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Comment by posguy | Hacker News Reader

A cashless society in the United States would be quite a surprise. With the pain that prepaid cards are to use and reload for those that aren't well heeled, combined with the pure, unbridled hatred that businesses have for the merchant services industry in general, it will be a long time before cash is not encouraged as a form of payment at most businesses.

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Meanwhile in the UK card transactions overtook cash transactions not just in volume (this has been true for a long time) but in actual transaction counts last month.

I'm not sure which way you mean this, but I'd be surprised if less than 80% of transactions in the US were on a credit or debit card (though I'd love to see real numbers, my anecdotal observation is surely biased).

I would wager you are an outlier at 80%, although I can't find published US statistics of these numbers. Small transactions such as buying a stick of gum or a newspaper inflate the transaction counts at the low end.

Meanwhile in Germany I feel we are a decade behind the US when it comes to accepting electronic payments. In Berlin there are so many Bars/restaurants that are "cash only" when the next ATM (that is a partner of your bank, otherwise you pay a 5 EUR fee to withdraw) is blocks away... It's beyond annoying

Cash in most cases is better for the business, hence why its so popular.

Cash is the only unrestricted currency in Germany. Law demands that they have to accept it.

No, law does not demand that. You have to accept it to settle existing debt but that's it. For new customers you can demand any payment method you want. If they don't like it they are free to not form a contract. A cashless restaurant would be legal. They are just rare because of customer preference. But just look at online shops: they generally don't allow you to pay cash.

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bbankg/__14.html

"Auf Euro lautende Banknoten sind das einzige unbeschränkte gesetzliche Zahlungsmittel."

Online shops allow you to pay cash through payment on delivery (Nachnahme).

As I said, this law does not mean that you have to accept cash for every transaction. It is often repeated but that does not make it true. Requiring a specific form of payment is well within the freedom of contract.

And Nachname is not offered by every shop, probably not even the majority. If it's offered the usually for a steep surcharge. And while we are at it: Try paying your car tax in cash to the government and you will find it to be absolutely impossible.

And I think that is a good thing.

i have no problem with accepting cash, just when its cash only. Or at least don't scam people when they want to withdraw 20 EUR from a bank that is not their with 5 EUR fee.

Sometimes i just don't have cash on me and when i learn i can't pay for the 40 EUR dinner i just had by card and have to go look for an ATM, it's just annoying.

And from my experience New Zealand was a decade ahead of the US for a long time. Growing up everywhere accepted card payments. I had a bank card when I was about 10 and that's how I spent my pocket money. Over here in Germany some places that do accept card only accept EC cards, which my N26 MasterCard isn't. Not having the right payment method to pay the people who installed the kitchen in the apartment I was renting was a very foreign situation.

meanwhile, AU:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-27/is-australia-on-the-br...

Cash is (still) king.

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