Can people just pay by card instead of using cash?

Hadders · 26 Sep 2026

Bald Rick said:
I do lots of small transactions, typically 3-4 a day, usually under £10. Transactions over the contactless limit - maybe twice a month. Before I switched to using the phone, I used the same card for all of them, and rarely used a cashpoint (in fact never with the card I spend on). As I said, only once have I been asked to PIN a contactless payment once .

As I understand it each bank is slightly different, but it may well be that the sum of your small transactions never went over the value requiring your PIN to be entered before you then made a large transaction where it was entered anyway and reset the count.

Back when I used physical cards I knew that one of my cards required the PIN to be entered after six consecutove contactless transactions. On one occasion this was useful at work because I was involved in making a staff training video demonstrating the risk of people thinking they'd paid but walking off (we had a thread on this a recently). We needed to video a transaction at a self checkout where contactless was used to pay but where the PIN had to be entered. We only needed one take using my credit card...

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Trackman · 27 Sep 2026

najaB said:
I still get the PIN required situation about once a fortnight or so.

I only get this if I have travelled some distance in the UK.
London-Manchester OK, London-Edinburgh (vice versa) needs a PIN.
I suppose it's protecting you in case someone has stolen your card.

Jimini · 27 Sep 2026

I travel a lot (normally the USA) for work and always use ApplePay. Never been a problem anywhere. The upper limit is £10k I think for a single transaction!

londonbridge · 27 Sep 2026

Hadders said:
If you use Google or Apple Wallet you authenticate the transaction using biometrics on your phone (usually finger print of face recognition) so you'll never be asked to enter a PIN. AFAIK the transaction limit for Google/Apple Wallet is £10,000. I've personally made an Apple Pay transaction for more than £5k.

As a retail worker I can say from experience that is wrong. More than once I’ve had customers tap their phone and the screen says please insert card. I couldn’t figure out how it could happen until it happened to me. I usually do a mix of transactions, some by card, some by phone, but I went through a spell where I was using my phone everytime, until eventually it wanted the pin.

Wawanesa · 27 Sep 2026

Richardr said:
Out of interest, how do you get your cash as you don't use cash dispensers?

Bald Rick said:
Two questions if I may, I’m genuinely interested.

1) how do you do that without a card? Even in 1981* when I went with my dad to the bank to get cash out with a cheque, he had to show his cheque card. And there’s no cheque cards now that can’t be used for card payments (unless someone knows otherwise!)

2) what do you do if you need to spend some money, and don’t have enough cash, when the bank isn‘t open?

* because in 1982 he got a card for the ’Autobank’ and didn’t write cheques for cash anymore

Richardr's question is a perfect example of knowledge being dependent on age. That's the first thing you were told when you opened a bank account. As Bald Rick clearly knows, you just write a cheque to cash, give it to the cashier and tell them which denominations you would like. I never actually had a bank guarantee card, I think they were helpful if you wanted cash from a branch other than your own in the days before the banks computer systems were networked.Nowadays thay can just bring up your specimen signature on the screen.

It's probably fair to say that I don't do spontaneous when it comes to spending large amounts of money so that's never been a problem.

simonw · 27 Sep 2026

Wawanesa said:
Richardr's question is a perfect example of knowledge being dependent on age. That's the first thing you were told when you opened a bank account. As Bald Rick clearly knows, you just write a cheque to cash, give it to the cashier and tell them which denominations you would like. I never actually had a bank guarantee card, I think they were helpful if you wanted cash from a branch other than your own in the days before the banks computer systems were networked.Nowadays thay can just bring up your specimen signature on the screen.

It's probably fair to say that I don't do spontaneous when it comes to spending large amounts of money so that's never been a problem.

You used to have to show a cheque guarantee card even in your own branch, not that I have drawn cash from a cashier in 20 years. Seems a lot of hassle for little gain.

Wawanesa · 27 Sep 2026

simonw said:
You used to have to show a cheque guarantee card even in your own branch, not that I have drawn cash from a cashier in 20 years. Seems a lot of hassle for little gain.

