than putting hand in pocket and handing over coins and notes.

[Rileybobs]

You probably won't like the comparison, but you remind me of Margaret Thatcher in one of her worse moments. Football had no appeal for her, it wouldn't have affected her if it went, so she was quite happy to abolish it because other people's views weren't that important.

Or Blair's digital radio fiasco, which so far as I know remains government policy - that when the majority of radio listening is digital, we can scrap analogue radio because the minority are only a minority and can be trampled on.

You're getting desperate if you are trying to find simpler solutions to using cash. There is no simpler thing than putting hand in pocket and handing over coins and notes.

I don’t care if people use cash. I’m not even suggesting we should have a cashless society so your comparisons are daft. I’m just pointing out how society could operate perfectly fine without cash. And no one has given me a reason why it couldn’t.

As for paying for cash being simpler. That’s just plain wrong. Paying with Apple Pay for example is far easier than handing over coins and notes and being given the difference in change.

To quote Darwin; It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.

[GodIsADeeJay81]

Some of the things a cashless society would take the fun out of; poker night with the lads, monopoly, a visit to a wishing well, chuck ha'penny, teaching kids to save up, keeping a few quid quiet from the wife, etc.

Poker chips, then transfer the cash later.
Newer monopoly games are available as cashless now, electronic banker.
Teaching kids to save can still be done online.
Same with keeping money quiet from a spouse, just have a separate bank account.

[GodIsADeeJay81]

I really can't see my window cleaner accepting card payments any time soon...

If he had no choice if they stopped using cash then he wouldn't be able to work.

Wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't put all jobs through the books and was then one of those self employed people who complained when the gov tried to help everyone recently.

[Bordeauxclaret]

Some of the things a cashless society would take the fun out of; poker night with the lads, monopoly, a visit to a wishing well, chuck ha'penny, teaching kids to save up, keeping a few quid quiet from the wife, etc.

Amusement Arcades with the kids would be a bit dull.
I’d miss having green hands after the 2p machines.

[claret2018]

I really can't see my window cleaner accepting card payments any time soon...

Ours does

[Rileybobs]

Ours does

Our window cleaner requests payment by bank transfer. Guess it’s easier for him as he can clean windows whilst we’re out and doesn’t have to come back to collect payment.

[nil_desperandum]

I don’t care if people use cash. I’m not even suggesting we should have a cashless society so your comparisons are daft. I’m just pointing out how society could operate perfectly fine without cash. And no one has given me a reason why it couldn’t.

I'm not in the mood for being confrontational, and there aren't many threads that I post on nowadays, but I think I did give you the reason why unless things changed significantly.
The reason being that according to my research there are something like one million people within the UK who - for one reason or another - can't open a bank account. I guess that they would have to have some kind of pre-loaded cash card to get around this

[TVC15]

I don’t care if people use cash. I’m not even suggesting we should have a cashless society so your comparisons are daft. I’m just pointing out how society could operate perfectly fine without cash. And no one has given me a reason why it couldn’t.

As for paying for cash being simpler. That’s just plain wrong. Paying with Apple Pay for example is far easier than handing over coins and notes and being given the difference in change.

To quote Darwin; It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.

There are many many reasons - or else there would not be around 70 billion of cash currently in circulation and neither would £1 in every £7 or £8 spent in this country also be cash.
The above post already mentions the number of people who do not have bank accounts in the UK.
Add to that another few million of the older generation who don’t use bank cards and still have building society passbook accounts. Have you any idea how many millions of passbook accounts still exist in the UK ?
Then there is the credit union sector which also has millions of members and growing all the time - growing partly because of the increase in poverty levels in this country. Many of these members continue to use cash as their primary method of budgeting and spending
And then there is the considerable number of pensioners who still take their state pension in cash - and they choose to do this for a reason. Why have the government not insisted on these pensioners getting this paid through automated means ? There is a reason for this.

And then there are also all those businesses - for whatever reason - still prefer to deal in cash. Again it is their choice and each will have their own reasons.

So in summary the reason why cash will be around for several more decades to come is because many people still want it to be. And whilst they do no government would dare change that.

[Rileybobs]

There are many many reasons - or else there would not be around 70 billion of cash currently in circulation and neither would £1 in every £7 or £8 spent in this country also be cash.
The above post already mentions the number of people who do not have bank accounts in the UK.
Add to that another few million of the older generation who don’t use bank cards and still have building society passbook accounts. Have you any idea how many millions of passbook accounts still exist in the UK ?
Then there is the credit union sector which also has millions of members and growing all the time - growing partly because of the increase in poverty levels in this country. Many of these members continue to use cash as their primary method of budgeting and spending
And then there is the considerable number of pensioners who still take their state pension in cash - and they choose to do this for a reason. Why have the government not insisted on these pensioners getting this paid through automated means ? There is a reason for this.

