Some people believe that in some time soon we will use our credit cards to pay for absolutely everything and cash will not be used again. And there are some that believe cash will only be truly redundant when flying cars are the norm and we all have slave robots. However in modern society it is possible even now to forget your cash on a daily basis.
Just think for a moment. When you get gas, almost every gas station has a pay at the pump option. Most shops, restaurants and supermarkets now have a retail cash register that can take all kinds of cards. You can even pay at a drive through window for fast food using a card. It does seem possible that you could get through most days without needing cash as you can use debit and credit cards in most places.
But with most things, each system, cash and card, have advantages and disadvantages. To use cash, you need to be at the retail cash register terminal for the transaction to go through. It’s very easily stolen, and you are unable to purchase online using cash. However, by using cash you can remain anonymous whereas cards mean that some of your personal details are passed to the seller. Privacy is a concern, and using plastic means there is a chance for fraud or identity theft.
Over-spending is one of the biggest problems people have with their credit card. When you do not have to count cash or get it out of an ATM it is easy to buy more expensive things.
Deciding whether to carry cash or go “cashless” is a personal decision for now, as we still have the ability to use both. It’s hard to say whether or not we will ever be forced to use only plastic, but you can bet if the credit card companies have their way we will become a cashless society! Whilst you have the option you can use both and decide based on the advantages and disadvantages of both.
