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> "It's usually not said out loud, but cash is often considered to be dirty and criminal ..." Are you sure this isn't impression you've gotten from isolated re

> "It's usually not said out loud, but cash is often considered to be dirty and criminal ..." Are you sure this isn't impression you've gotten from isolated reactions involving a small number of individuals, perhaps just a single individual? I can't relate to the sentiment at all, having lived here for just over three decades and experiencing the popularity shift from cash to debit card. I can, in fact, not recall a single time ever that someone has divulged the opinion that they consider cash "dirty and criminal". More than anything else the Swede's favor of debit card is the convenience. Second to that I would say is the security of not immediately losing funds if you misplace the card or it being stolen - it feels less risky carrying a debit card, in particular if you're the type who prefers having more than a few "tens" on you in case you'd need or want to buy something.

veeti 1y ago
Sweden has introduced civil asset forfeiture where the mere possession of cash can make you a suspect [1]. It's coming from the very top. https://archive.ph/v7TRe https://archive.ph/v7TRe
- daneel_w 1y ago
  I fully understand why the Swedish government wants to get rid of cash. What I'm saying is that the people simply don't feel that cash is in any way dirty.
  - boringg 1y ago
    Its a way to control the population if you control the transactions. It amazed me that people don't understand what they give up by not using cash. Cash is the ultimate privacy payment.
- dghlsakjg 1y ago
  That article does not at all make the assertion you are claiming it does: "The new law allows police to seize expensive goods even from people who are not under investigation for a crime, if they cannot prove they acquired them lawfully." I don't love the law, but having cash on its own is not grounds for seizure. Having expensive goods that you cannot explain how you managed to pay for is what they are targeting, according to your source. This is basically a law that takes your expensive shit away if you are too stupid to launder your ill-gotten cash.
  - veeti 1y ago
    You can put lipstick on a pig all you want, but if you reverse the burden of proof from "we have to prove your money is dirty" to "you have to prove your money is clean", that is a very clear cut case of "possessing cash is grounds for seizure" to me. By the way, have you ever wondered what the definition of "expensive goods" is? Of course, the powers that be want to make it all about the Rolexes and Lamborghinis, but a cursory peek at the actual law reveals [1]: > Section 4 If the property has been seized and the value of what may be confiscated does not exceed one tenth of the price base amount according to Chapter 2, Sections 6 and 7 of the Social Insurance Code, a question about confiscation of the property may be examined by 1. a police officer, or 2. another employee of the Police Authority or the Security Service appointed by the respective authority. Which effectively means that using the "price base amount" value of ~59k SEK in 2025, you are subject to asset forfeiture at the whims of any police officer once you have more than 600 bucks in your wallet or under the mattress. But I'm sure they will only use it on brown gang bangers or knife wielding foreign drunks and not law abiding citizens such as myself, so it's fine! [1] https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/lag-2024782-om-forfarandet-vid-forverkande-av_sfs-2024-782/ https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/sven...
    - dghlsakjg 1y ago
      That's a goalpost shift. You said: "Sweden has introduced civil asset forfeiture where the mere possession of cash can make you a suspect." in a conversation about cash in Sweden, and posted an article about how there is a law that allows police to seize goods in certain circumstance. I pointed out that cash != luxury goods. I already said it was a law I don't agree with. But it also isn't a law that says that police can just take cash from you according to your sources . The section that you quoted doesn't seem to support your assertion about cash either, but I need the rest of the context. In reading the law it is allowed to seize cash under very specific