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That would be a problem, I can't even withdraw more than €1000 from an ATM. Most of my transactions are plastic or digital, like 99%.

by Feniks 9y ago

jethro_tell 9y ago
You should maybe read the article then since it's about something else.
cmurf 9y ago
Pretty sure they can take a debit card, which even in the U.S. is a chip + PIN transaction, with a minimal transaction fee rather than the substantial percentage applied to credit card transactions. Anyway, by cash they mean full payment now, rather than invoiced to an insurance company.
jdpedrie 9y ago
"Paying cash" in this context doesn't mean a briefcase full of $100 bills. It means direct payment from the consumer to the provider. That direct payment could be in the form of a check or credit card.
sjsbsh 9y ago
Go to a bank and they’ll give you significantly more money than 1000 euros. At a certain point you’ll be expected to explain what you need the money for (anti-laundry efforts). For safety reasons, you might not want to carry around cash. So banks provide cash-like instruments that are safer to walk around with. Also, often “cash only” includes debit cards. In which case you debit card limit is probably an order of magnitude higher than your daily withdrawal limit. Finally, do what I’d do as a poor grad student unwilling to pay bank fees: start withdrawing a week in advance ;)
gwern 9y ago
"Cash" here means 'not wacky insurance schemes'. Their FAQ says "To keep our prices as low as possible, cashier’s checks or cash are the methods preferred. Credit cards are accepted on a case by case basis. Human resource departments or divisions of self-insured companies can make other arrangements if necessary." (They also have a partnership with some sort of personal loan/financing company which presumably would take credit cards or bank transfers.)
astura 9y ago
It would be silly for a doctors office to accept only suitcases full of $100 bills, not only would that be highly impractical for both parties, it would make them a prime target for robbery so they'd have to invest a ton in physical security. "Cash only" means "not insurance claims" in this context - usually when you go to the doctor you give them your insurance information and your expected copay the doctor (actually their admin staff) then submits a claim to your insurance company for payment. If the company doesn't pay, or pays less than expected, they will bill you. Large "cash" transactions aren't a problem. Multi thousands of dollars+ "cash" transactions are done all the time (such as a down payment on a house), you go to the bank and get a cashier's check. There's no reason you couldn't take out cash instead of getting a cashier's check, but it wouldn't be secure or practical. And your payee may have an issue with accepting physical cash from a risk perspective.

That would be a problem, I can't even withdraw more than €1000 from an ATM. Most of my transactions are plastic or digital, like 99%.

by Feniks 9y ago

That would be a problem, I can't even withdraw more than €1000 from an ATM. Most of my transactions are plastic or digital, like 99%.

jethro_tell 9y ago

You should maybe read the article then since it's about something else.

cmurf 9y ago

Pretty sure they can take a debit card, which even in the U.S. is a chip + PIN transaction, with a minimal transaction fee rather than the substantial percentage applied to credit card transactions. Anyway, by cash they mean full payment now, rather than invoiced to an insurance company.

jdpedrie 9y ago

"Paying cash" in this context doesn't mean a briefcase full of $100 bills. It means direct payment from the consumer to the provider. That direct payment could be in the form of a check or credit card.

sjsbsh 9y ago

Go to a bank and they’ll give you significantly more money than 1000 euros. At a certain point you’ll be expected to explain what you need the money for (anti-laundry efforts). For safety reasons, you might not want to carry around cash. So banks provide cash-like instruments that are safer to walk around with. Also, often “cash only” includes debit cards. In which case you debit card limit is probably an order of magnitude higher than your daily withdrawal limit. Finally, do what I’d do as a poor grad student unwilling to pay bank fees: start withdrawing a week in advance ;)

gwern 9y ago

"Cash" here means 'not wacky insurance schemes'. Their FAQ says "To keep our prices as low as possible, cashier’s checks or cash are the methods preferred. Credit cards are accepted on a case by case basis. Human resource departments or divisions of self-insured companies can make other arrangements if necessary." (They also have a partnership with some sort of personal loan/financing company which presumably would take credit cards or bank transfers.)

astura 9y ago

It would be silly for a doctors office to accept only suitcases full of $100 bills, not only would that be highly impractical for both parties, it would make them a prime target for robbery so they'd have to invest a ton in physical security. "Cash only" means "not insurance claims" in this context - usually when you go to the doctor you give them your insurance information and your expected copay the doctor (actually their admin staff) then submits a claim to your insurance company for payment. If the company doesn't pay, or pays less than expected, they will bill you. Large "cash" transactions aren't a problem. Multi thousands of dollars+ "cash" transactions are done all the time (such as a down payment on a house), you go to the bank and get a cashier's check. There's no reason you couldn't take out cash instead of getting a cashier's check, but it wouldn't be secure or practical. And your payee may have an issue with accepting physical cash from a risk perspective.