And then there are also all those businesses - for whatever reason - still prefer to deal in cash. Again it is their choice and each will have their own reasons.

So in summary the reason why cash will be around for several more decades to come is because many people still want it to be. And whilst they do no government would dare change that.

I haven’t suggested we should have a cash-free society. Can I just make this clear once agin. I also haven’t claimed that some people don’t prefer to use cash, they obviously do. This isn’t my argument.

The point I’m making is that in this day and age there is no fundamental reason why we couldn’t operate without cash.

[Rileybobs]

I'm not in the mood for being confrontational, and there aren't many threads that I post on nowadays, but I think I did give you the reason why unless things changed significantly.
The reason being that according to my research there are something like one million people within the UK who - for one reason or another - can't open a bank account. I guess that they would have to have some kind of pre-loaded cash card to get around this

We don’t need to be confrontational. It is fine to disagree.

Why can’t someone open a bank account? The only issue I can think of is someone without an address. In any case, there would be nothing preventing a system put in place to allow these people to open bank accounts.

I’m not saying that we could scrap cash overnight and be cash-free tomorrow. There would need to be a huge swing in mindset and significant investment in infrastructure. But as I keep stressing, there is no fundamental reason why society couldn’t operate without cash.

[tim_noone]

A trip to the arcades would be a bit dissapointing.

[TVC15]

I haven’t suggested we should have a cash-free society. Can I just make this clear once agin. I also haven’t claimed that some people don’t prefer to use cash, they obviously do. This isn’t my argument.

The point I’m making is that in this day and age there is no fundamental reason why we couldn’t operate without cash.

There is though - and I’ve listed a few.
The people who don’t / can’t have bank accounts.
State pensions paid in cash
Passbook accounts - still millions in existence. Britannia Building Society alone had 1m passbook only customers 10 years ago.
Many passbook accounts across all building societies do not offer any kind of card facility - it would cost tens of millions that building societies cannot afford or are prepared to spend in the technology and product development required to change these into current accounts with debit card facilities.

So these are reasons why you could not move to cashless now in the UK. The government would have to regulate this and would then have to work out who is going to pay for it...very unlikely they would make banks and building societies do this and very unlikely the government would pay for it themselves.
They have tried to solve the unbanked people dilemma for years - developing a basis bank accounts in collaboration with 3 major banks to offer to those who could not get bank accounts. They have been trying this for 10 years and still we have a lot of people who don’t have bank accounts.

So right now a cashless society in the UK is not possible without big changes in the laws and big investment. Neither of this is on the horizon or even being talked about.

[dsr]

We don’t need to be confrontational. It is fine to disagree.

Why can’t someone open a bank account? The only issue I can think of is someone without an address. In any case, there would be nothing preventing a system put in place to allow these people to open bank accounts.

I’m not saying that we could scrap cash overnight and be cash-free tomorrow. There would need to be a huge swing in mindset and significant investment in infrastructure. But as I keep stressing, there is no fundamental reason why society couldn’t operate without cash.

The obvious reason is that the bank won't let them open one. They don't have to give a reason.

"There is no fundamental reason why socitey could not operate without cash" is of course true, wide-ranging to the point of irrelevancy. You could make the same claim about football, television, supermarkets, private cars, ownership of property, shoelaces, marriage, local government, breakfast cereal, refined sugar, and school. But why would you?

[Rileybobs]

There is though - and I’ve listed a few.
The people who don’t / can’t have bank accounts.
State pensions paid in cash
Passbook accounts - still millions in existence. Britannia Building Society alone had 1m passbook only customers 10 years ago.
Many passbook accounts across all building societies do not offer any kind of card facility - it would cost tens of millions that building societies cannot afford or are prepared to spend in the technology and product development required to change these into current accounts with debit card facilities.

So these are reasons why you could not move to cashless now in the UK. The government would have to regulate this and would then have to work out who is going to pay for it...very unlikely they would make banks and building societies do this and very unlikely the government would pay for it themselves.
They have tried to solve the unbanked people dilemma for years - developing a basis bank accounts in collaboration with 3 major banks to offer to those who could not get bank accounts. They have been trying this for 10 years and still we have a lot of people who don’t have bank accounts.