circumstances, but simply possessing cash is not enough evidence to seize it. Cash seizure ("penningbeslag") can be used in an investigation concerning independent forfeiture ("utredning om självständigt förverkande"). The initiation of an investigation and the use of "penningbeslag" are contingent on the "reason to assume that property originates from criminal activity." This implies that merely possessing cash, without any connection or suspicion of it being linked to criminal activity, would not be sufficient grounds for seizure under this law. There needs to be an antecedent suspicion that the cash is proceeds of crime. An investigation for independent forfeiture should be initiated "if there is reason to assume that property originates from criminal activity" (2 kap. 2 §). The purpose of such an investigation is to "investigate whether the property originates from criminal activity" (2 kap. 1 §). Therefore, the primary circumstance for cash seizure is when there is reason to believe that the cash originates from criminal activity. > You can put lipstick on a pig all you want, but if you reverse the burden of proof from "we have to prove your money is dirty" to "you have to prove your money is clean", that is a very clear cut case of "possessing cash is grounds for seizure" to me. Swedish law does not describe such a reversal for the initial act of seizure or investigation. As previously discussed, the law states: "En utredning om självständigt förverkande ska inledas om det finns anledning att anta att egendom härrör från brottslig verksamhet" (2 kap. 2 §). This means there must first be a "reason to assume" that the property (including cash) originates from criminal activity before an investigation is initiated and seizure measures like "penningbeslag" (cash seizure) are applied. > Section 4 If the property has been seized and the value of what may be confiscated does not exceed one tenth of the price base amount according to Chapter 2, Sections 6 and 7 of the Social Insurance Code, a question about confiscation of the property may be examined by 1. a police officer, or 2. another employee of the Police Authority or the Security Service appointed by the respective authority. This section, "Beslut om förverkande" (Decisions on forfeiture), discusses who can decide on the forfeiture of already seized property (beslag or penningbeslag) if its value is below a certain threshold. It pertains to the administrative decision to forfeit after the property has already been seized based on the criteria in 2 kap., not the criteria for the initial seizure itself.
ccppurcell 1y ago
You are right I think. I lived in Finland and rarely used cash. Even people selling their clothes at pop up second hand markets seemed to be able to take card. It has nothing to do with criminality, just culture. Germans use cash a lot and it's harder for me now I live outside the eurozone to go there.
- dcminter 1y ago
  Most Swedes have Swish (mobile payments) so fleamarkets etc. mostly require that. Before I had my Swedish bank account set up (so six years ago) and thus BankId & Swish I often had to get my partner to pay for things even though I had a Visa card and Swedish cash.
dijit 1y ago
I come from the UK where not accepting cash is only ok in hipster areas of London (or, was at the time). When I joined my gamedev studio I had colleagues asking me why I had cash, and many of them didn’t even recognise what it looked like (there was a switchover of the notes a year or two prior). There was an insinuation that I would use it for drugs. So, I suspect that the parent is right here.
- keanb 1y ago
  [flagged]
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
  - dhosek 1y ago
    In my experience the opposite is true.
- daneel_w 1y ago
  Natives asking why someone has cash, and not even recognizing bank notes...? It sounds so absurd that I'm certain you're exaggerating wildly. If not, you've had an outlier experience during a limited window of time in the country. Just like the parent. This isn't really representative. Add.: another poster suggested that someone had a bit of a laugh with you by saying it, which is also entirely possible. Basic joke.
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
  - victorbjorklund 1y ago
    I'm Swedish I honestly havent seen the new banknotes (other than on images on the internet).
    - 1313ed01 1y ago
