Cash or Card

[superal]

The UK like many western countries is fast becoming a cashless country i.e. credit or debit card for all purchases and now cash payments for services rendered , or for goods , are being refused and only contactless cards are being accepted ( contactless is where the card is placed over the card reader which then reads the chip , for those who are not aware ) . Indeed there have been instances in super markets where customers with shopping trollies full to the brim with groceries , have been turned away because of trying to pay with cash and not card .  

Even taxis and bars prefer cards and online shopping including your weekly grocery shop are the preferred purchase method with " to your door deliveries " being the norm . Much of the sway to cards has been boosted by the covid 19 virus that can be passed on via paper money but also is promoted by the major banks  as one of the benefits is it mitigates the high rate of fake money notes . 

Is it just a matter of time till Thailand joins the no cash society ?  The mind boggles when I think of some of the services offered in Thailand will use card only payments and vendors will carry their own card readers .  

[Neeranam]

I do everything using a Crypto.com card, including paying telephone bills, petrol, internet, school fees, Makro, Bic C, etc. I get 4% cashback every time I use it. Also get free Spotify and Netflix from it and free 1st class airport lounges.

 

[Kwasaki]

I use my uk debit card and credit card for convenience when I want to, cash in Thailand for household bills and shops that don't have card facilities.

[kynikoi]

Internet purchases aside I'm all about cash.

 

101% pry it from my cold, dead hands.

 

I'm not a Luddite. I just don't like myself and my debit purchases tracked.

 

I've always shunned credit, since I was young.

[treetops]

18 hours ago, superal said:

Is it just a matter of time till Thailand joins the no cash society ?  The mind boggles when I think of some of the services offered in Thailand will use card only payments and vendors will carry their own card readers

I think in Thailand it may become more mobile phone based.  Even many of  the small vendors signed up for the 50/50 deal which I think was mobile driven.  Also QR code payment which is widespread now too.

[Jonathan Fairfield]

I'm using cash and card less and less. I mainly use QR payment/Prompt Pay via the K-Bank app. It's great. So convenient and most places accept it now, from street food vendors up to big stores. 

[curtklay]

I call bulls**t.

I have never heard of cash being refused anywhere.

[Dazinoz]

5 minutes ago, curtklay said:

I call bulls**t.

I have never heard of cash being refused anywhere.

Actually I have seen it. On a holiday in the US one time and an all night liquor shop accepted cards only, no cash. Obviously for the robbery aspect but still no cash.

[rickudon]

In Thailand, i mainly use cash. Only use the card in major shops, like Lotus, and to withdraw cash. In UK 50/50, I do not like contactless because of potential fraud - I think this could sky rocket soon.

[GreasyFingers]

1 hour ago, curtklay said:

I call bulls**t.

I have never heard of cash being refused anywhere.

On the other hand I have seen airline hostess refuse a card for a small drink purchase. Would only accept cash and the silly young dude did not have any so he went without.

[dlclark97]

I do use a card in some places as it does give 2% back for all purchases.  I also make sure they charge the account in Thai baht as you get a better exchange rate than if originally charged in the currency of the USA.  But, I will not use it anywhere the card is out of my sight at any time.  The only card I ever had comprised was compromised at a local gas station here.  It had not been used anywhere else for months prior to that charge.  About six weeks later I found that over $6000.00 of high end electronics had been charged to the card in Florida.  I challenged those charges and came out OK but a lot of time and effort spent clearing things up.

[jimn]

2 hours ago, curtklay said:

I call bulls**t.

I have never heard of cash being refused anywhere.

Some bars in the UK are cashless as are some large sport events like Cricket. This will happen more and more.

[Caldera]

Here in Thailand, I don't even see a need for (more) card readers. I've made many cashless payments - even at what I had considered "unlikely places" - simply using my phone. PromptPay or TrueMoney.

 

So I'd say both cash and card payments are on their way out, in the sense that increasingly you don't need to use a physical card anymore (it might still be linked to a payment app / wallet app).

[khunPer]

2 hours ago, curtklay said:

I call bulls**t.

I have never heard of cash being refused anywhere.

I have, the card only line in Makro, it had no queue so I was heading straight there, but...????

[caughtintheact]

Granted there are conveniences to  not needing cash , but  there are problems as well.    Do a web search or two for dangers of a cashless society  and see if the benefits outweigh the  potential problems.

[Regyai]

42 minutes ago, caughtintheact said:

Granted there are conveniences to  not needing cash , but  there are problems as well.    Do a web search or two for dangers of a cashless society  and see if the benefits outweigh the  potential problems.

 

The benefits to unprecedented governmental control will inevitably, always outweigh any problems to the wide eyed sheeple

[Skeptic7]

Been using credit card in Thailand for anything possible for 20 years...and in USA and other parts of the world much longer. So much more is available cashless here now and CapitalOne MasterCard gives 30 day grace period in which there is no interest charged if balance is paid in full by the due date each month. It also pays 1.5% cash back. Why ever use cash? Cash only as a backup or where credit cards not accepted. 

