Are there still a lot of cash only businesses where you live? I hardly ever carry cash on me ever since I got my Visa debit card about 10 years ago.

I ask this question since I went out today to buy something and found out afterwards that the business only accepted cash so I had to make a mad dash to the ATM.

Many of the Chinese and Asian restaurants here are still cash only.

Nope, but... you can often get a slight discount if you offer to pay in cash at small shops. You have to ask though. They save on the % they'd have to send to Visa/MC/AE and are happy to pass the savings on to you.
Sometimes it's just faster to have cash as sometimes a register's card machine will be out of order but the cashier can still take cash... so I can skip over to that line.

On the other hand, you don't get the points if your card gives you that. My travel Visa gave me enough points in the last year's worth of charging to offset $800 from the cost of a $3000 family vacation to Orlando this coming January... that's a pretty big chunk of change...

I'm finding it's almost the opposite where I am, that many stores would rather take debit than cash so they don't have to worry about keeping the drawer properly stocked, etc.

One recent exception to that was a parking garage I went to. I had to go to a place last minute, and parked in the garage, and didn't realize that the validation wouldn't cover the whole time I was parked there. Got to the gate and it was cash only, and I didn't have enough on me. They were nice enough to let me go, though, even though I offered to park and go to an ATM (it was less than a dollar that I was short).

A few places here do cash only, especially smaller food businesses. Take aways, cake shops, some restaurants.

I popped into a Churches Chicken near my house a couple of years ago to pickup a little family pack for dinner. At checkout, they stated they only took cash, no checks or credit, but there happened to be a handy atm machine right next to the counter that would happily dispense me the cash for only a $3 surcharge. Needless to say, I walked out and went to the Popeyes drive-thru a couple of blocks away. Ridiculous.

Chinese take aways and my barber are the only ones that I know of who still operate on cash only. My barber's cash register has not even worked for about 20 years....it just sits there with the cash drawer open.

I carry cash for places where I can't keep my card in sight. I'm not handing my card to some staff at a crowded restaurant and letting them walk off with it for 15 mins if I can at all avoid it.

Places with a POS reader at the checkout, sure, I'll use plastic no problem. I alternate using cash or card for delivery, usually if I have the correct cash on me I'll use it otherwise I put it on the card.




The Jedi Master

I prefer cash. Big Brother don't need to know what I buy and when.

Especially Wal Mart.

I pay cash there and I only buy household items like mouthwash, toothpaste, bath soap, toilet paper, laundry detergent, paper towels.

Their prices for those items are lower than a grocery store's.

You are on film anyway...LOL. Big brother still knows.

I can't remember the last time I really carried cash. I put a $1.50 cup of coffee on my card quite often. The closest to being cash only is there are a few Chinese food places around that it's a minimum of $10 to use the card.

Most dive bars are still cash only- even if they do accept credit cards, from a practical standpoint, it's better to use cash (and less risky). Would prefer to draw some cash before using the ATM in a bar as well.

I only use cash at strip clubs and I won't use their ATM which depending on the club, will charge $7.95 to $20 per withdrawal with a maximum $200 per each withdrawal limit.

So if you want to take out $500, it will cost you....

That charge is on top of what your bank will also charge you for not using an ATM in their network, anywhere from $3 to $5.

I think most places here have card readers minus very small shops.

Personally, when I am in a shop, I pay cash normally when below 100 � (minus the gas station, there I pay always with the card).

I think it`s a German thing, I would never pay 15,23 � in the supermarket with other than cash, paying with card is sooooo much slower.

That's interesting kilosierra, as it's usually faster to pay with a card where I shop. I can sweep my card through the reader (and put it away) while the items are still being scanned at the counter, enter my PIN, and wait to approve the total. When the cashier (an outdated name, I guess ) is done I just make sure the numbers look right, press the approve button, and I'm done.

With cash, I have to wait until they have a total, pull out the right amount of money, wait for them to key it into the register, make change and count it back, then organize and put the change away.

Same here in Oz with Asian takeaways, they are the only places that seem cash only.

I tried using the ATM at a local strip club several times one evening, then Cinnamon got mad and said, "that slot is not for swiping your credit card".

Some businesses out of the way in upstate NY still are cash only...easier to cook the books. Pizza shops and such.

I don't use credit cards myself. I have a debit card, but not a credit card.

There are a few businesses in town that don't take cards, but will do cash or check. In my side-business I take only cash, check, or money order. A friend of mine owns a tire company, and he's quit taking American Express and Discover because they upped the amount they charge the vendor. He's considering dropping all credit cards.

Cash is the new thing with all the credit data being stolen.