      I carry a few in my wallet, just in case, but I could honestly not tell what color the different notes are or what portrait is on each without looking. Bad forgeries would easily trick me.
varispeed 1y ago
> it feels less risky carrying a debit card Depends. Very long time ago I was approached by a group of seemingly friendly people asking for direction, then I felt sharp object to my belly and they told me to walk slowly towards cash point. They said they'll stab me if I don't withdraw all money I can. So I did. When cards were not popular, I would have small amount of cash in the wallet and anything more substantial hidden in a sock or elsewhere. Thieves would take what would be comfortable for me to lose. I guess it can be the same with cards - have a card with small amount and actual card hidden, but it is not as easy to hide as cash. Then you have whole other kettle of fish - banking apps. There's been instances of people being forced to do transfer at knifepoint. For that reason I don't use any apps, apart from throwaway bank account - again with small balance just in case. Shame more banks are restricting web access, which I think is most secure.
- zx8080 1y ago
  > then I felt sharp object to my belly and they told me to walk slowly towards cash point. Wow. What country is/was that?
  - lmz 1y ago
    Any country that could get away with it? "Your money or your life" isn't exactly a novel threat.
  - varispeed 1y ago
    London, UK
mylifeandtimes 1y ago
> Are you sure this isn't impression you've gotten from isolated reactions involving a small number of individuals, perhaps just a single individual? Swedish here. The impression is common. Sweden is a small country and has long had a fairly cohesive culture. The culture has decided that digital payments are the way. Deviation from the collective way is always suspect.
- daneel_w 1y ago
  > The impression is common. No.
- 0points 1y ago
  > Swedish here. The impression is common. Swedish here, too. Your impression is misguided. Maybe it's the norm in Stockholm, but 80% of the population live elsewhere. We do use cash and nobody thinks its suspicious to pay with cash, stop making stuff up.
victorbjorklund 1y ago
Not sure its considered criminal and dirty. I agree its more a convenience thing. There is no need ever to have cash (other than when payments systems are down but then lots of stores systems in general are down). I don't even think I have seen any cash for many years.
Etheryte 1y ago
This is something I've heard from multiple locals, not something I inferred myself. As you can see, even here in the comment section you have people both for and against the idea. The notion definitely exists, how widely it's held exactly, hard to say. In my experience, that explanation came up often enough to catch my attention.
tcshit 1y ago
I’d say he’s correct, people under 60 that uses cash are considered, if not criminal, at least suspicious, like they have something to hide. Or simply wackos. I haven’t used cash for the last 15 years or so. Except for when I had carpenters at home who wanted to get paid in cash (to avoid taxes, so called black money).
- renhanxue 1y ago
  Yeah, that's kind of my default assumption as well. If someone is insisting on cash I'd assume it's for tax evasion purposes.
- daneel_w 1y ago
  >"people under 60 that uses cash are considered, if not criminal, at least suspicious, like they have something to hide. Or simply wackos." I have barely used cash in 25 years. This doesn't mean anything at all. You're probably putting this solely in the context of using cash for significantly large purchases, e.g. higher 4 digit sum or above, or as in your example a craftsman who want to exempt it from his or her accounting. Nobody bats an eye at a person buying groceries, or some gadget for a couple of hundred, with cash.
  - tcshit 1y ago
    no we use cards for everything, even for just buying an icecream or something. most older people use cards too actually, but sometimes you can see one struggling with their coins and notes when buying groceries yes.
    - daneel_w 1y ago
      I regularly see people use cash for common and small purchases. In the grocery store checkout line, at the kiosks, at the pizzeria, and so on. Card is by far the most common option, but the discussion was never about the ratio.
- 0points 1y ago
