Cashless Payments Only Becoming More Common

[Richard]

And that’s how they will sell it,it’s for your benefit because it lowers the prices due to losses incurred from theft.

It will not matter that stores never reduce the price of goods based on theft.

Then it will be,in order to make you safer we will also imbed a toxin in the chip so if somebody does commit a crime,they can immediately be dealt with and the chip will give us the coordinates on where to collect the body.

It is for your safety and convenience after all.

Imagine in the future where if you run a stop sign,cuss in public,or even speed the fines,are automatically deducted from your bank account and points are deducted from your social credit score.

I say in the future,meaning here,but that is already a reality in China.

And people will embrace it under the guise of,if you do not do anything wrong you have nothing to worry about.

The thing they forget about is it always boils down to a couple of people defining what is right or wrong,subject to change at any given second.

[Gistok]

One large solar flare event like the Sept. 1-2, 1859 Carrington Event will render credit cards useless [not to mention greatly damage the power grid].

Keeping a cash reserve on hand might be a way to safeguard against such a cataclysmic event. But on the otherhand... if there is such an event, even cash might be of limited help, since even store cash registers are on the grid...

[Richard]

You just have to dust off your battery operated calculator,most running cash registers are worse in math then me.

After hurricanes here it is cash only,they will walk you in the store with flashlights only allowing 5 people at a time,and you get to stand in line for 3-5 hours for your turn.

within a week or so they bring in portable cell stations or back up generators,most of our service stations are required to have them and now a majority of all major stores have them,even the dollar store.

Went 90 days cash only in New Orleans after Katrina and 14 days no power cash only in Orlando after Charlie and the proceeding 3 more hurricanes right after another.

These towns that got hit by tornadoes are going through that right now,your entire life changes in a matter of seconds.

If you do not have cash,you will spend a good 8 hours a day waiting in line for bottled water and military rations,forget about gasoline you will not have enough time left in the day before dark to wait in that line.

And it gets really dark when there are no lights and there are those who find it easier to just take what you waited in line all day for.

At that point nobody cares how much plastic you have,because it is worthless.

[Hypestyles]

it's a dumb trend. it's going to get dumber. even paper receipts are being phased out.

[Pat001]

I pay cash for haircuts. Everything else I pay by ATM card. I carry $400 cash for emergencies but haven't needed it. I also like having an electronic record of all my purchases.

[Richard]

The thing I notice the most from selling things,people that pay with cards or cash apps,never negotiate the price,whereas people paying with cash do.

Or the younger generation just does not know how to negotiate,you see that in marketplace,somebody lists an item and right away you get 15 people jumping in saying how it is listed for to much money and the seller is trying to rip people off,it’s like negotiating for a lower price is not even a concept for them.

A lot of people wasting a lot of money for the connivence of not carrying cash.

Cash talks BS walks. Is the saying.

[Lowell]

I’ve gone completely digital payment. Wave the watch, beep it’s paid. The key is: IF one pays off their credit cards on time and NEVER pays a cent of their extortionate interest, one can instead reap a 2-3% rewards kickback + [if auto payment is set up] a float of 4-5 weeks on purchases.

Meanwhile goodbye bulky wallet, hello slim phone case with pocket for cards, drivers license and, okay, an emergency twenty. Haven’t had coins in my pockets in years. Get immediate notifications of all transactions and have records of all purchases. What’s not to like about that?

[canuck]

I’ve gone completely digital payment. Wave the watch, beep it’s paid. The key is: IF one pays off their credit cards on time and NEVER pays a cent of their extortionate interest, one can instead reap a 2-3% rewards kickback + [if auto payment is set up] a float of 4-5 weeks on purchases.

Meanwhile goodbye bulky wallet, hello slim phone case with pocket for cards, drivers license and, okay, an emergency twenty. Haven’t had coins in my pockets in years. Get immediate notifications of all transactions and have records of all purchases. What’s not to like about that?

Exactly. Same here. Sometimes, if you haven't kept the receipt, say at Costco, they will find the purchase in their system, which is more easily refunded. It is also the safest method to pay, by far. If you lose your wallet, and your money is gone, but credit cards if stolen or lost and used by a crook is insured to a high level whereas debit/bank cards are not very safe, and poorly insured.

Frank Abagnale, the FBI agent who had served time for his fraudulent actions depicted in "Catch Me If You Can" explains how credit cards when used well, the way you do, Lowell, are the safest method of payment in a talk at Google… at 43:03 in the timeline. He also has a lot of good points about personal safety measures regarding fraud, and discourages the use of debit cards.

https://youtu.be/vsMydMDi3rI

[Gistok]

If you go to Aldi's... you will always carry a quarter with you.

People who've been there will know why...

