http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8398155.stm

In my mind, this should be discouraged, I think money should be phased out more and more to make people use cards. Fine, it's more traceable, but it's far easier that everybody takes card, I never have change in my pocket...

I always use my card where possible, but that's only cos I get Play points

There's pros and cons to any potential cash-limited society:

Not having to give to office collections

I think if vending machines only took cards, the prices would be even higher and a lot more cards would need replaced - plus I'd be even more overweight

You lose your card and you're somewhat b0ll0cksed for a while.

Smaller shops would struggle with the card operation costs.

It's even more data on where you've been getting collected (not something I worry about, but still...).

Handing over a card when all you want is a pack of gum?

Physical money is a nice little reminder of what you've been spending without attending an ATM or firing up the net.

Coins can be a pain - my available shelf space for change is way too small . Notes can induce panic when washed

And so on...

All in, I prefer actual money

You lose your cash, it's gone. You lose your card, you get a new one. Cards win.

If I had my way, there would be no cash money. I find it very annoying when the little old lady in front of me is paying in cash she can barely see and it takes absolutely ages. I have a limited amount of time on this world, and I don't want to spend it waiting for people to count coins! Swipe the card. It takes 4 seconds. Then go away!

Right now, it's a problem because there's no way for many of us to accept payment by anything other than cash or cheque. That is the real issue. It's not a technical problem; there are many ways of exchanging cash electronically. The question is, would you want a 4 year old kid to use them?

Until we have implanted ID chips, cash is going to be a necessary evil. I hate the stuff. Coins wear holes in my pockets. I lose them. They're filthy, and it pisses me off when I know I have money in the bank but I've run out of exchangeable currency. For now though, thank the banks for printing more fivers. The ones I've had to touch recently are disgusting, but I hate coins even more. I'd welcome a nice crisp fiver.

I was thinking more in terms of 'if we got so reliant on cards that cash was a rarity', but it's a fair point in the sense that you mean

Best guess, we carry on with the current hybrid method, with phones starting to play more of a role... After that, you'll probably have to swipe your arm at Tesco

Cash is very useful. There have been a couple of times where my card has been declined for 'incorrect PIN" - when it was completely correct - or I've been asked for alternative tender, despite having lots of monies in the bank.

Without cash, that would have been no shopping for me.

I quite like cash. I like the fact it's convenient. I like the fact you can give it to someone who doesn't immediately have access to chip & pin machine. What am I supposed to put in my nephew's christmas card - a bank transfer form? I like the fact blind people can use it just as effectively as sighted people do. I like the fact it's collectable and can be used to commemorate things.

I also like the fact sometimes, just sometimes, I can do something without in being sodding recorded in some enormous database I don't have access to or know who else is looking at it.

The value of cash is far more than the value of money.

Jon

And things like credit/debit card fraud? This is the main reason why, when going to the petrol station, I drive one mile in the opposite direction (to the cash machine) and then three miles to the petrol station.

Card is okay and light and less cumbersome to use but I've never had issues with carrying cash around. I've always tried to carry both around so that if there's problems with the card or if I've lost it or somethingm, I still have cash at hand.