  > people under 60 that uses cash are considered, if not criminal, at least suspicious, like they have something to hide You are spewing complete nonsense. Here's some perfectly normal stuff I use cash for in sweden on the regular: - flea markets - strawberry stand by the road - unmanned vegetable shop has a cash bin and a pay-for-what-you-take sign
glzone1 1y ago
I think it's a pretty common impression. Tradespeople sometimes request cash payment or provide a good discount for cash payments (well above any fee they would be charged). I guess where you are no one considers this dubious (really???) but at least in discussions with family the feeling is that the request for cash only payment is dubious. We also have a local retail establishment that is cash only. I think it's looked at dubiously. I personally have experienced it. Someone wanted to split payment on something between cash and a check so they could report the value of the item was lower because it would save them taxes every year. Again, the use of cash was I think a bit dubious. Note: Cash allows you to avoid all sorts of obligations (tax / family support / debt collection and garnishment etc etc), ineligiblity for banking (europe is pretty strict in some cases for example with folks with no legal status with banking) and is still used in things like the drug trade. Even if everyone around you considers large cash transactions reasonable that might be naivety or they may simply not have been exposed to larger cash transaction activity. I do like and carry cash.
renhanxue 1y ago
I'm Swedish and if someone insists on doing a transaction using cash when Swish or card is available, I'd immediately start to wonder if it's for some kind of more or less shady reason, probably tax evasion at the very least.
- daneel_w 1y ago
  You have to differentiate common purchases from "large" purchases in this discussion. I'm certain you don't think there's something shady going on, or tax evasion happening, if someone uses cash in the grocery store or at Pressbyrån, or to pay for some little gadget or whatever at Kjell&Co. This is what people think of when someone "uses cash". Not hauling tens of thousands to buy a used car or to settle the bill for having your bathroom tiled, which would be cases I too would raise an eyebrow over.
  - blurrybird 1y ago
    FWIW I am Australian and we have a similar adoption rate of cashless payments. If a merchant tries to promote cash options I immediately think they’re doing it for tax evasion reasons - not because of the touted reason that “card payments cost more to process” (they don’t once you factor in the cost of handling cash).
    - tdeck 1y ago
      I think the same thing in the US about small businesses that only take cash, but it's still pretty normal to use cash in the US.
      - boringg 1y ago
        And lets hope that never changes
      - jhbadger 1y ago
        People forget that the credit card companies charge businesses to process transactions. Some stores/restaurants even give discounts for paying in cash because of this.
hbn 1y ago
> Murder is actually really frowned in Japan. It goes against the traditional concept of 生きる, which means "to live"
- EE84M3i 1y ago
  Thank you, this comment made me chuckle.
bjornsing 1y ago
Swedish banks (even the Riksbank linked above) regularly refuse to turn cash into digital money unless you can ”prove” where you got it from. It’s not sufficient to say (with immense credibility) that you worked hard all your life and saved it. Entire inheritances are regularly wiped out due to this, when high denomination bills are obsoleted by the Riksbank. So I’d say it’s not only a common sentiment but also government policy.
silvestrov 1y ago
Same in Denmark with cash: anybody below 60 using cash in a supermarket is very likely having dirty money. Cash is simply not used anymore by normal people. Electronic payment (including between friends) just works here. It is easier and faster to pay with mobilepay than to use cash.
EasyMark 1y ago
I'm pretty sure the younger generation is intimidated by cash and think maybe only criminals and boomers use it? I am middle-aged and keep a couple of hundred dollars on me of petty cash for day to day activities. If someone “holds me up” it's not a lot, but it's great for keeping my day-to-day purchases anonymous. I'm all for making cash “an option” for every purchase or at least those under say $10k, not everything needs to be tracked or known.

