4 ms·

> Unfortunately, I live in Germany where cash is still king No, that's actually very fortunate for you, and likely a result of the collective memory among the

> Unfortunately, I live in Germany where cash is still king No, that's actually very fortunate for you, and likely a result of the collective memory among the (previously) eastern German population about the meaning and abuse by government of tracking every little thing you do. Government abuse of all-knowing and all-controlling abilities is a question of "when, what and who", not a question of "if". Cash is like a standing army. You don't want to ever have to use one, but if you don't even have one you can use, you'll lose the next war that breaks, which historically has been a question of "when", not "if". So every country - including Switzerland who hasn't been part of a war in centuries - maintains a capable army. You wouldn't dismantle your army just for convenience. Don't stop using cash.

not_a_sw_dork 4y ago
Exactly this. Also, i cannot imagine how using CB-issued digital currencies would work especially while being abroad. As already said, the respective government has you by the balls. Critize someone / something? Voila, account and funds access revoked. Additional, i get the convenience factor of digital payment methods -paying mostly by credit card myself- but consider this: if your phone breaks, you are oh so bummed. No maps, no calls, no SMS tokens, no authentication apps (if not having an laptop as a backup,), no ID vault apps (same), no Google / Apple pay, and more... Had to endure this for 3 months last year. Physical cards work almost always 100%, can be freely used by people you trust, dont need expensive roaming data, you dont have to rely on a device being a) with you and b) being charged. Also, good luck swapping the SIM to an older, backup phone if all you got is an eSIM...
caeril 4y ago
Indeed. This is to say nothing of the absolute parasitism inherent in the "cashless" society. The Banks/Visa/MC/Stripe/Square hoovering up 2% interchange and other fees for virtually no work is absolutely ludicrous. A 2% interchange fee made sense in 1982, when it was expensive to move bits and clear transactions. In 2022, it's pure, gluttonous parasitism.

not_a_sw_dork 4y ago

Exactly this. Also, i cannot imagine how using CB-issued digital currencies would work especially while being abroad. As already said, the respective government has you by the balls. Critize someone / something? Voila, account and funds access revoked. Additional, i get the convenience factor of digital payment methods -paying mostly by credit card myself- but consider this: if your phone breaks, you are oh so bummed. No maps, no calls, no SMS tokens, no authentication apps (if not having an laptop as a backup,), no ID vault apps (same), no Google / Apple pay, and more... Had to endure this for 3 months last year. Physical cards work almost always 100%, can be freely used by people you trust, dont need expensive roaming data, you dont have to rely on a device being a) with you and b) being charged. Also, good luck swapping the SIM to an older, backup phone if all you got is an eSIM...

caeril 4y ago

Indeed. This is to say nothing of the absolute parasitism inherent in the "cashless" society. The Banks/Visa/MC/Stripe/Square hoovering up 2% interchange and other fees for virtually no work is absolutely ludicrous. A 2% interchange fee made sense in 1982, when it was expensive to move bits and clear transactions. In 2022, it's pure, gluttonous parasitism.