‘The king is dead – long live the king!’ Cash used to be king, but like all reigns, the king eventually died and was replaced by the king-in-waiting – the credit card. Already there are shops and businesses which refuse to take cash – even though, as far as we know, it is still the only real legal tender. There is no law in Ireland which compels a shop to take cash and some banks have gone totally cashless. It is years now since you could book a flight or hotel with real money.
Yes, of course the credit or debit card is quick and easy to use. It is better for the shop-keeper, as it eliminates the necessity of carrying large amount of change, reduces the chances of staff ‘fiddling’ and also cash robberies. The ‘hit and run’, or ‘tap and go’ – to give it its proper title, has really taken over and makes it so easy to make small purchases.
But this system leaves you with the tedious task of going through long pages of bank and credit card statements, checking where and how your money went. I have reverted to paying cash (for as long as it lasts!) for papers, milk and so on. Instead, I get €100.00 ‘cash-back’ from Millie Walsh when I fuel the car and this keeps the miscellaneous cash transactions ticking over.
So we have to accept that the card is the new king; but we don’t have to like it. I was very fond of the old king! Just like comparing the feel of a newspaper as against reading the Epaper on line, there is nothing nicer than the feel of that cash in your pocket!
Money is not the root of all evil, as often proclaimed for no great reason. This is a misquote from St Paul, who said that ‘the love of money is the root of all evil’. A big difference – and the use of money does far more good than evil.
Some monetary forecasters tell us that cash will soon disappear altogether. I hope that they are wrong. I’ll miss cash; not for the love of money, but for what you can do – especially with the small amounts of it. It is not the same when you tip a waitress by card and everyone can see what she got. On that point, I would say that the tips of low paid restaurant staff has greatly reduced since the advent of card payment.
What are we to do when you meet the child of a family you know in the hotel after she has just made her First Holy Communion? Flashing the card won’t do any good in this situation. The young lad you get to give you a hand on a Saturday morning; do you ask him if he has a card machine on him? Is the day nearly gone when a grandparent can put a Euro note into a grandchild’s birthday card?
Are children to be denied the pleasure of having a few bob pressed into their little hand? Furthermore, that birthday or Christmas cash gift was the first lesson in teaching children the value of money. If they don’t see and feel the money how can they learn what they can do with it, or how to ‘stretch’ it?
I sold an old farm trailer last week and it came as a mini surprise to me when the man put his hand in his pocket and paid me cash. Whether you live in town or country, people will sometimes have bits and pieces they no longer need, which they previously could turn into cash. (Just look at ‘Done Deal.’) Is the card society about to put an end to this right?
A cashless society is the greatest invasion of privacy. Every item you purchase, every trip you make, every hotel you book, every match or function you attend, every impulsive act you make … it’s all up there for someone to see. You can forget all that talk about ‘data protection!’
AIB had to do a humble U-turn and reverse its decision to close 67 banks when the voice of objections from the people became loud enough. Should not the same voices be raised against the abolishment of the old ‘spondulas’?
Cash is legal tender and maybe we should all do our bit to keep it alive by insisting that shops and banks accept cash when it suits the customer. ‘If you don’t use it you lose it’, could very much apply here. If we all make a point of exercising the right to use cash here and there, it will stop them doing away with it altogether. After all … what else can you put in a child’s birthday card!
Don’t Forget
Lads, if you wife is in Canada, don’t forget to water the potted plants.