veeti 1y ago

Sweden has introduced civil asset forfeiture where the mere possession of cash can make you a suspect [1]. It's coming from the very top. https://archive.ph/v7TRe https://archive.ph/v7TRe

daneel_w 1y ago
I fully understand why the Swedish government wants to get rid of cash. What I'm saying is that the people simply don't feel that cash is in any way dirty.
- boringg 1y ago
  Its a way to control the population if you control the transactions. It amazed me that people don't understand what they give up by not using cash. Cash is the ultimate privacy payment.
dghlsakjg 1y ago
That article does not at all make the assertion you are claiming it does: "The new law allows police to seize expensive goods even from people who are not under investigation for a crime, if they cannot prove they acquired them lawfully." I don't love the law, but having cash on its own is not grounds for seizure. Having expensive goods that you cannot explain how you managed to pay for is what they are targeting, according to your source. This is basically a law that takes your expensive shit away if you are too stupid to launder your ill-gotten cash.
- veeti 1y ago
  You can put lipstick on a pig all you want, but if you reverse the burden of proof from "we have to prove your money is dirty" to "you have to prove your money is clean", that is a very clear cut case of "possessing cash is grounds for seizure" to me. By the way, have you ever wondered what the definition of "expensive goods" is? Of course, the powers that be want to make it all about the Rolexes and Lamborghinis, but a cursory peek at the actual law reveals [1]: > Section 4 If the property has been seized and the value of what may be confiscated does not exceed one tenth of the price base amount according to Chapter 2, Sections 6 and 7 of the Social Insurance Code, a question about confiscation of the property may be examined by 1. a police officer, or 2. another employee of the Police Authority or the Security Service appointed by the respective authority. Which effectively means that using the "price base amount" value of ~59k SEK in 2025, you are subject to asset forfeiture at the whims of any police officer once you have more than 600 bucks in your wallet or under the mattress. But I'm sure they will only use it on brown gang bangers or knife wielding foreign drunks and not law abiding citizens such as myself, so it's fine! [1] https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/lag-2024782-om-forfarandet-vid-forverkande-av_sfs-2024-782/ https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/sven...
  - dghlsakjg 1y ago
    That's a goalpost shift. You said: "Sweden has introduced civil asset forfeiture where the mere possession of cash can make you a suspect." in a conversation about cash in Sweden, and posted an article about how there is a law that allows police to seize goods in certain circumstance. I pointed out that cash != luxury goods. I already said it was a law I don't agree with. But it also isn't a law that says that police can just take cash from you according to your sources . The section that you quoted doesn't seem to support your assertion about cash either, but I need the rest of the context. In reading the law it is allowed to seize cash under very specific circumstances, but simply possessing cash is not enough evidence to seize it. Cash seizure ("penningbeslag") can be used in an investigation concerning independent forfeiture ("utredning om självständigt förverkande"). The initiation of an investigation and the use of "penningbeslag" are contingent on the "reason to assume that property originates from criminal activity." This implies that merely possessing cash, without any connection or suspicion of it being linked to criminal activity, would not be sufficient grounds for seizure under this law. There needs to be an antecedent suspicion that the cash is proceeds of crime. An investigation for independent forfeiture should be initiated "if there is reason to assume that property originates from criminal activity" (2 kap. 2 §). The purpose of such an investigation is to "investigate whether the property originates from criminal activity" (2 kap. 1 §). Therefore, the primary circumstance for cash seizure is when there is reason to believe that the cash originates from criminal activity. > You can put lipstick on a pig all you want, but if you reverse the burden of proof from "we have to prove your money is dirty" to "you have to prove your money is clean", that is a very clear cut case of "possessing cash is grounds for seizure" to me. Swedish law does not describe such a reversal for the initial act of seizure or investigation. As previously discussed, the law states: "En utredning om självständigt förverkande ska inledas om det finns anledning att anta att egendom härrör från brottslig verksamhet" (2 kap. 2 §). This means there must first be a "reason to assume" that the property (including cash) originates from criminal activity before an investigation is initiated and seizure measures like "penningbeslag" (cash seizure) are applied. > Section 4 If the property has been seized and the value of what may be confiscated does not exceed one tenth of the price base amount according to Chapter 2, Sections 6 and 7 of the Social Insurance Code, a question about confiscation of the property may be examined by 1. a police officer, or 2. another employee of the Police Authority or the Security Service appointed by the respective authority. This section, "Beslut om förverkande" (Decisions on forfeiture), discusses who can decide on the forfeiture of already seized property (beslag or penningbeslag) if its value is below a certain threshold. It pertains to the administrative decision to forfeit after the property has already been seized based on the criteria in 2 kap., not the criteria for the initial seizure itself.

ccppurcell 1y ago

You are right I think. I lived in Finland and rarely used cash. Even people selling their clothes at pop up second hand markets seemed to be able to take card. It has nothing to do with criminality, just culture. Germans use cash a lot and it's harder for me now I live outside the eurozone to go there.

dcminter 1y ago
Most Swedes have Swish (mobile payments) so fleamarkets etc. mostly require that. Before I had my Swedish bank account set up (so six years ago) and thus BankId & Swish I often had to get my partner to pay for things even though I had a Visa card and Swedish cash.

dijit 1y ago

I come from the UK where not accepting cash is only ok in hipster areas of London (or, was at the time). When I joined my gamedev studio I had colleagues asking me why I had cash, and many of them didn’t even recognise what it looked like (there was a switchover of the notes a year or two prior). There was an insinuation that I would use it for drugs. So, I suspect that the parent is right here.