No, that's not correct, well it's not for Barclays and Nat West.

Hadders · 27 Sep 2026

londonbridge said:
As a retail worker I can say from experience that is wrong. More than once I’ve had customers tap their phone and the screen says please insert card. I couldn’t figure out how it could happen until it happened to me. I usually do a mix of transactions, some by card, some by phone, but I went through a spell where I was using my phone everytime, until eventually it wanted the pin.

I suspect they either had their physical card in their phone case, and it picked that up rather than the phone wallet version or there’s an issue with their phone wallet.

londonbridge · 27 Sep 2026

No, the customer I was serving said that they didn’t have their card with them, and as I said it happened to me and there is definitely nothing wrong with my Apple Wallet or phone. It happened when I went through several days of using my phone for every transaction instead of my card.

Ediswan · 27 Sep 2026

Hadders said:
I never use a physical card - it's phone wallet payments for me - so simple. I can actually see a time coming when banks will start to charge customers who want a physical card.

That would re-ignite the debate over interest (not) being paid on credit balances.

AlterEgo · 27 Sep 2026

simonw said:
You used to have to show a cheque guarantee card even in your own branch, not that I have drawn cash from a cashier in 20 years. Seems a lot of hassle for little gain.

Wasn't the case in 2007 when I worked in RBS. Cheque for cash was absolutely fine if the signature matched, and if necessary ID could be shown. Was exclusively elderly people and spivs though, it was often noted by a "D" marker on the customer profile which basically meant no credit was offered. No idea what it meant but branch shorthand was "D for dodgy".

WesternLancer · 27 Sep 2026

simonw said:
You used to have to show a cheque guarantee card even in your own branch, not that I have drawn cash from a cashier in 20 years. Seems a lot of hassle for little gain.

Well you didn’t in 1989 because that was how money was stolen from my bank account at Barclays.

My cheque book was stolen from a communal letter box and the thief then went to the local Barclays branch and withdrew cash at the counter with no requirement to proove identity or check signature against branch records. I think they did this on two consecutive days iirc.
I would have used a cashpoint machine to get cash anyway at that time.

First I knew about it was seeing withdrawals on bank statement I seem to think. Or cheque numbers detailing sums withdrawn from a cheque number sequence I didn’t have a book for.

I went to my Branch to ask what had happened and after I was told it was cash withdrawal at counter by cheque I said it wasn’t me so they went to find the actual paper cheque in their back office store (I wonder how long those got retained for?!) which had no similarity at all to my signature on the cheques. So no attempt to forge it.

Thief must have known all this was easy to do.

Bank staff said that had it not been my own branch a cheque guarantee card would have been requested (not sure what happened if you wanted a large sum in cash that was greater than the sum the card gauranteed which was £50 I think).

I was certainly taken aback that such a theft was so easy to carry out.

I was of course refunded by the bank , and made a police report.

It maybe that banks closed this loophole a bit later on but I don’t know.

Haywain · 27 Sep 2026

WesternLancer said:
Bank staff said that had it not been my own branch a cheque guarantee card would have been requested (not sure what happened if you wanted a large sum in cash that was greater than the sum the card gauranteed which was £50 I think).

In that situation the cheque guarantee card would have been used a proof of identity, not as a guarantee, so the limit on the card was unimportant.

Hadders · 27 Sep 2026

londonbridge said:
No, the customer I was serving said that they didn’t have their card with them, and as I said it happened to me and there is definitely nothing wrong with my Apple Wallet or phone. It happened when I went through several days of using my phone for every transaction instead of my card.

Thinking about it further there were some retailers who, when phone wallet payments first became a thing, erroneously set a £30 limit (that being the contactless card limit at the time.

