Posted on 03/12/2007 8:00:44 PM PDT by FLOutdoorsman
Until now, royalty and paupers have been the only ones not to carry cash. But within five years, it could apply to all of us.
The prediction comes, perhaps not surprisingly, from a man whose career is based on the growth of plastic transactions.
Peter Ayliffe, head of Visa's European operation, says that by 2012 Britain will be a cashless society in which everyone will see credit and debit cards as more convenient than notes and coins.
He believes the transition will be eased by the advent of a new generation of "wave and pay" cards which it is hoped will speed the purchase of small items such as newspapers and cups of coffee usually paid for with cash. Shoppers could even find themselves surcharged for paying in cash.
Today, convenience and credithungry Britons spend more than £300billion a year on plastic, paying with debit and credit cards more than six billion times a year.
Last December alone, shoppers made 669million transactions with plastic - charging a record £ 31billion to their credit and debit cards.
However, surveys show that almost half of Britons prefer to use cash for anything costing less than £10.
"Wave and pay" cards, under trial by Visa and Barclaycard, are being introduced in the hope of persuading these customers that it is quicker and easier to pay with plastic.
Mastercard is also working on its own version of the technology.
The cards work by being passed over a scanner at a shop check-out.
The most common form at the moment is the Oyster card used to pay for journeys on the London public transport system.
The prediction of a cashless society comes five years after Britons spent more on plastic than on cash and cheque for the first time, and 41 years after the introduction of the first credit card. Some utility firms have started to penalise householders who still prefer to settle their bills by cash or cheque.
Last month, BT caused uproar by announcing it was introducing charges for the millions of customers who choose not to pay by direct debit.
However, not everyone shares Mr Ayliffe's vision, with the British Retail Consortium saying that the high fees imposed on retailers by credit card companies encourage shop owners to seek payment by cash rather than plastic.
A spokesman for the consortium said: "It is about providing a service for customers, and as long as we are in a situation where customers require cash transactions, we are going to provide that facility for them.
"While it is possible that we will reach a stage where we have become a cashless society, it will be a long way away."
So long as there are drugs,hookers, booze and gambling....there will be cash...
Long story short...I was in SF in '89...sitting down to watch the World Series when Loma Prieta hit...without power or services for a week.
I was in Seattle...2001...Nisqually earthquake.
Have a bag of about $300 - $500 in quarters. You won't overpay for anything, and the storekeepers will think you're a god.
Has anybody else seen that Visa commercial in the diner where everything is running like a perfect machine until a guy dares to pull out a ten to pay for his $5.25 sandwich, and everything comes crashing to a halt? The people in line and the lady at the register look like they'd like to lynch him. I find the commercial chilling, quite frankly.
That said...however...if I find myself behind one more geezer in the express line who waits to have his three-item purchase bagged and THEN pulls out his checkbook...
...ain't no tellin' what'll happen....
I remember in the 1980's, they said computers were going to turn us into a paperless society within a decade.
While a lot of data that used to be on paper is now in databases, I work for a bank and paper useage has only increased.
I don't believe paper currency won't be going away for decades or more.
Not while China blows-up satellites out in space.
:-(
“and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six. Here is understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.” (Revelation 13:17 – 18)
What we see taking place in Brittan and throughout the world is but a foreshadow of what is coming. But be forewarned! God's Word clearly prophesies it's coming and unequivocally says that there will be an eternal price to pay in the Lake of Fire for this coming "cashless society"… for EVERYONE, without exception, who takes the mark of the beast for the sake of "convenience":
“Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,
he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
“And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.” (Revelation 14:9 - 12)
You are absolutely correct in your assessment; see post #28!
You are correct... see post #28.
There is hope.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1799017/posts
Long-Secret Archive of Nazi War Records to be Opened
if we get those records open, we will see all the infiltrators (spies) that were deployed by Dr. Veesenmayer to America, England and other countries. The spies were given the identities of the purged Jews and were sent as 'refugees'.
That may put a halt to all of this.
Scripture was my point of reference in the first place. Society here and abroad ultimately will go to a cashless system for a number of reasons and once it happens the trap's set. To be sure there will always be a few of us rebels trying to work around it with trade and barter but generally economics will be done electronically!!!
Olympics 2012
Olympics 2012 in London
So you're saying that American Express is the antichrist?
You people with your doom and gloom over credit cards crack me up. Not long ago, a fellow I worked with owed me some money, and so he gave me $250 in cash. I was frankly a little puzzled, but I took the money and thanked him. I bet I had that money in my pocket for months before I finally spent it all.
Sorry, dude, using cash is just silly. For instance, everytime I use my American Express card to buy a plane ticket, I get a free companion ticket. Why, again, should I pay cash? When I buy my groceries or gas, I get double "points" that I can use to buy things like golf clubs or an HDTV or whatnot.
Incidentally, couldn't your same post be applied to paper money instead of gold? After all, paper money has no intrinsic value, but try going to McDonalds and paying with a few gold nuggets. How does that work?
After all, paper money has no intrinsic value, but try going to McDonalds and paying with a few gold nuggets. How does that work?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I don't know about McDonald's but I will gladly furnish a fine cheeseburger and fries to anyone for "a few gold nuggets".
There were two things people predicting a paperless office didn't get.
1 - reading on screen sucks, as long as that's the case people will want print outs
2 - replacability spawns more printing, back when getting a copy of the big report was a chore people knew where there hardcopies were at all times, now that the big report gets e-mailed to you then you print it if you lose your copy you just print it again
Neither of those really applies to money. Money has been moving more and more virtual for a long time. With travelers checks, personal checks, credit cards, debit cards, and EFTs most of the money running around this country doesn't actually exist. And it's just going to keep gaining momentum. I doubt cash will totally go away fora long time, the last nail in the coffin of cash will be when they figure out how to make it so I can transfer money from one disposable phone card style value holder to another without involving a 3rd party. Once they manage to do that then the underground economy will be able to go virtual and cash will dissapear.
Aye- for me as well. I can't actually remember the last time I wrote a check, it's literally been more than five years. Last time I opened a new bank account I just told 'em not to bother giving me any checkbook.
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