Is A Cashless Society Feasible?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43645676
I see the Olivers are giving it a go but a lot of older people are struggling. Oddly enough I only use cash in places like bars and cafes etc but it would not be much of a leap to go cashless. I know that Gregorys are on the way out but do you think bangers and mash will follow?

[hc4361]

It is not an 'all or nothing' situation. It would be no more dangerous to human health than micro chipping a pet dog is to dogs.

[tamborine]

Card machines cost a hire charges & the finance trail is accessible to tax office/exchequer.

If I gift my gkids I dont want them or me taxed!

[hc4361]

Handling cash and banking costs money, too. Those Securicor vans don't come cheap.

You can give money to your grandkids without either party having to pay tax.

[dave50]

If we became a cashless society, how would drug dealers operate? Would they turn up with a chip and pin machine? It might be one positive outcome to it all that they would find it very difficult to operate.

[hc4361]

They'd use bitcoin or similar, I expect, dave.

[mccfluff]

i don't use cash, i use my phone or online for pretty much everything. It is causing me a problem right now as I'm trying to get people to give me money for a leaving collection but no-one has any cash on them.....

[Garaman]

You would just transfer 'cash' from your phone to the drug dealer's phone using Bluetooth or similar. There seems to be a misunderstanding on what is meant by cash apps and cash cards. They would work like cash, hence the name, and not like credit cards. You could take money out of your account and put it into a cash app. You could then transfer some of that to someone else's cash app, who could put it into their bank account if they wished. But it would be 'cash' in that only you two would be aware of the transaction.

[ummmm]

Why? How?

[youngmafbog]

//Handling cash and banking costs money, too. Those Securicor vans don't come cheap.//

That only affects the big boys and that is why they want to see an end to it. The big boys also pay a lot less for Visa/Mastercard transactions than the local shops.

If you have a local shop it is much cheaper to deal in cash, you take it in and then use it at your cash and carry. Goes nowhere near a greedy bank.

[youngmafbog]

I wouldn't worry too much about your local dealer, I'm sure the criminal fraternity will come up with something.

[mccfluff]

how are they going to get arrested, myself and my colleagues transfer money between ourselves all the time, usually for milk or other small items. Using your idiotic theory should i be worried i'm going to be arrested because Si sent me £1.15 and called it a hand job on the description? (it was for milk btw)

[andres]

I would be worried regarding the number of children having cards instead of cash. At the moment it is probably only a small number and their school friends won't know who has one. When they are all carrying cards it won't be a case of --'hand over your dinner money' but --'give me your card' . Even if it only has a small amount on the card it will be traumatic for the kids being robbed.

[jno]

I'm trying to get people to give me money for a leaving collection but no-one has any cash on them

better stay on, then

[Thursday]

No, it’s not at present.
As an aside, I believe cards (both debit and credit) are partially responsible for today’s debt problems. Use cash, see it disappearing, then when it’s gone it’s gone.

[ummmm]

Why debit cards?