Cash or card

[daveisaclaret]

I only pay in coins in case The Government are fingerprinting the notes to see what I'm buying

[Clovius Boofus]

I tend to prefer cash if it's below £50

We all calculate what we owe, add a bit on for a tip and simply put the cash on the table. One of us then checks to ensure that the bill is covered with a bit over for a tip.
The alternative is that we have to divide the bill up and make 4 separate credit card transactions

There is another alternative and it's one that we use - don't be such tight arses and split the bill equally. I'm joking!

I get what you are saying, and we do something similar. Our alternative - I pay the bill in full, then I quickly total up what each couple have had to eat and drink, and they do a bank transfer to my account - it takes three seconds on their phones. We've been doing this for years and its suits us, but obviously, each to their own.

[Boss Hogg]

Went somewhere last night where the card machines had broken. It had to go cash only. People with cash could order food and people without couldn’t. The guy serving said he had got dogs abuse from someone who just came with a phone ( Apple Pay ?) and had to leave. Take both.

[ecc]

Here in Germany, many places are cash only, and if they do take cards, it's only German EC cards.

I've taken more cash out of the bank in the last 18 months than I did in probably 18 years in the UK

Living in France, I was taken aback when last in England six months ago when I couldn't pay in cash in most places. Here in France we experienced that phenomenon during Covid but we've since returned to a "normal" situation where you can pay by card or cash. Cheques are still accepted but less and less.

[Clovius Boofus]

Some years ago, we used to have a meal out on the last Friday in each month when I worked in Manc city centre. After a while one of my colleagues said that she was going to miss out because she was short of money that month and she also said she didn't see why she should chip in for another person when they always had steak, while she had either a pasta dish or a pizza. I told her I would sort it out because it wasn't fair.

This hadn't gone unnoticed. The guy either had steak or the next most expensive thing on the menu. So, on entering the pub, I quickly mentioned to everyone that from now on we would individually split the bill because it wasn't fair on others. Only one person was unhappy about this, and I bet you can who it was. I bet you can also guess right that he didn't order steak that Friday. I told him exactly what I thought of him, and he didn't come again. Some people really do take the pee.

[Bosscat]

Some years ago, we used to have a meal out on the last Friday in each month when I worked in Manc city centre. After a while one of my colleagues said that she was going to miss out because she was short of money that month and she also said she didn't see why she should chip in for another person when they always had steak, while she had either a pasta dish or a pizza. I told her I would sort it out because it wasn't fair.

This hadn't gone unnoticed. The guy either had steak or the next most expensive thing on the menu. So, on entering the pub, I quickly mentioned to everyone that from now on we would individually split the bill because it wasn't fair on others. Only one person was unhappy about this, and I bet you can who it was. I bet you can also guess right that he didn't order steak that Friday. I told him exactly what I thought of him, and he didn't come again. Some people really do take the pee.

Sadly that often happens, and its not surprising the one(s) who do that are the 1st to complain.

We as a group go to regularly go to Bradford/Leeds on the train, and usually do a Zizzis (or similar) for a meal before/after the Theatre. I usually pay on my card, and we work out what we have each had and then each pays me afterwards in cash (or OL bank transfer later) usually the amount is very similar per person so we round it up for the tip. Thankfully none in our group are p**s takers.

[dsr]

I understand the anxiety and caution around such a system being implemented. But even with that system being brought in there is an assumption that the government could and would overcome the legal, moral and practical barriers to tracking such micro data. Even practically it would rely on literally everywhere you could possible spend money having a POS system that is advanced enough to collect and share information about specific purchases. Who's paying for that? There's then the training required for front of house staff to ensure there are no mistakes because the legal issues that would ensue for penalising people for inaccurate data collection would be a huge. That's even before the various acts and laws that would need to be changed, broken or amended, and all in a country which would class itself as part of the free world.

I would be seriously concerned if it was to happen but even with a national bank card cashless system I still can't see the data collection / information sharing happening. I really hope I'm right anyway.

Who would pay for it is an easy one to answer. The trader, and indirectly, his customers.

