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No, since I have never owned one, and at my age not likely to get one now.
It's only really car parks that are an issue when you don't have a card. The upside is that I don't have to worry about losing it or being subjected to the many scams out there.
Surely it's more of an issue when you lose cash?
No, because your loss is a fixed amount whereas losing a card means that you could be subject to losses of much larger amounts. I believe that over 5% of the population don't have credit or debit cards.
You can be, but most banks indemnify you against losses incurred after you report the card lost or stolen and it's also possible to disable both online and contactless use, such that someone would have to know your PIN in order to spend using the card.
Even for people who prefer to budget in cash, having a debit card makes it easier to get said cash in the first place!
My friend who recently retired finally caved in and got a card as his misses used go give him money on demand, but one long weekend didnt leave him any money when she went away, so couldnt buy anything from the shop or go the pub etc..
My 98 year old Auntie has a debit and credit card and uses them as she is sort of mobile.
Why is it that non-bank cash machines are intent on getting you to check your balance anyway?Bald Rick said:
I believe, though I can't remember where I was told this so might be wrong, that they can charge the card issuer a fee for the balance enquiry service.
They are paid a small amount for balance checks. Pretty much everything you do with your card at an ATM or payment point incurs a small fee behind the scenes.
That's astonishing!
I think that what "freedom of choice" means (in this context) is
How do you not have a card? Even the most basic bank accounts, intended for people who are ineligible for the normal basic accounts, come with a debit card these days. Is it even possible to not have one, as you'd need it to access your account in branch or in a post office? Do "cash cards" (that aren't just disguised debit cards) exist at this point?
Not recent either, I had to apply for one of those types of accounts in 2005, it came with a debit card back then too (not contactless back in those days of course). The only difference was it was a Visa Electron rather than a standard Visa debit card which prevented you going overdrawn but was still accepted virtually everywhere.
That's fine and the way that freedom should operate. Mandating the use of a smartphone isn't though, with or without any specific application installed. Forcing anybody to possess and carry a mobile phone for basic needs services is unreasonable.
Natwest/RBS were notorious for handing out proper Visa debits with similar restrictions. My account was opened when I was under 18 and it came with a solo card, so I assume that was why.
By 2016 when I opened my basic account Visa Electron had been retired in the UK so it came with a standard Visa card. The account didn't have an overdraft facility, naturally, but they would allow you to go 'technically' overdrawn by a small amount, though you had to bring the account back into credit as a priority.
Solo was the Mastercard version of Electron. My CoOp bank card did state Electron on the card when I first had it but branding was changed to standard Visa some time in the early 2010s, but still with the Electron restrictions.
