6 ms·

When I used cash to buy something at the store, I have to take out my wallet, count the appropriate amount of cash, wait for the cashier to give back any change

When I used cash to buy something at the store, I have to take out my wallet, count the appropriate amount of cash, wait for the cashier to give back any change, confirm I got the right amount back. If I use a credit card, I just insert a piece of plastic into a slot, and we're done. It's more convenient. Negative side effects of using cash also include having to carry a bulging wallet when I'm constantly trying to minimize the stuff I have to carry. Side effects of using credit card is that all my transactions are tracked, but the side effect of that side effect is that I know exactly what I'm spending where. And no, I'd rather not do a manual bookkeeping routine, which is what I'd have to do if I used cash. Yes, there is the side effect that third party entities might also know what my transactions are, but I simply don't care. Maybe there is some far off scenario in the future where it can be used against me, but I view worrying about that remote possibility as premature optimization. I have far greater things to worry about. I understand the benefits of using cash even if I don't find those benefits valuable for myself personally. But I don't understand how someone can find using cash more convenient than swiping a credit card.

wolverine876 5y ago
> When I used cash to buy something at the store, I have to take out my wallet, count the appropriate amount of cash, wait for the cashier to give back any change, confirm I got the right amount back. If I use a credit card, I just insert a piece of plastic into a slot, and we're done. It's more convenient. > If I use a credit card, I just insert a piece of plastic into a slot, and we're done. It's more convenient. Where do you keep your credit card, in your hand at all times? How long does the cash exchange take? Moments, in my experience. > there is the side effect that third party entities might also know what my transactions are, but I simply don't care. What if they use it to control your society and oppress other people?
- decafninja 5y ago
  > Where do you keep your credit card, in your hand at all times? How long does the cash exchange take? Moments, in my experience. In my ultraslim card wallet, where other than my driver's license, it is the only occupant. Meanwhile my wife, who loves carrying/using cash, has a wallet that is enormous. She carries a purse, so it is less of an issue for her. Plus these days, especially when I'm not driving, I find myself not even carrying that wallet - just my phone, via which I can pay via Apple Pay. Doesn't cover every single payment scenario, but it does cover enough - and increasingly, more. > What if they use it to control your society and oppress other people? See my comment earlier about premature optimization. Maybe I'd feel different if I lived in China or some other authoritarian country, but as it stands today in the United States, I am not worried about this at all, nor in the foreseeable future.
  - wolverine876 5y ago
    > Meanwhile my wife, who loves carrying/using cash, has a wallet that is enormous. Why the need for hyperbole? Plenty of people have used cash for generations without enormous wallets; there just isn't that much volume to some cash. It's not that hard to use. >> What if they use it to control your society and oppress other people? > as it stands today in the United States, I am not worried about this at all, nor in the foreseeable future. There might be more going on in the US than you think. Look at what happens to immigrants, Muslims (esp. during the GWOT), people who challenge government authority, political opposition, etc. The prior president actively solicted intelligence on political opposition and repeatedly threatened to jail them. Today, here's an article I just read: https://www.justsecurity.org/80813/mayorkas-must-rein-in-homeland-security-investigations/ https://www.justsecurity.org/80813/mayorkas-must-rein-in-hom... If we give the tools of oppression to government, and they start using them, how will you stop them? What will stop them?
- ChrisMarshallNY 5y ago
  I’ve been using Apple Pay (with my Watch), for over a year. Sometimes, I forget my wallet at home (not good, if I’m driving), but still have no problem buying something for hundreds of dollars. I often have no cash on me; which can be a problem, from time to time.
whatpaysawayrns 5y ago
When I use cash to pay my mechanic for something quick, they give me a discount and round to the nearest $10. If I use a credit card, we have to go for a walk to the back office and wait for an old and creaky point-of-sale machine to navigate a slow network connection.
- theshrike79 5y ago
  > When I use cash to pay my mechanic for something quick, they give me a discount and round to the nearest $10. And then they pocket the money and never give you a receipt, right? You do know what that's called? =)
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
femto 5y ago
A fairer comparison with swiping a credit card would be if you used the wallet like a credit card: just give it to the cashier, let them take out what is required and give it back to you.
nobodyandproud 5y ago
> When I used cash to buy something at the store, I have to take out my wallet, count the appropriate amount of cash, wait for the cashier to give back any change, confirm I got the right amount back. > If I use a credit card, I just insert a piece of plastic into a slot, and we're done. It's more convenient. You're comparing the worst-case of cash to best-case of a credit card. For a single transaction, is it even possible to make a transaction with a credit card when: - The chip/card reader fails? - The network connection is down? - There's a power outage? It's not just inconvenient; in some cases, the transaction is impossible. Let's extend this to monthly time lost over a day or a month. Here's what I lose with credit cards strictly from a convenience perspective and with common edge and use cases: - For daily budgeting, I have to mentally keep of my credit card transactions; or go into an app. That's time wasted. - I have to review each purchase on a daily and monthly basis, to make sure I'm not hit with fraudulent charges. It's not enough to get notified by SMS or app. - We have to consolidate our monthly expenses, to make sure we're not going over our monthly budget. - If there's a fraudulent charge, I now have to contact the credit card and dispute the charges. - If the credit card helpfully decides to up the limit, I have to cheerfully tell them to decrease it; in order to minimize the damage. In the case of a stolen wallet with cash, what I lose is what I withdrew. There's a very simple and hard ceiling to the loss. There is one group for which cashless is far more convenient: Big-company merchants and businesses. Cashless-only is terrible for everyone else.
- acjohnson55 5y ago
  > For a single transaction, is it even possible to make a transaction with a credit card when: - The chip/card reader fails? - The network connection is down? - There's a power outage? I use cards for 99% of my payments. For me, this simply hasn't been an issue in actual reality. In fact, I've had far more issues getting cash into and out of the handful of ATMs in my area that work with my credit union. I keep about $100 in each car and $1000 in my house in case I find I desperately need cash. The car money comes in handy sometimes if there's a cash discount for gas or I drive someplace and realize I've forgotten my wallet.
  - martyvis 5y ago

