Poll: Is cell phone more ubiquitous than cash?

6 points·sbashyal··9 comments

Okay, a sub-thread in the handshake protocol discussion (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5376223) raises an interesting question: is a phone more commonly carried than cash?

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Could the people without cash elaborate? I'd love to have no cash and no wallet, just a phone. I have cash for buying small things like a coffe - do you just pay with credit cards for those kind of things, too?

I'll routinely buy small purchases like a coffee with a debit card. Right now I have cash and my phone on me but I usually don't have cash. When I do use cash it's for certain things. Like when I'm out with friends at a bar or dinner.

I pay for everything with my card. If I need to go to places that only accepts cash, I need to stop by a bank!

I pay for everything with a card. While I don't love how much of a record of my life it makes, it's much much more convenient. It's faster to buy things, less to carry, I don't need to remember to restock it.

What about people who have neither? (Very common for me, although I happen to have cash on me at the moment.)

I wanted to find out which one is more ubiquitous and the None option (as well as the ones having both cash and phone) does not impact the result.

Well, then, neither does the Both option, right?

You are right! I think I should have provided all 4 options to begin with

I have a cell phone and cash. A cell phone can never be what cash is. Anonymous.

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