Pub Payment Etiquette

[mmgg1988]

I usually keep about £20-30 in cash and try not to pay for anything less than £5 on a card as my bank statement would go on for ever. Most things nor than that I pay for on card.

[Harry Smith]

Contactless all day long for, faster and painless without having to handle grubby cash.

Though care now required!

Dunno how true, but stories of scammers out and about (think crowded London Underground) with hand held devices picking up £30 a time from unsuspected punters.

I use the Secrid flip wallet, whose alloy casing insulates from any unsuspected scams.

How utterly ridiculous that you need a Faraday cage round your credit card to stop nomad scanning scammers!
Last time our cards ran out we were sent contactless. After a few months of reading about the above we decided to go back to non-contactless. What a pucking falaver it was trying to change back. The local branch did not have the authority. I had to resort to threats on twatter before Barclays would even consider talking to me about it. If you try ringing your bank these days it is a generic number terminating in Mumbai, who tell you that your local branch doesn't have a phone so they have to email them and someone might ring you, maybe. Actually no they didn't. Hence the twatter campaign which worked a treat.

[Plug]

Well I must be a dinosaur but I pay cash for nearly everything. I've always got a bit of walking about money in the wallet, if I get down to £20 it's time to hit the cashpoint again. Fuel and larger purchases go on the debit card (chip and pin only), the (contactless) credit card generally only gets used for internet purchases or, on the last few visits, to use the underground in London actually using the contactless feature. I do keep it in an RF shielded pouch when I'm on the tube though - I know a thing or two about RF communications and despite the bank blathering on about the range of the card only being 2-3 inches, that's cr*p. I'm pretty certain I could make a card reader with an effective range of several feet that would fit easily into a daysack, and if I can doubtless others have got there before me.

Rant over. I'll get me groats.

Cheers,

Plug

[dougair]

How utterly ridiculous that you need a Faraday cage round your credit card to stop nomad scanning scammers!
Last time our cards ran out we were sent contactless. After a few months of reading about the above we decided to go back to non-contactless. What a pucking falaver it was trying to change back. The local branch did not have the authority. I had to resort to threats on twatter before Barclays would even consider talking to me about it. If you try ringing your bank these days it is a generic number terminating in Mumbai, who tell you that your local branch doesn't have a phone so they have to email them and someone might ring you, maybe. Actually no they didn't. Hence the twatter campaign which worked a treat.

You only need a faraday cage if you're massively paranoid IMO.

[Harry Smith]

And another thing. You see people on the fillums getting mugged. If you've got cash they shove you around and maybe a bit of a slap and they're off. If you've only got cards, they have to beat the crap out of you to make sure they've got the right pin number or cut off your fingers one by one.
Just sayin'

[Alansmithee]

I do keep it in an RF shielded pouch when I'm on the tube though - I know a thing or two about RF communications and despite the bank blathering on about the range of the card only being 2-3 inches, that's cr*p. I'm pretty certain I could make a card reader with an effective range of several feet that would fit easily into a daysack, and if I can doubtless others have got there before me.

Rant over. I'll get me groats.

Cheers,

Plug

It's just over half an inch - security specialists seem to have *theoretically* doubted this range to about an inch or so in attempts at hacks but that still requires no other cards present or stuff like keys. If you can do it from several feet, you should get in touch because I cannot find any security expert who claims to have done this.

The stories about skimmers on the tube seem complete urban myth partly fuelled by a picture of a man in Russia - nobody has presented solid evidence from a credible source of this ever happening.


If people are really worried - then use google or android pay - for technical reasons, I'll not get into, these are even harder to crack.

[robcat]

There's also the issue of getting the cash to the bank each day. If you're a small business, you need someone to take time (that you're paying for) to make the deposit, if you're a large business you're paying for a security firm to do it for you.

The cost of cash is normally estimated at around 4%, plus or minus a couple percent. Which is why so many retailers are happy to pay Visa and Mastercard charges of up to 5%.

On the business banking deal we have, there’s a definite disincentive to use cash. Banks definitely don’t like it, for obvious reasons. This is why I think that the media stories about the “death of cash” and some kind of card merchant conspiracy are journalists getting the wrong end of the stick. I accept the delay between card payment and bank credit is probably too long, but as you say, a lot of businesses have at least one day between taking the cash and banking it. If yo get a good deal from the pdq people, you’re probably better with card payment.

[seffrican]

You only need a faraday cage if you're massively paranoid IMO.

On the business banking deal we have, there’s a definite disincentive to use cash. Banks definitely don’t like it, for obvious reasons. This is why I think that the media stories about the “death of cash” and some kind of card merchant conspiracy are journalists getting the wrong end of the stick. I accept the delay between card payment and bank credit is probably too long, but as you say, a lot of businesses have at least one day between taking the cash and banking it. If yo get a good deal from the pdq people, you’re probably better with card payment.

Exactly. The costs of cash have always been high, but they are so familiar and somewhat hidden so that most people don't notice them.


For example, do you know how much of your tax money is spent burning and replacing old notes, and recycling old coins?