So right now a cashless society in the UK is not possible without big changes in the laws and big investment. Neither of this is on the horizon or even being talked about.

No. You’ve listed reasons why we couldn’t immediately operate without cash. I don’t disagree with this. You’ve then given measures which would have to be put in place in order to operate without cash, which is basically what I’ve suggested in my previous post. None of the reasons couldn’t be overcome in time. In fact I’d go as far as to wager that we will live in a cash-free society within 50 years.

Happy to leave it at that because I can’t be bothered repeating myself.

[TVC15]

We don’t need to be confrontational. It is fine to disagree.

Why can’t someone open a bank account? The only issue I can think of is someone without an address. In any case, there would be nothing preventing a system put in place to allow these people to open bank accounts.

I’m not saying that we could scrap cash overnight and be cash-free tomorrow. There would need to be a huge swing in mindset and significant investment in infrastructure. But as I keep stressing, there is no fundamental reason why society couldn’t operate without cash.

Lots of reasons - under current law you cannot force a bank to accept any applicant and many are declined and then a whole other number have never had a bank account and refuse to apply.
Who would pay for this investment / new infrastructure you talk about ? Who would enforce people to open bank accounts and use a card / automated payments rather than cash ?
And the others areas I mention above.
These are all fundamental reasons why we could not move to cashless in any time in the near future.

Of course anyone can make an argument that anything is possible and technically of course it is possible as lots of people do not use cash. What I am telling you are the fundamental reasons why we are long way off this.

[tim_noone]

I don’t care if people use cash. I’m not even suggesting we should have a cashless society so your comparisons are daft. I’m just pointing out how society could operate perfectly fine without cash. And no one has given me a reason why it couldn’t.

As for paying for cash being simpler. That’s just plain wrong. Paying with Apple Pay for example is far easier than handing over coins and notes and being given the difference in change.

To quote Darwin; It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.

Well I'll go with Darwin then.....change it Is then. I'll take the 2 pound and 1pound coins.over the pennies though.... never really understood why shops dont round every thing up to a pound though to be honest,that really is lost on me.

[Rileybobs]

The obvious reason is that the bank won't let them open one. They don't have to give a reason.

"There is no fundamental reason why socitey could not operate without cash" is of course true, wide-ranging to the point of irrelevancy. You could make the same claim about football, television, supermarkets, private cars, ownership of property, shoelaces, marriage, local government, breakfast cereal, refined sugar, and school. But why would you?

What a load of waffle. This is a discussion about whether we could live without cash. I happen to think we could, others disagree, including yourself. Yet you then do a big u-turn and agree with me. Bizarre.

[TVC15]

In fact I’d go as far as to wager that we will live in a cash-free society within 50 years.

What’s the point in that ? Many of us will be dead.
Is it a cash bet ?!!!

I’m simply telling you why we are long way off. The fact that you are now talking about 50 years kind of confirms this....I’ve never said it won’t happen. I have no idea. At some point many of the passbook holders will have sadly passed away and we will have a technically savvy generation of pensioners.
The less obstacles there are and the less it costs then the more likely it will end up cashless.

[taio]

In fact I’d go as far as to wager that we will live in a cash-free society within 50 years.

Please say you weren't being serious.

[Rileybobs]

Lots of reasons - under current law you cannot force a bank to accept any applicant and many are declined and then a whole other number have never had a bank account and refuse to apply.
Who would pay for this investment / new infrastructure you talk about ? Who would enforce people to open bank accounts and use a card / automated payments rather than cash ?
And the others areas I mention above.
These are all fundamental reasons why we could not move to cashless in any time in the near future.

Of course anyone can make an argument that anything is possible and technically of course it is possible as lots of people do not use cash. What I am telling you are the fundamental reasons why we are long way off this.

Again. I haven’t argued that we could switch to cashless any time in the near future. Not sure how many times I need to repeat this.

Thanks for providing the problems associated with going cashless. I’d already considered some of these but you have provided some obstacles that I hadn’t thought of. But again, there is nothing that couldn’t be overcome. Just look at how quickly technology changes and look at how differently we live now compared to 50 years ago.

I doubt the future generations will use cash as much as the older generations. And I expect that currently a lot more older people use cash than younger people. It is in many ways a generational thing.

[Rileybobs]

What’s the point in that ? Many of us will be dead.
Is it a cash bet ?!!!