[canuck]

If you go to Aldi's... you will always carry a quarter with you.

People who've been there will know why...

Locked shopping carts, perchance?

[oladub]

I’ve gone completely digital payment. Wave the watch, beep it’s paid. The key is: IF one pays off their credit cards on time and NEVER pays a cent of their extortionate interest, one can instead reap a 2-3% rewards kickback + [if auto payment is set up] a float of 4-5 weeks on purchases.

Meanwhile goodbye bulky wallet, hello slim phone case with pocket for cards, drivers license and, okay, an emergency twenty. Haven’t had coins in my pockets in years. Get immediate notifications of all transactions and have records of all purchases. What’s not to like about that?

I use credit cards for the majority of my purchases, in number and amount, for convenience and for my records. That said, I see danger in becoming too dependent on credit cards. When the electricity goes out, the banksters play games with the availability and worth of our money, or governments turn corrupt or autocratic, dependency on the good will of the elites might spell disaster. We are presently seeing stories of huge banks crumbling.

I was raised on Detroit's east side by an ethnic group that didn't trust anyone including bankers and maybe each other. Yet, I never heard of any one of them losing their house in the depression because they wouldn't take out bank loans. My immigrant grandparents struggled through the depression sewing patches on their clothes but came out of the depression owning more real estate than they owned when the depression began.

Yesterday, I opened my e-mail and found that AT&T planned to raise my bill by $5/month if I didn't sign oil to autopay. I've resisted autopay as much as I can because I don't like the feel of letting someone put their hand in my pocket. AT&T has long been the most arrogant and anal of my monthly utilities and can't keep track of its own records, for instance, sending me a receipt but continuing to call me with a machine voice telling me that my old router hadn't been received. This would be a lot worse if it was, for instance, Wells Fargo not allowing me access to my savings account. That happened too. The ease of tapping my card in good times might not make up for disasters I can't control when things get a little tight.

[Jimaz]

If you go to Aldi's... you will always carry a quarter with you.

People who've been there will know why...

Locked shopping carts, perchance?

Yes. Their shopping carts are always on sale for a quarter apiece. It's a loss leader to get people in the door.

[Richard]

If you go to Aldi's... you will always carry a quarter with you.

People who've been there will know why...

Yep and I still have a dent in my wallet from carrying a dime around for that emergency pay phone call.

Here most of the toll roads have become plate readers and they bill you or you buy the toll road transponder.

But they still get you because some exits are cash only and if you do not have the .50c or $1 you can run it and they will send you the $25 fine in the mail.

I had transponder before and it was always a ritual every month disputing charges on there when I never even was on that road,bill by plate they send you a picture of your vehicle as it is passing through but they are trying to eliminate that after spending millions in implementing it.

They recently got nailed for the millions that they overcharged people with the transponders.

Electronic payments are convenient until they are not,identify theft can take up to 1 year to get all straightened out.

I had auto pay until the insurance company took the entire lump sum out instead of the monthly payment and bounced a bunched of checks when we used to still use those,they made it right but it still was hours and hours of my time and time is money.

Now I just use a pre-paid card for online bill pay and ordering anything on the internet,somebody scams it you just get another card within minutes.

It’s like anything else,but dependence solely on plastic,it’s the one thing that can put a stop on your financial dependence in a matter of seconds.

And there are thousands of people scattered across the globe spending every second of the day looking for ways to do that.

Naafeh Dhillon had just left the holiday light show at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York when he learned that all of his bank accounts had mysteriously gone dark.

After the show, Mr. Dhillon, his girlfriend and some friends escaped the cold and had dinner at a French bistro — but when it came time to pay the check, his credit card was declined. His debit card was rejected next. It had to be some sort of mistake, he figured, because he had plenty of money in his account.


But when he returned home that mid-December evening and called his bank, Chase, a customer representative delivered the unexpected news: The bank had dumped him as a customer. The rep said he should have received a letter in the mail but couldn’t say much more than what was in the notice — “unexpected activity” had led to the closing of his accounts.

“I received no kind of warning or red flag,” said Mr. Dhillon, 28, who had started banking with Chase after visiting its marketing booth at New York University, which he attended after arriving in 2013 from Pakistan. “It was just out of the blue.”


Banks Are Closing Customer Accounts, With Little Explanation

[Gistok]

^Unlike many other states [including nearby Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania]... Michigan has no toll roads... although the Mackinac Bridge is the only toll bridge that is not a foreign crossing.

[401don]

^Unlike many other states [including nearby Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania]... Michigan has no toll roads... although the Mackinac Bridge is the only toll bridge that is not a foreign crossing.

