“Cash, check or credit?” used to be a commonly heard phrase at restaurants, stores, and other businesses. Today over 65% of payments are made by card, and that figure is probably higher in some categories and demographics. I know I rarely pay with cash, but I’m starting to see how this is not necessarily a good thing and I’m ready to make some changes.
https://wallethub.com/edu/cc/cash-vs-credit-card-spending-statistics/133985
While cards are convenient, and offer various benefits such as “cash back”, points, fraud protection, and the ability to buy things online, using cash more often can help preserve financial freedom and slow the progress of the development of the digital currency and prevent data mining from payment processing.
Using cash to push back against the digital revolution acts as a powerful micro-boycott that forces banks, tech companies, and retailers to keep physical infrastructure alive. Here is how your decision to pay with cash actively resists the shift toward an all-digital society:
How Cash Halts the Digital Shift
- Starves Big Tech Data: Cash cuts off the pipeline of purchase history data used by brokers to build algorithmic advertising profiles on you.
- Denies Bank Processing Fees: Every cash swipe prevents credit card networks from taking a $1.5\%$ to $3.5\%$ cut from small business owners.
- Protects Marginalized Groups: Using cash keeps standard retail accessible for unbanked populations, the elderly, and low-income individuals who rely on paper currency.
- Maintains Physical Infrastructure: Sustained cash usage forces banks to maintain local branches and ATMs, preventing total reliance on digital clouds.
- Secures Financial Sovereignty: Physical money protects your purchasing power from central network outages, cyberattacks, and arbitrary account freezes.
Effective Ways to Support the Cash Movement
- Frequent Small Businesses: Target local mom-and-pop shops, farmers’ markets, and independent diners that actively suffer from high digital swipe fees.
- Voice Your Preference: Tell managers at cashless venues that you prefer cash, or take your business elsewhere when a store refuses your paper money.
- Skip Automated Kiosks: Choose human cashiers over self-checkout machines to preserve customer service jobs and reinforce the demand for human interaction.
Remember, every time you pay with a card, the business pays a fee for the transaction and your shopping data gets recorded and sold. Shopping local and paying cash is just one way to resist the technological takeover of the economy and protecting personal privacy and autonomy.
So next time you get paid, maybe consider withdrawing some cash and paying for your gas, groceries, etc. with cash. Give cash as gifts instead of gift cards. Tip with cash. Pay your property taxes with cash! Find as many ways to use cash as you can. Use it or lose it!
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