keanb 1y ago
[flagged]
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- dhosek 1y ago
  In my experience the opposite is true.
daneel_w 1y ago
Natives asking why someone has cash, and not even recognizing bank notes...? It sounds so absurd that I'm certain you're exaggerating wildly. If not, you've had an outlier experience during a limited window of time in the country. Just like the parent. This isn't really representative. Add.: another poster suggested that someone had a bit of a laugh with you by saying it, which is also entirely possible. Basic joke.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- victorbjorklund 1y ago
  I'm Swedish I honestly havent seen the new banknotes (other than on images on the internet).
  - 1313ed01 1y ago
    I carry a few in my wallet, just in case, but I could honestly not tell what color the different notes are or what portrait is on each without looking. Bad forgeries would easily trick me.

varispeed 1y ago

> it feels less risky carrying a debit card Depends. Very long time ago I was approached by a group of seemingly friendly people asking for direction, then I felt sharp object to my belly and they told me to walk slowly towards cash point. They said they'll stab me if I don't withdraw all money I can. So I did. When cards were not popular, I would have small amount of cash in the wallet and anything more substantial hidden in a sock or elsewhere. Thieves would take what would be comfortable for me to lose. I guess it can be the same with cards - have a card with small amount and actual card hidden, but it is not as easy to hide as cash. Then you have whole other kettle of fish - banking apps. There's been instances of people being forced to do transfer at knifepoint. For that reason I don't use any apps, apart from throwaway bank account - again with small balance just in case. Shame more banks are restricting web access, which I think is most secure.

zx8080 1y ago
> then I felt sharp object to my belly and they told me to walk slowly towards cash point. Wow. What country is/was that?
- lmz 1y ago
  Any country that could get away with it? "Your money or your life" isn't exactly a novel threat.
- varispeed 1y ago
  London, UK

mylifeandtimes 1y ago

> Are you sure this isn't impression you've gotten from isolated reactions involving a small number of individuals, perhaps just a single individual? Swedish here. The impression is common. Sweden is a small country and has long had a fairly cohesive culture. The culture has decided that digital payments are the way. Deviation from the collective way is always suspect.

daneel_w 1y ago
> The impression is common. No.
0points 1y ago
> Swedish here. The impression is common. Swedish here, too. Your impression is misguided. Maybe it's the norm in Stockholm, but 80% of the population live elsewhere. We do use cash and nobody thinks its suspicious to pay with cash, stop making stuff up.

victorbjorklund 1y ago

Not sure its considered criminal and dirty. I agree its more a convenience thing. There is no need ever to have cash (other than when payments systems are down but then lots of stores systems in general are down). I don't even think I have seen any cash for many years.

Etheryte 1y ago

This is something I've heard from multiple locals, not something I inferred myself. As you can see, even here in the comment section you have people both for and against the idea. The notion definitely exists, how widely it's held exactly, hard to say. In my experience, that explanation came up often enough to catch my attention.

tcshit 1y ago

I’d say he’s correct, people under 60 that uses cash are considered, if not criminal, at least suspicious, like they have something to hide. Or simply wackos. I haven’t used cash for the last 15 years or so. Except for when I had carpenters at home who wanted to get paid in cash (to avoid taxes, so called black money).

renhanxue 1y ago
Yeah, that's kind of my default assumption as well. If someone is insisting on cash I'd assume it's for tax evasion purposes.
daneel_w 1y ago
>"people under 60 that uses cash are considered, if not criminal, at least suspicious, like they have something to hide. Or simply wackos." I have barely used cash in 25 years. This doesn't mean anything at all. You're probably putting this solely in the context of using cash for significantly large purchases, e.g. higher 4 digit sum or above, or as in your example a craftsman who want to exempt it from his or her accounting. Nobody bats an eye at a person buying groceries, or some gadget for a couple of hundred, with cash.
- tcshit 1y ago
  no we use cards for everything, even for just buying an icecream or something. most older people use cards too actually, but sometimes you can see one struggling with their coins and notes when buying groceries yes.
  - daneel_w 1y ago
    I regularly see people use cash for common and small purchases. In the grocery store checkout line, at the kiosks, at the pizzeria, and so on. Card is by far the most common option, but the discussion was never about the ratio.
0points 1y ago
> people under 60 that uses cash are considered, if not criminal, at least suspicious, like they have something to hide You are spewing complete nonsense. Here's some perfectly normal stuff I use cash for in sweden on the regular: - flea markets - strawberry stand by the road - unmanned vegetable shop has a cash bin and a pay-for-what-you-take sign