I got caught by this but it wasn’t an issue for me as I had my physical card with me.

martin butler · 27 Sep 2026

I can't remember the last time I used cash, everywhere I go now its contactless card, I actually prefer it, because often, I would take out more than I needed, and be left with coins everywhere, whereas, by using my card, I only pay for what I have just purchased,

Many places, now do not readily accept cash, many say their preferred option is to pay by card, because of the security implications of handling cash, someone has too physically take the cash to the bank, deposit it, often it's a two-man procedure, taking staff away from their duties, and of course the banks charge for the time it takes to count, then credit the money,

WesternLancer · 27 Sep 2026

Haywain said:
In that situation the cheque guarantee card would have been used a proof of identity, not as a guarantee, so the limit on the card was unimportant.

Thanks.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 27 Sep 2026 ==

martin butler said:
I can't remember the last time I used cash, everywhere I go now its contactless card, I actually prefer it, because often, I would take out more than I needed, and be left with coins everywhere, whereas, by using my card, I only pay for what I have just purchased,

Many places, now do not readily accept cash, many say their preferred option is to pay by card, because of the security implications of handling cash, someone has too physically take the cash to the bank, deposit it, often it's a two-man procedure, taking staff away from their duties, and of course the banks charge for the time it takes to count, then credit the money,

I agree with those reasons but if I wish to pay with cash but have any reason to doubt its convenience for the retailer I usually say eg ‘do you prefer cash or card’ and my experience of the reply is usually ‘either is fine’.

Just my experience of course.

sor · 27 Sep 2026

Wawanesa said:
Richardr's question is a perfect example of knowledge being dependent on age. That's the first thing you were told when you opened a bank account. As Bald Rick clearly knows, you just write a cheque to cash, give it to the cashier and tell them which denominations you would like. I never actually had a bank guarantee card, I think they were helpful if you wanted cash from a branch other than your own in the days before the banks computer systems were networked.Nowadays thay can just bring up your specimen signature on the screen.

It's probably fair to say that I don't do spontaneous when it comes to spending large amounts of money so that's never been a problem.

There will be people in their 40s who have never had to deal with cheques, either their own (cheque books having been optional for years) or having to accept them as part of their work, so its not surprising that people aren't aware of this approach. Seems like you're making things far more difficult than they need to be though, as you can't use cash machines or presumably the Post Office's counter services either, but I guess you must live within a reasonable distance of the ever increasingly rare sight of a bank branch...

Bald Rick · 27 Sep 2026

Wawanesa said:
As Bald Rick clearly knows, you just write a cheque to cash, give it to the cashier and tell them which denominations you would like. I never actually had a bank guarantee card, I think they were helpful if you wanted cash from a branch other than your own in the days before the banks computer systems were networked.Nowadays thay can just bring up your specimen signature on the screen.

Thank you for the answer. By implication this suggests that until signatures were digitised and available for comparison in branches other than your own, you only ever took cash out (by cheque) in your own branch. I simlly can’t comprehend how restrictive that is to one’s day to day business!

contrex · 27 Sep 2026

duncombec said:
I know there are plenty of people, mostly older, who prefer to use their card just in specific situations to withdraw cash they use day-to-day, but they do have a card.

I'm in my 70s and I can go 6 months without using cash. Who are these dinosaurs?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 27 Sep 2026 ==

jon81uk said:
I've lost my wallet a few times in the past, which resulted in me losing around £30 of cash

In early 1974, aged 22, I got £30 in cash out of my Post Office account to pay the month's rent on my bedsit in Bristol. I put it in my jeans pocket (stupid, I know!), left the post office, and rode off on my motorcycle. When I got home it wasn't there. I promptly rode to Redland police station (the local one) to report it lost. I gave my name and address. The sergeant asked me to describe it (two tenners, a fiver, and five ones, rolled up with a fat blue rubber band) and where I might have lost it. I said I'd got it from a certain post office. He said 'This must be your lucky day - a schoolboy found it on the pavement outside that post office. Here's his address - you might want to send him a reward'. He made me sign for it, and handed me the little bundle in a plastic bag. When I got it home, I found there was only £29 there. That missing pound was like £15 now in purchasing power, roughly. I decided not to send a reward, as, clearly, someone had already presented themselves one! A week or two later I got a letter from the boy's father (the police had given him my address!). He roundly berated me for not sending his lad a reward for his honesty. I wrote back laying out the facts of the case. I never heard any more. Twenty years later I told this tale to a retired Bristol policeman and he laughed and said 'Ah, the good old days before Avon and Somerset!'. The old Bristol Constabulary had a bit of a 'reputation'.