wolverine876 5y ago

decafninja 5y ago
> Where do you keep your credit card, in your hand at all times? How long does the cash exchange take? Moments, in my experience. In my ultraslim card wallet, where other than my driver's license, it is the only occupant. Meanwhile my wife, who loves carrying/using cash, has a wallet that is enormous. She carries a purse, so it is less of an issue for her. Plus these days, especially when I'm not driving, I find myself not even carrying that wallet - just my phone, via which I can pay via Apple Pay. Doesn't cover every single payment scenario, but it does cover enough - and increasingly, more. > What if they use it to control your society and oppress other people? See my comment earlier about premature optimization. Maybe I'd feel different if I lived in China or some other authoritarian country, but as it stands today in the United States, I am not worried about this at all, nor in the foreseeable future.
- wolverine876 5y ago
  > Meanwhile my wife, who loves carrying/using cash, has a wallet that is enormous. Why the need for hyperbole? Plenty of people have used cash for generations without enormous wallets; there just isn't that much volume to some cash. It's not that hard to use. >> What if they use it to control your society and oppress other people? > as it stands today in the United States, I am not worried about this at all, nor in the foreseeable future. There might be more going on in the US than you think. Look at what happens to immigrants, Muslims (esp. during the GWOT), people who challenge government authority, political opposition, etc. The prior president actively solicted intelligence on political opposition and repeatedly threatened to jail them. Today, here's an article I just read: https://www.justsecurity.org/80813/mayorkas-must-rein-in-homeland-security-investigations/ https://www.justsecurity.org/80813/mayorkas-must-rein-in-hom... If we give the tools of oppression to government, and they start using them, how will you stop them? What will stop them?
ChrisMarshallNY 5y ago
I’ve been using Apple Pay (with my Watch), for over a year. Sometimes, I forget my wallet at home (not good, if I’m driving), but still have no problem buying something for hundreds of dollars. I often have no cash on me; which can be a problem, from time to time.

whatpaysawayrns 5y ago

When I use cash to pay my mechanic for something quick, they give me a discount and round to the nearest $10. If I use a credit card, we have to go for a walk to the back office and wait for an old and creaky point-of-sale machine to navigate a slow network connection.

theshrike79 5y ago
> When I use cash to pay my mechanic for something quick, they give me a discount and round to the nearest $10. And then they pocket the money and never give you a receipt, right? You do know what that's called? =)
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

femto 5y ago

A fairer comparison with swiping a credit card would be if you used the wallet like a credit card: just give it to the cashier, let them take out what is required and give it back to you.

nobodyandproud 5y ago

> When I used cash to buy something at the store, I have to take out my wallet, count the appropriate amount of cash, wait for the cashier to give back any change, confirm I got the right amount back. > If I use a credit card, I just insert a piece of plastic into a slot, and we're done. It's more convenient. You're comparing the worst-case of cash to best-case of a credit card. For a single transaction, is it even possible to make a transaction with a credit card when: - The chip/card reader fails? - The network connection is down? - There's a power outage? It's not just inconvenient; in some cases, the transaction is impossible. Let's extend this to monthly time lost over a day or a month. Here's what I lose with credit cards strictly from a convenience perspective and with common edge and use cases: - For daily budgeting, I have to mentally keep of my credit card transactions; or go into an app. That's time wasted. - I have to review each purchase on a daily and monthly basis, to make sure I'm not hit with fraudulent charges. It's not enough to get notified by SMS or app. - We have to consolidate our monthly expenses, to make sure we're not going over our monthly budget. - If there's a fraudulent charge, I now have to contact the credit card and dispute the charges. - If the credit card helpfully decides to up the limit, I have to cheerfully tell them to decrease it; in order to minimize the damage. In the case of a stolen wallet with cash, what I lose is what I withdrew. There's a very simple and hard ceiling to the loss. There is one group for which cashless is far more convenient: Big-company merchants and businesses. Cashless-only is terrible for everyone else.

acjohnson55 5y ago
> For a single transaction, is it even possible to make a transaction with a credit card when: - The chip/card reader fails? - The network connection is down? - There's a power outage? I use cards for 99% of my payments. For me, this simply hasn't been an issue in actual reality. In fact, I've had far more issues getting cash into and out of the handful of ATMs in my area that work with my credit union. I keep about $100 in each car and $1000 in my house in case I find I desperately need cash. The car money comes in handy sometimes if there's a cash discount for gas or I drive someplace and realize I've forgotten my wallet.
- martyvis 5y ago