I don't think I've ever paid for a cab with plastic, although most over here take it.
When I was in Southampton, I got a taxi one day and got talking to the driver and I asked what his biggest fare was.
Southampton to Blackpool at 10pm at night!
A passenger on a liner arrived, only to be informed that his daughter had been kidnapped and raped and was in hospital. There was no public transport, he couldn't get a hire car, so he grabbed the nearest cab.
The driver told me he turned the meter off half-way and didn't charge for the return trip, which is normal if you go out of the area.