I was in Florida two weeks ago. They have a 1.50 toll that has the windows closed early morning so of course as I headed back to the airport I was dinged an extra 5 bucks by the rental car company for using the electronic license plate toll.

[canuck]

Yes. Their shopping carts are always on sale for a quarter apiece. It's a loss leader to get people in the door.

Lol. Good one.

[Rocket]

I’ve gone completely digital payment. Wave the watch, beep it’s paid. The key is: IF one pays off their credit cards on time .... instead reap a 2-3% rewards kickback..

Meanwhile goodbye bulky wallet, hello slim phone case with pocket for cards, drivers license and, okay, an emergency twenty. Haven’t had coins in my pockets in years. ... What’s not to like about that?

Well, few things not to like.

1. People loose their phones all the time, as unlike a wallet that stays in your pocket, people walk around with their phones in their hands and set them down on tables.I find 3-4 phones a week. Way too risky.

2. Many people don't want lots of strangers having access to everything they do and buy. May not creep you out, but if does me.

3. Research proves that on average, people using plastic [or swipes) spend something like 13% more on average. It just doesn't hurt as much to swipe as it does to hand over cash. Heck, you get stuff and still get to keep the card. Magic! So CC / phone users end up poorer, even if they do pay their balances in full every month.

4. Swiping is often a LOT slower. Eating at a restaurant? Get the bill, drop cash and leave. Saves 2-10 minutes. It's the other way around for gas of course. I use it always for that, and I don't need to keep gas receipts to write the whole years work vehicle fueling off on our taxes.


Float is nice though. I use the 8 weeks of float for my business every month. Like a permanent $15 - $25k interest free cash advance. Real big when starting out. And the 1/4 million in air miles a year doesn't hurt either.

[Zacha341]

WHAT! What? Do you have something to hide? *sarc*

Well, few things not to like.

...2. Many people don't want lots of strangers having access to everything they do and buy. May not creep you out, but if does me.

[canuck]

Well, few things not to like.

1. People loose their phones all the time, as unlike a wallet that stays in your pocket, people walk around with their phones in their hands and set them down on tables.I find 3-4 phones a week. Way too risky.

2. Many people don't want lots of strangers having access to everything they do and buy. May not creep you out, but if does me.

3. Research proves that on average, people using plastic [or swipes) spend something like 13% more on average. It just doesn't hurt as much to swipe as it does to hand over cash. Heck, you get stuff and still get to keep the card. Magic! So CC / phone users end up poorer, even if they do pay their balances in full every month.

4. Swiping is often a LOT slower. Eating at a restaurant? Get the bill, drop cash and leave. Saves 2-10 minutes. It's the other way around for gas of course. I use it always for that, and I don't need to keep gas receipts to write the whole years work vehicle fueling off on our taxes.


Float is nice though. I use the 8 weeks of float for my business every month. Like a permanent $15 - $25k interest free cash advance. Real big when starting out. And the 1/4 million in air miles a year doesn't hurt either.

3, 4 phones a week?

[Warrenite84]

Purchasing by card is a momentary convenience compared to what one gives away. I use it too but as little as possible. Your data that you willingly surrender says more about you than you can imagine. Not just for businesses to make money off you by sending you targeted ads only. By your purchases, [[and your cell phone), you give up data on what you eat, when you sleep, do you drive fast, are you liberal or conservative, do you eat healthy, do you eat out often, Do you go to church and how often, do you hunt, do you have addictions, do you manage your money well, who do you hang out with, do you vote, etc. Your psychological profile is thick with data. You say, "I don't have anything to hide and I'm not breaking the law". What if you have a viewpoint that goes against the orthodoxy of popular culture? Can people in power limit what you say, where you go, who you can associate with, limit what you can buy? Can this data be given to groups to target your business, threaten your family or friends, get you fired from your job, send mobs to your house?

Sounds too far fetched? The technology is already far beyond what society is able to process. I have heard A.I. technology can copy your voice with a 3 second sample. Deep Fake technology can produce a video of you saying things you would never say.

The goal is the upcoming CBDC or Central Bank Digital Currency. Under the guise of convenience, people will willingly place themselves into a pen. It is called a 15 minute city. If you venture out too far, try to buy unhealthy food, waste resources they can turn off your money. If you don't support and praise Big Brother and reveal family or friends who don't go along...

[Lowell]

Sorry but if you use and carry a smartphone, use the internet, watch cable, pay taxes, get medical treatment, have utilities or simply walk, or drive, around past the flood of cameras, and on and on, your cat is out of the bag. Your data profile is solidly established. Data aggregators are grabbing up everything everywhere all the time, even digitizing your old high school yearbooks—long ago. What they don’t [or can’t legally] sweep up the hackers provide.