glzone1 1y ago

I think it's a pretty common impression. Tradespeople sometimes request cash payment or provide a good discount for cash payments (well above any fee they would be charged). I guess where you are no one considers this dubious (really???) but at least in discussions with family the feeling is that the request for cash only payment is dubious. We also have a local retail establishment that is cash only. I think it's looked at dubiously. I personally have experienced it. Someone wanted to split payment on something between cash and a check so they could report the value of the item was lower because it would save them taxes every year. Again, the use of cash was I think a bit dubious. Note: Cash allows you to avoid all sorts of obligations (tax / family support / debt collection and garnishment etc etc), ineligiblity for banking (europe is pretty strict in some cases for example with folks with no legal status with banking) and is still used in things like the drug trade. Even if everyone around you considers large cash transactions reasonable that might be naivety or they may simply not have been exposed to larger cash transaction activity. I do like and carry cash.

renhanxue 1y ago

I'm Swedish and if someone insists on doing a transaction using cash when Swish or card is available, I'd immediately start to wonder if it's for some kind of more or less shady reason, probably tax evasion at the very least.

daneel_w 1y ago
You have to differentiate common purchases from "large" purchases in this discussion. I'm certain you don't think there's something shady going on, or tax evasion happening, if someone uses cash in the grocery store or at Pressbyrån, or to pay for some little gadget or whatever at Kjell&Co. This is what people think of when someone "uses cash". Not hauling tens of thousands to buy a used car or to settle the bill for having your bathroom tiled, which would be cases I too would raise an eyebrow over.
- blurrybird 1y ago
  FWIW I am Australian and we have a similar adoption rate of cashless payments. If a merchant tries to promote cash options I immediately think they’re doing it for tax evasion reasons - not because of the touted reason that “card payments cost more to process” (they don’t once you factor in the cost of handling cash).
  - tdeck 1y ago
    I think the same thing in the US about small businesses that only take cash, but it's still pretty normal to use cash in the US.
    - boringg 1y ago
      And lets hope that never changes
    - jhbadger 1y ago
      People forget that the credit card companies charge businesses to process transactions. Some stores/restaurants even give discounts for paying in cash because of this.

hbn 1y ago

> Murder is actually really frowned in Japan. It goes against the traditional concept of 生きる, which means "to live"

EE84M3i 1y ago
Thank you, this comment made me chuckle.

bjornsing 1y ago

Swedish banks (even the Riksbank linked above) regularly refuse to turn cash into digital money unless you can ”prove” where you got it from. It’s not sufficient to say (with immense credibility) that you worked hard all your life and saved it. Entire inheritances are regularly wiped out due to this, when high denomination bills are obsoleted by the Riksbank. So I’d say it’s not only a common sentiment but also government policy.

silvestrov 1y ago

Same in Denmark with cash: anybody below 60 using cash in a supermarket is very likely having dirty money. Cash is simply not used anymore by normal people. Electronic payment (including between friends) just works here. It is easier and faster to pay with mobilepay than to use cash.

EasyMark 1y ago

I'm pretty sure the younger generation is intimidated by cash and think maybe only criminals and boomers use it? I am middle-aged and keep a couple of hundred dollars on me of petty cash for day to day activities. If someone “holds me up” it's not a lot, but it's great for keeping my day-to-day purchases anonymous. I'm all for making cash “an option” for every purchase or at least those under say $10k, not everything needs to be tracked or known.