And have you any idea how much wealth is tied up in small coins that can never be used? Half-penny pieces, anyone?

[Mj2k]

I enjoy not ending up with loads of change during a night out, I only like folding currency!

I will never go out though without enough cash to cover the meal / drinks etc just in case technology decides to fall over & leave me stranded unable to pay without visiting a cash point.

Plus always carry some back up cash somewhere, just in case I lose my cash. Weird I know, but grew up having a 'back up fiver' with me from my parents & I've continued to adopt it but it's more than £5 these days as that doesn't get you very far.

[Alansmithee]

I will never go out though without enough cash to cover the meal / drinks etc just in case technology decides to fall over & leave me stranded .

They'd get you to swipe and sign (remember that?).

[hafle]

It's just over half an inch - security specialists seem to have *theoretically* doubted this range to about an inch or so in attempts at hacks but that still requires no other cards present or stuff like keys. If you can do it from several feet, you should get in touch because I cannot find any security expert who claims to have done this.

The stories about skimmers on the tube seem complete urban myth partly fuelled by a picture of a man in Russia - nobody has presented solid evidence from a credible source of this ever happening.


If people are really worried - then use google or android pay - for technical reasons, I'll not get into, these are even harder to crack.

Can't be proven, but it has quite definitely happened to my partner. It's no urban myth. But it can't be proven because Barvas refused to accept it because that might make the concept look bad.

Sorry, but I think that anyone who uses contact less (including my partner) deserve whatever they get. It is bleeding stupid technology that exists purely because we have become such a damn impatient instant gratification society. If people can't bear the 5 seconds to use chip and pin, there's no saving them :)

[dougair]

Can't be proven, but it has quite definitely happened to my partner. It's no urban myth. But it can't be proven because Barvas refused to accept it because that might make the concept look bad.

Sorry, but I think that anyone who uses contact less (including my partner) deserve whatever they get. It is bleeding stupid technology that exists purely because we have become such a damn impatient instant gratification society. If people can't bear the 5 seconds to use chip and pin, there's no saving them :)

😂😂

I'll take the risk for the added convienice.

- - - Updated - - -

They'd get you to swipe and sign (remember that?).

Or you'd get a freebie...not sure why people think that if you've eaten a meal and the tech fails that it's your problem?

[Alansmithee]

Can't be proven, but it has quite definitely happened

[MCFastybloke]

I manage my change down at every transaction, never a problem. Those orphan pound coins bought me my Daytona, i chucked them in a bucket in my garage for the time i was on the list.

[MCFastybloke]

Duplicate

[vulcangascompany]

The important thing is we should have a choice, we shouldn't be forced into contactless payments. I don't like the fact that if I was going for another mortgage the bank could run a check on my bank account and say sorry we can't give you a deal because we have looked at your coffee / beer / magazine / snack/meal transactions and they are too high per month / not right for this bank. Cash has its benefits..

[eagletower]

The important thing is we should have a choice, we shouldn't be forced into contactless payments. I don't like the fact that if I was going for another mortgage the bank could run a check on my bank account and say sorry we can't give you a deal because we have looked at your coffee / beer / magazine / snack/meal transactions and they are too high per month / not right for this bank. Cash has its benefits..

I use my Amex , and credit card for all contact less then pay off at end of each month. Bank won't see the individual transactions then too.

[dougair]

The important thing is we should have a choice, we shouldn't be forced into contactless payments. I don't like the fact that if I was going for another mortgage the bank could run a check on my bank account and say sorry we can't give you a deal because we have looked at your coffee / beer / magazine / snack/meal transactions and they are too high per month / not right for this bank. Cash has its benefits..

They'd still see you taking the cash out, it's no different.

[vulcangascompany]

They'd still see you taking the cash out, it's no different.

I completely disagree how could they form a judgement on what you spend your cash on? You could be paying school lunches / bible studies / charity donations.......or hooker / coke and booze! The point is a contact less payment is a digital footprint, a cash withdrawal proves nothing - you can still have the money or its been spent..only you know (well if you're sober ha)..

[Fords]

I don't find it weird at all. I'm quite happy having a layer of protection between my card and my money. I find it weird that people are so willing to use an unsecure payment method like contactless. My partner has had a nuber of instances of £20 or so dissapearing from her account since she got her contactless card. Barclays couldn't care less and just told her she must have spent it.

I bet a few quid goes missing from a few accounts, card type people are only worried about money once a month when they get a statement.


Cash all the way for me I like to be connected, banks want you to be unconnected from real cash, it costs money to move it store it and give it you out of the machine or bank.

I love going into the banks and getting a statement when I get some cash out, checking all my little ones are doing well.

[dougair]

I completely disagree how could they form a judgement on what you spend your cash on? You could be paying school lunches / bible studies / charity donations.......or hooker / coke and booze! The point is a contact less payment is a digital footprint, a cash withdrawal proves nothing - you can still have the money or its been spent..only you know (well if you're sober ha)..

It doesn't matter really what you spend it on, it's about affordability so whether you spend it on Starbucks or Bible Studies is irrelevant you're still spending the money. Both on discretionary items.