And that’s all before you make a single digital payment with a credit card and leave those tracks. [And What? Don’t tell me there’s video of me making those cash payments at stores! I’m shocked! /sarcasm]

We’re at the end of the age of secrets. Everyone thought this would happen only in a police state. Nobody told us it would happen voluntarily by being fun and convenient. Get used to it. We’re hiding nothing.

[Jimaz]

... We’re at the end of the age of secrets. Everyone thought this would happen only in a police state. Nobody told us it would happen voluntarily by being fun and convenient. Get used to it. We’re hiding nothing.

Could false surveillance, a cloud of digital flak if you will, be tossed out rendering any such recorded information diluted to the point of being useless? Gaslight the bots! There may be a business opportunity here.

There's a service advertised called Reputation Defender that might do something like that {IDK, I just hear the ads}.

I'm thinking of the scene in Terry Gilliam's Brazil where Sam Lowry connects his inbox tube to his outbox tube causing the whole building to explode. LOL

[canuck]

I watched/listened to a lot of police interrogations and trials on Youchube in the past coupla years. I’m always pleasantly surprised when the investigators retrieve transactional evidence like Walmart bills for garbage bags, bleach and nitrile gloves. I also enjoy when tehy show the culprit/s the video tracking of them driving to/from the scene of a crime establishing timelines, etc…

The Murdaugh trial in SC was really important in showing bits of incriminating stuff that would have gone unnoticed in earlier cases. DNA, telephone usage, timelines for such, revealing text messages, interruptions, and attempted erasure of evidence are all part of the modern resource kit for indictment of perpetrators. I don’t have any problem with that.

Murdaugh’s preceding financial crimes instructed the case per the prosecution’s thesis that he was stressing out due to the discovery of criminal behavior and his imminent demise. Murdaugh committed fraud for ten or more years against clients and his own firm of lawyers [[he was a high flying attorney). Most of the fraudulent transactions leveraged with the help of notaries, bank managers, were kept secret by the lack of transparency and oversight. That part of the trial showed that some transactions are more difficult to track than others, because less accessible to public knowledge, and kept within very narrow circles of clever manipulators.

The takeaway for me is that as far as transactional evidence goes; "bring it on".

[Richard]

Sorry but if you use and carry a smartphone, use the internet, watch cable, pay taxes, get medical treatment, have utilities or simply walk, or drive, around past the flood of cameras, and on and on, your cat is out of the bag. Your data profile is solidly established. Data aggregators are grabbing up everything everywhere all the time, even digitizing your old high school yearbooks—long ago. What they don’t [or can’t legally] sweep up the hackers provide.

And that’s all before you make a single digital payment with a credit card and leave those tracks. [And What? Don’t tell me there’s video of me making those cash payments at stores! I’m shocked! /sarcasm]

We’re at the end of the age of secrets. Everyone thought this would happen only in a police state. Nobody told us it would happen voluntarily by being fun and convenient. Get used to it. We’re hiding nothing.

Most will take the stance of ,it will never get to that point,but we saw it happen in our northern neighbor,in a matter of seconds and under the guise of quelling a protest,those involved,even those who supported them online were tracked down and had their accounts frozen and were visited by the police.

That was in what is considered a 1st world democratic country to some and went to a police state with the stroke of a pen.

You see the other post,there are 350 million people in this country,so does the 350 million give up their rights and privacy in order to catch a few crimes.

None of that actually prevents crime,it helps the police solve the crime,another tool in the tool box of the police choose to act want to solve crime,but they were solving crimes long before the infiltration of câmaras.

You can carry a digital jammer and cash and use a VPN but even at that the states were selling our information long before the internet.

It always boils down to what are we willing to give up for a false sense of security.

Hoover had a file on everybody,now anybody can have a file on everybody.

[canuck]

Most will take the stance of ,it will never get to that point,but we saw it happen in our northern neighbor,in a matter of seconds and under the guise of quelling a protest,those involved,even those who supported them online were tracked down and had their accounts frozen and were visited by the police.

That was in what is considered a 1st world democratic country to some and went to a police state with the stroke of a pen.

You see the other post,there are 350 million people in this country,so does the 350 million give up their rights and privacy in order to catch a few crimes.

None of that actually prevents crime,it helps the police solve the crime,another tool in the tool box of the police choose to act want to solve crime,but they were solving crimes long before the infiltration of câmaras.

You can carry a digital jammer and cash and use a VPN but even at that the states were selling our information long before the internet.

It always boils down to what are we willing to give up for a false sense of security.

Hoover had a file on everybody,now anybody can have a file on everybody.

You see strokes of the pen measures every day frankly in Canada or the US that take away your freedoms. Whatever happened at Waco wasn’t a random unorganized assault on "freedom of religion" by a government agency.