 

Sometimes Lazada (the ONLY place) has a problem processing my CC. In that event, just use my Bangkok Bank debit card. 

Edited May 16, 2021 by Skeptic7

[bangon04]

Many small shops in europe have a MINIMUM limit for card payments because of surcharges.

 

Imagine using a card for every 20 Baht purchase.

 

Imagine trying to make a contactless card payment on a moving Thai bus.........

[Tubulat]

With the countless small shops on the roads I think it will takes a very long time before cash money disapears.

And I'm happy with that, you can keep 100% controlle on the money you'll spend.

[new2here]

On 5/15/2021 at 2:30 PM, Jonathan Fairfield said:

I'm using cash and card less and less. I mainly use QR payment/Prompt Pay via the K-Bank app. It's great. So convenient and most places accept it now, from street food vendors up to big stores. 

I’m like you.. While i still use “cards” - mostly because either i earn some kind of points/cash back or because  i want some kind of post-purchase recourse should things go bad, i do find that more and more of my smaller day-to-day purchases i pay by QR or the like... 

 

I do sometimes find it funny that at some stalls that lack electricity hook-ups or running water have their QR code prominent displayed and used. 

 

my neighbor runs a few smaller cafes near several universities in the bangkok area - thus is a cash heavy business …  he told me that his commercial banking costs (like the banks fee for bulk cash deposits, loose coin acceptance fees and the occasional bogus note his staff would accidentally accept) have dropped dramatically- he has now set it up that users of QR get an additional “point” in his shops frequent buyer card programme as a means to promote it. 

[Pilotman]

1 minute ago, Tubulat said:

you can keep 100% controlle on the money you'll spend.

Clearly you are not married to a Thai lady? 

[LukKrueng]

On 5/14/2021 at 4:47 PM, superal said:

The mind boggles when I think of some of the services offered in Thailand will use card only payments

I'm pretty sure those services will always accept cash payment ????

[Tubulat]

1 minute ago, Pilotman said:

Clearly you are not married to a Thai lady? 

I stay with the same Thai lady for more than 10 years, but not married

But she is self supported for....95%

[Denim]

5 hours ago, curtklay said:

I call bulls**t.

I have never heard of cash being refused anywhere.

 

In Thailand maybe. Not in the UK. Cash no longer taken on a bus.

 

Its very convenient. You pay something like 7 pounds for a trip that costs 2 pounds and then you can throw the card and the remaining 5 pounds away. It really makes you feel like a big shot. And when the ticket machine has a meltdown you can always use shanks pony or take a taxi.

 

Its so convenient and useful I'm really glad I'll be kicking the bucket soon as i dont think I could stand all the pleasure and excitement.

[GreasyFingers]

3 hours ago, Caldera said:

Here in Thailand, I don't even see a need for (more) card readers. I've made many cashless payments - even at what I had considered "unlikely places" - simply using my phone. PromptPay or TrueMoney.

 

So I'd say both cash and card payments are on their way out, in the sense that increasingly you don't need to use a physical card anymore (it might still be linked to a payment app / wallet app).

What if you do not pay for internet (by choice) on your phone.

[Caldera]

4 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

What if you do not pay for internet (by choice) on your phone.

 

Then you can't use any payment apps, unless you're in a place with Wi-Fi.

[GreasyFingers]

Just now, Caldera said:

 

Then you can't use any payment apps, unless you're in a place with Wi-Fi.

Exactly. If they do not accept cash or CC they do not have my business. Someone in the past said "the customer is always right"

[Thomas J]

The governments are pushing towards a cashless society.  They can't track cash.  So black market for labor and goods.  Merchants like it because of the convenience and tracking. With that said it is not "free"  A charge on a credit card will cost the merchant between 2.75% and 5% of the amount of the purchase.  The higher the volume and the higher the average ticket charged the lower the rate.  So that cost gets added to the cost of the products/services rendered.  And those "rebates" free miles, cash back etc. that you get as freebees for using your card well those free premiums also get passed on to the merchant accepting your card.  Debit cards cost the least generally about 1.5% to 2% of the amount of the purchase.  Cards like American Express cost the most and that is why many merchants specifically will not accept them.  Also the merchant gets charged each month based on the number of different types of cards.  A Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover all have a monthly fee the merchant pays for the privilege of taking their cards. 

[worgeordie]

Me , A.K.A.  Johnny Cash.

regards worgeordie

 

900 $ charge on my Thai issued credit card which is not mine: advice anyone, posted today on here, is why.....

Edited May 16, 2021 by worgeordie

[Denim]

27 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

Exactly. If they do not accept cash or CC they do not have my business. Someone in the past said "the customer is always right"

 

That saying has been changed.

 

It is now ' The customer is always ripe '  ( for the picking.)