I’m simply telling you why we are long way off. The fact that you are now talking about 50 years kind of confirms this....I’ve never said it won’t happen. I have no idea. At some point many of the passbook holders will have sadly passed away and we will have a technically savvy generation of pensioners.
The less obstacles there are and the less it costs then the more likely it will end up cashless.

I wasn’t offering you a wager, surely you know this. It is a turn of phrase. This discussion is getting unnecessarily silly.

[Rileybobs]

Please say you weren't being serious.

See above. Did you really think I was making a cash bet?

[tim_noone]

There is though - and I’ve listed a few.
The people who don’t / can’t have bank accounts.
State pensions paid in cash
Passbook accounts - still millions in existence. Britannia Building Society alone had 1m passbook only customers 10 years ago.
Many passbook accounts across all building societies do not offer any kind of card facility - it would cost tens of millions that building societies cannot afford or are prepared to spend in the technology and product development required to change these into current accounts with debit card facilities.

So these are reasons why you could not move to cashless now in the UK. The government would have to regulate this and would then have to work out who is going to pay for it...very unlikely they would make banks and building societies do this and very unlikely the government would pay for it themselves.
They have tried to solve the unbanked people dilemma for years - developing a basis bank accounts in collaboration with 3 major banks to offer to those who could not get bank accounts. They have been trying this for 10 years and still we have a lot of people who don’t have bank accounts.

So right now a cashless society in the UK is not possible without big changes in the laws and big investment. Neither of this is on the horizon or even being talked about.

I'm a passbook only customer with the the Marsden.....wouldn't have it any other way. No monthly statements dropping through my door.
dealing with staff who have that human touch very friendly people indeed. And I save more than I spend..drawing out what I basically need not spending blindly on a card...some folk should try it.

[TVC15]

I wasn’t offering you a wager, surely you know this. It is a turn of phrase. This discussion is getting unnecessarily silly.

Of course I knew it. That’s why I asked if it was a cash bet !!

Lighten up - you do get rather worked up on these threads.

I only know what I know because it was my job for more than 30 years !

[taio]

See above. Did you really think I was making a cash bet?

No, I was hoping you weren't seriously offering a bet that would span 50 years.

[TVC15]

I'm a passbook only customer with the the Marsden.....wouldn't have it any other way. No monthly statements dropping through my door.
dealing with staff who have that human touch very friendly people indeed. And I save more than I spend..drawing out what I basically need not spending blindly on a card...some folk should try it.

You and many millions Tim.
Why would any government force you to operate differently ? The building societies won’t make you either.
It’s about choice - you are the customer.
If it ever changes in the future the main reason will be is because there is no demand for cash - right now there are about 70 billion reasons why !

[Rileybobs]

Of course I knew it. That’s why I asked if it was a cash bet !!

Lighten up - you do get rather worked up on these threads.

I only know what I know because it was my job for more than 30 years !

I'm not worked up, believe me. I couldn't be more chilled having just watched Barnes score a last minute winner against Palace. Maybe it's the way my writing is interpreted.

I enjoy debating on here, I just find it frustrating when people don't understand the point I'm trying to make, which could well be my fault. However it is common for some posters, yourself excluded, to intentionally miss the point and have an argument against a point that I'm not even making.

[Aclaret]

I really can't see my window cleaner accepting card payments any time soon...

Same with the barber I go to (remember them) 1 for the till 1 for the back pocket.
Say no more wink wink.

[tim_noone]

Same with the barber I go to (remember them) 1 for the till 1 for the back pocket.
Say no more wink wink.

The tight gets I know....the Rolls Royce workers who let you know how "rich" they are Baulk at paying £5 to the Hairdresser. They'd struggle to tip sour milk down the sink!

[Aclaret]

They would probably make some yoghurt from their sour milk Tim, rather than pour it down the sink

[claret2018]

It will happen within sooner or later (probably sooner). Anyone who thinks the government won’t implement it because a few people currently use only cash are in for a shock.

The cost issue for businesses has never stopped the government before. Just look at MTD for VAT that came in last year.

[TVC15]

It will happen within sooner or later (probably sooner). Anyone who thinks the government won’t implement it because a few people currently use only cash are in for a shock.

The cost issue for businesses has never stopped the government before. Just look at MTD for VAT that came in last year.

A “few people” ?
Have you not read the thread ?

Why do you think the government would want to do it ? Right now they make money from the existence of cash - it does not cost them anything. To get rid of cash would cost a lot of money - who is going to pay for that ?
They haven’t been able to get rid of cheques and the amount of cheques used is a fraction of the cash in circulation.