WesternLancer · 27 Sep 2026

Bald Rick said:
Thank you for the answer. By implication this suggests that until signatures were digitised and available for comparison in branches other than your own, you only ever took cash out (by cheque) in your own branch. I simlly can’t comprehend how restrictive that is to one’s day to day business!

Back in the day cheque gaurantee cards only did that one thing.
My cashpoint card was separate and only did its own task iirc.
Seemed a radical change when it got combined which I think it eventually did.
So I guess the person concerned might have relied on that cheque guarantee card alone.

Merle Haggard · 27 Sep 2026

Bald Rick said:
Thank you for the answer. By implication this suggests that until signatures were digitised and available for comparison in branches other than your own, you only ever took cash out (by cheque) in your own branch. I simlly can’t comprehend how restrictive that is to one’s day to day business!

Yes, you had to have an arrangement to withdraw cash at a specified branch. Staff there likely to know you by sight anyway.

But, when I first had a bank account (which was not a straightforward process to open) paying by cheque - before guarantee cards were introduced - was the norm. Seem to work fine in those days.

WesternLancer · 27 Sep 2026

Merle Haggard said:
Yes, you had to have an arrangement to withdraw cash at a specified branch. Staff there likely to know you by sight anyway.

But, when I first had a bank account (which was not a straightforward process to open) paying by cheque - before guarantee cards were introduced - was the norm. Seem to work fine in those days.

Of course in an era when many people were paid in cash to start with you would have a ready supply from your employer. Even if you had a bank account you would not therefore need to get cash from it very often.

Tho I assume that didn’t really apply to professional jobs eg from say the 1950s onwards if not even earlier.

Merle Haggard · 27 Sep 2026

WesternLancer said:
Of course in an era when many people were paid in cash to start with you would have a ready supply from your employer. Even if you had a bank account you would not therefore need to get cash from it very often.

Tho I assume that didn’t really apply to professional jobs eg from say the 1950s onwards if not even earlier.

When I joined BR (late 60s) clerical staff were paid cash. I'm not sure about management grades. I had been paid direct into a bank account by my previous employer, but that was a bank, so not surprising!

Possibly the rise in payroll cash robberies, often by armed criminals, around this time accelerated the change. BR certainly tried persuasion, but for existing employees forcing a change was difficult.

Hadders · 27 Sep 2026

Wawanesa said:
Richardr's question is a perfect example of knowledge being dependent on age. That's the first thing you were told when you opened a bank account. As Bald Rick clearly knows, you just write a cheque to cash, give it to the cashier and tell them which denominations you would like. I never actually had a bank guarantee card, I think they were helpful if you wanted cash from a branch other than your own in the days before the banks computer systems were networked.Nowadays thay can just bring up your specimen signature on the screen.

It's probably fair to say that I don't do spontaneous when it comes to spending large amounts of money so that's never been a problem.

I do have some admiration for people who don’t want to change how they do things, however as time goes on it gets much, much harder.

For example, we know the direction of travel is closure of bank branches. We can argue about whether that’s good or bad but the fact is it’s happening. Take my local town, Stevenage, there were at least two branches of every major bank - one in the old town the other in the newer town centre, plus many building society branches. Then all the banks in the old town closed. Fast forward to today and we only have:

Lloyds
HSBC
Barclays
A part time TSB
A part time Santander
Nationwide
Leeds

I cannot see TSB or Santander being with us in two years time. Barclays and Lloyds have recently relocated to smaller premises so probably ok for the time being. I can see HSBC going, or at least downsizing.