It's only a few years ago that HMRC tried to install a system whereby every employer had to register his staff's working hours and rate of pay and HMRC would work out the salary and tax. I would make no guarantee at all that another branch of government wouldn't try the same thing with money.

[kentonclaret]

You rarely see an advertisement put out by the supermarket chains (Xmas adverts aside) that do not feature a checkout and staff interaction with the customers. However, the reality is somewhat different. I visited a large Sainsbury store at Finchley Road last Friday to find that the store had only 2 checkouts, only 1 of which was staffed. When it came to Self-Checkouts the number of positions accepting Credit Card Only greatly outnumbered Cash and Credit Card. If customers wished to pay Cash then they were forced to wait longer until a position became available. This situation is not unique to Sainsbury’s the majority of supermarkets trying to phase out the use of cash.

[dsr]

Who would pay for it is an easy one to answer. The trader, and indirectly, his customers.

It's only a few years ago that HMRC tried to install a system whereby every employer had to register his staff's working hours and rate of pay and HMRC would work out the salary and tax. I would make no guarantee at all that another branch of government wouldn't try the same thing with money.

And even more relevantly, HMRC are still hoping to install a system where they have full access in real time to every trader's books and records. The first step is the "Making Tax Digital" approach to VAT where every trader must use a computer VAT system and must submit their return online. The next step, which they haven't yet succeeded in doing the technology right, is to give HMRC instant access.

[nil_desperandum]

Some years ago, we used to have a meal out on the last Friday in each month when I worked in Manc city centre. After a while one of my colleagues said that she was going to miss out because she was short of money that month and she also said she didn't see why she should chip in for another person when they always had steak, while she had either a pasta dish or a pizza. I told her I would sort it out because it wasn't fair.

This hadn't gone unnoticed. The guy either had steak or the next most expensive thing on the menu. So, on entering the pub, I quickly mentioned to everyone that from now on we would individually split the bill because it wasn't fair on others. Only one person was unhappy about this, and I bet you can who it was. I bet you can also guess right that he didn't order steak that Friday. I told him exactly what I thought of him, and he didn't come again. Some people really do take the pee.

Following my post about splitting / not splitting evenly the bill and how cash can simplify this, we seem to have gone off on a bit of a tangent.
My group always used to split the bill, and generally most of us spent a similar amount on food. It was the drinks that caused the problem, since a couple of us simply don't do alcohol at lunchtime, whilst another couple would always get a bottle of wine, and another would have a couple of pints.
Everyone was happy though when we decided that we should all pay pro-rata, and as I said in previous post, we simply put down on the table enough cash to cover our own expenditure without anyone checking up on anyone. It always works and covers the tip as well!

[Rileybobs]

Following my post about splitting / not splitting evenly the bill and how cash can simplify this, we seem to have gone off on a bit of a tangent.
My group always used to split the bill, and generally most of us spent a similar amount on food. It was the drinks that caused the problem, since a couple of us simply don't do alcohol at lunchtime, whilst another couple would always get a bottle of wine, and another would have a couple of pints.
Everyone was happy though when we decided that we should all pay pro-rata, and as I said in previous post, we simply put down on the table enough cash to cover our own expenditure without anyone checking up on anyone. It always works and covers the tip as well!

I really don't see how each paying cash is easier than each paying card. Presumably each party would need to have exactly the right amount of cash, or wait for individual change? Splitting bills and paying by numerous cards is quick and simple.

[nil_desperandum]

I really don't see how each paying cash is easier than each paying card. Presumably each party would need to have exactly the right amount of cash, or wait for individual change? Splitting bills and paying by numerous cards is quick and simple.

It's really easy, as people only ever pay in full pounds so if your bill was / is e.g. (around) £18 you put a £20 note in which covers the tip. No one adds up to the exact 50p and it saves the debate about how much everyone pays individually on their card. It also ensures that the tip passes via the waiter / waitress,(though what happens to it beyond that will vary from place to place.)
Yes, you could do similar with a card but it's nice to tip in cash, and - getting back to one of the main points of this thread, - it means that the business would pay 4 x card charges. (I'm pretty sure that is why the diner makes a polite request that customers pay by cash if possible)