I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; cash is dying. It has been dying for a long time now and if it wasn’t for the monumental efforts of taxi drivers, newsagents and vending machine operators all across Britain, cash would be remembered now by nothing more than a witty epitaph on a gravestone hidden somewhere within the The Bank of England Museum on Threadneedle Street. Even cheques, the 350 year old negotiable instrument and cash alternative, are soon to be confined to the history books.
With the prevalence of cash quickly diminishing, just how easy is it to live entirely without cash? In order to find out, I set myself a challenge: one entire day with out physical cash. The rules of the game were simple, if it needed cash, it wasn’t happening.
In all honesty, a day without cash was hardly a challenge. For as long as I can remember, I’ve preferred ‘fantastic plastic’ over dirty paper and heavy coins. However, today I removed from my wallet the £30 of ‘backup cash’ I carry in contingency and headed out into the world.