The main Post Office is in a branch of TG Jones whose closure has been announced. Notices posted in-store say the Post office will be closing, not relocating.

This situation is being played out across the country and I fear anyone withdrawing cash exclusively over the counter of a bank branches will find it very difficult in five years time.

I’m reminded of an old senior manager at a former employer who said to me about 30 years ago:

‘I don’t like change but I have to force myself to use new ways of doing things [he was referring to email when he said this] because if I don’t I’ll end up being left behind.’

He was absolutely right.

DelW · 27 Sep 2026

WesternLancer said:
Back in the day cheque gaurantee cards only did that one thing.
My cashpoint card was separate and only did its own task iirc.
Seemed a radical change when it got combined which I think it eventually did

My first cash card was punched with a pattern of holes, like a computer-input punch card (for those who remember them) but smaller. When used, the machine dispensed a fixed £10 and kept the card, which was then posted back to me after each use.

Merle Haggard said:
When I joined BR (late 60s) clerical staff were paid cash. I'm not sure about management grades. I had been paid direct into a bank account by my previous employer, but that was a bank, so not surprising!

Possibly the rise in payroll cash robberies, often by armed criminals, around this time accelerated the change. BR certainly tried persuasion, but for existing employees forcing a change was difficult.

As late as 1980, I worked on construction sites where wage packets were posted to us, using registered post. Every Thursday I had to collect them from the nearest post office, containing up to around £1000 in cash, maybe the equivalent of £10,000+ now. I used to take the beefiest-looking of the recipients with me as extra security!

WesternLancer · 27 Sep 2026

DelW said:
My first cash card was punched with a pattern of holes, like a computer-input punch card (for those who remember them) but smaller. When used, the machine dispensed a fixed £10 and kept the card, which was then posted back to me after each use.

As late as 1980, I worked on construction sites where wage packets were posted to us, using registered post. Every Thursday I had to collect them from the nearest post office, containing up to around £1000 in cash, maybe the equivalent of £10,000+ now. I used to take the beefiest-looking of the recipients with me as extra security!

The punch card you describe must have been at the cutting edge of cash dispensing!

Tester · 27 Sep 2026

Bald Rick said:
Thank you for the answer. By implication this suggests that until signatures were digitised and available for comparison in branches other than your own, you only ever took cash out (by cheque) in your own branch. I simlly can’t comprehend how restrictive that is to one’s day to day business!

That is correct.

You could make an arrangement to be able to get cash from another branch, who would thereby have your signature on file. I did that when opening my first account in 1972.

Quite amazing to think of now!

Bald Rick · 27 Sep 2026

WesternLancer said:
Back in the day cheque gaurantee cards only did that one thing.
My cashpoint card was separate and only did its own task iirc.
Seemed a radical change when it got combined which I think it eventually did.
So I guess the person concerned might have relied on that cheque guarantee card alone.

The poster concerned says they have never had a cheque guarantee card.

My dad got a card that was a combined guarantee card and ‘Autobank’ (as Midland machines were known back then) in 1982. My first current account was the same (different bank) in 1987. By 1990 I was paying for most things above about £4 by card, as EFTPOS (Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale) was alive and kicking hard by then.

Mcr Warrior · 27 Sep 2026

WesternLancer said:
The punch card you describe must have been at the cutting edge of cash dispensing!

More of a plastic card (= modern day credit card sized?) but with a series of several dozen small rectangular holes towards the middle of the card. Believe they were in use in the mid 1970s.

Ediswan · 27 Sep 2026

Mcr Warrior said:
More of a plastic card (= modern day credit card sized?) but with a series of several dozen small rectangular holes towards the middle of the card. Believe they were in use in the mid 1970s.

From memory (I was living in Enfield in 1967 so saw the first ATM) longer and narrower than the now standard card format. More like a plastic version of punched paper tape.

Can people just pay by card instead of using cash?

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