Cash

Cash or no

  • Cash

    Votes: 72 60.0%
  • No cash

    Votes: 48 40.0%

  • Total voters
    120

joycem10

Deity
Joined
Jan 25, 2002
Messages
2,352
Location
pittsburgh
I always get harassed for never carrying cash and always paying with a debit card or having to run to a ATM/MAC machine. Personally, I rarely have more than $20 in cash on me at any one time. You can even use a debit card at fast food places anymore.

So my question is do you believe in carrying cash or do you never have more than a couple of bills on you at any time, prefer debit cards, and head to the ATM anytime you need signifigant amounts of cash?
 
I always withdraw about 50 to 70 € every week on campus :)
Special expenditures are done with my banking card (like the purchase of Civ 4 f.i.)
 
Cash, although for everything beyond fast food and soda machines, my credit card suffices.
 
I always pay with cash because I don't have a credit or debit card.
 
Generally, anything from £100 ($180) to £300 ($543) is carried on me.

I find cash to be clingier than credit ;)

However, when credit cards were first offered to me, I did not follow this train of thinking and was like "Ooh! Look how convenient it is to buy things... ****, now how do I pay my rent?" :crazyeye:
 
I use cash, so I can't be tracked. (damn FBI) Seriously, I don't have a debit or credit card so I have to carry cash. But when I get a credit card, I will still carry like 20 or 30 bucks in my wallet, cash is a lot safer.
 
I always use my debit card.

Well, France is a particular country as we have that system of "Carte Bleue" (Blue Card). Well, the carte bleue is a debit card made as an agreement between all French banks... so everyone in France has a carte bleue and no other cards, it's also a visa card. What is specific from the carte bleue is that it doesn't work magnetically, it works only through an electronic micropuce. As such, no matter whether you use it at an ATM or in any shop, you have to type your code in order to use it. I like a lot that system, which I consider as a lot safer than the international magnetic cards.

Anyway, I've been to Italy this summer and cards are magnetic over there. As cartes bleues are also visa card, we have still a magnestic strip on it. When I was in Naples, I've used it in a restaurant, and obviously the magnetic strip had been copied over there. 1500 € ($1850) has been stolen to pay things at the Disney Store or in other shops. Well, my bank will pay me back the stolen money, but I still hope that bastard who has stolen me will be found and trialed.

All this to say that electronic micropuce cards should spread worldwide. Even if they aren't 100% sure, it's still a lot safer than magnetic cards. Now, when I'll travel in Europe, I'll get my cash at the ATM/Bankomat and I'll never use my card in shops, restaurants or hotels anymore.
 
no cash for me. I always run into trouble when I'm in some backward place where they don't accept plastic money, since I never have much cash on me :)
 
$10, no credit cards, no checks. I limit the cash I put on myself to stop myself from spending it, I'm a ferocious saver.
 
I have debit card and checking account in my own name (with my own money from working) and then I have a credit card linked to my father's banking account. For things like gas and other neccesities I usually use the credit but otherwise I'm using debit. I prefer cash simply because all my purchases remain unknown to a degree. Not that I'm buying anything bad or dangerous I prefer to remain anonymous.
 
I usually only have cash, but I'm getting a debit card soon for college.
 
A few singles for the vending machines if I'm headed to work, or a few twenties for the libations if I'm headed to the bar, but otherwise I almost exclusively use a debit card for everything routine now.

@Marla: Purely out of curiosity, was there some form of competition or bidding war to determine that it was Visa who won the privilege of endorsing your Carte Bleue's? Either way, I'd probably prefer something similar to that over magnetic strips, but I'm just curious about that aspect...
 
Marla said:
What is specific from the carte bleue is that it doesn't work magnetically, it works only through an electronic micropuce. As such, no matter whether you use it at an ATM or in any shop, you have to type your code in order to use it. I like a lot that system, which I consider as a lot safer than the international magnetic cards.
The UK uses those too, with the square gold-coloured microprocessor in them. Before that, the same solution was used for BT (British Telecom / Bee Tea) phone cards.

However, what banks claim is untrue: they are not safe! :eek:

To maintain compatibility with legacy magnetic strips used by American tourists, all of our microchip bank cards have a magnetic strip on them. Machines check the magnetic strip for a digital flag (0/1, yes/no) to see if a chip present.

Our microchip cards can be easily copied by cloning the magnetic strip, but changing the digital flag when writing the copy :rolleyes:

The cloned cards works just like a legacy magnetic strip card, so security has not improved. You can get the software which edits flags online.

But i gets worse, because now we have to punch in a four digit code at every shop - with how many people and cameras watching the buttons we press? :dubious:

American banks have refused to invest in the microchips, so tourists will continue to bring their magnetic strips to Europe, and American ATM machines will continue to require that European visitors bring the old style cards :(
 
Mostly cash...but I don't buy too much...cept for gas...I spend a lot of cash on gas... :(
 
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