SeaWorld Entertainment converts Florida parks to cashless operation

Vater:

America sucks.

If we needed to go cashless, we would have done it years ago.

Jeff:

And I've only been to one restaurant in the US where the waiter brought a terminal for me to tap my phone on (which was Indian).

I'm surprised at that. I'm not seeing it everywhere in Texas but I probably see it at a third of the sitdown restaurants we go to, maybe more. A lot of chain places had touchscreens at the tables well ahead of COVID (I think they're called Ziosks.)

Jeff:

... checks at the grocery store ... And I've only been to one restaurant in the US where the waiter brought a terminal for me to tap my phone on

This is not my experience in NYC (or really, when I was in Ohio). Maybe it's a regional thing? Higher average age in Florida?

Just got back from Toronto - when I arrived I withdrew $100 CAD because I thought it would come in handy. I did need some cash for things like tips at the hotel. But by the end of four days I was actively trying to get rid of it. Various places like the Blue Jays' game were cash only, including vendors in the stands.*

I was more interested in the fact that when I did use cash, I never saw a penny. They just rounded up or down. Everywhere. I started fumbling for a penny at a ticket booth and the ticket seller got annoyed at me (I think she was annoyed about cash in the first place).

*Also, you cannot enter the game with a paper ticket - you have to have a mobile phone. First time I have encountered that.

The at-table tapping may be following a more regional adoption pattern. Fast and fast casual places are all tapping, the chains that I've been to are not (I don't go to a lot of chains).

Maybe the most telling signal was the cash exchange at Heathrow when I arrived. No one was using it. And their customs/border entry was so fast, and required no human intervention.

It's not that America sucks, it just sucks at looking beyond its own exceptionalism to see better ways to do things.

Maybe it’s a non-euro country thing because the Euro countries definitely use cash (coins). I had to get cash at the ATM multiple times last year. Also, i’d rather just spend my excess money at the airport than get ripped off at a currency exchange.

I spent some cash in Spain this past July but it was for tips and grabbing a bottle of water at some random stand I was walking by.

The tip thing was weird to me. Being accustomed to tipping here in the states I simply did the same thing in Mardrid. I did wonder what the workers thought of me handing them money. I will say that no one turned it down.

Various central banks study payment methods. Including the Federal Reserve.

https://www.frbsf.org/cash/...nt-choice/

Percentage of cash transactions in the US has been declining since the studies began. From info I have seen, its higher in the US than in some other countries and lower than in others. No country has 0% cash transactions that I have seen (lowest is about 5%).

There is a socio-economic factor. Lower income levels (per the Fed survey linked above) are more likely to use cash. There are about 5.9 million (about 4.5%) "unbanked" households in the US which have limited access to certain non-cash payment options. As such, allowing for cash payments is viewed as more inclusive.

As a result, you are more likely to see people using cash for necessities (such as at a grocery store versus a restaurant).

No doubt there are efficiencies/cost savings for businesses that do not accept cash. Though at least part of the reason for the move is that people tend to spend more when using a card versus cash.

Airport currency exchanges are often bad places for currency exchanges. Fees/exchange rates are often high/bad. And certain "fee free" currency exchanges are more expensive than those with fees because of the offered exchange rates.

The thing I noticed about Europe is that all pos terminals were the same. Here in the US it’s anyone’s guess. Swipe, tap, insert, sign, don’t sign, debit?, credit? It’s all different.

Shades:

I can't think of a single place that does not accept credit cards.

Churches, for one. Nobody puts their credit card in the collection tray. Geno's and Pat's in Philly are both cash only. We encountered a few bakeries in Philly and Boston that were cash only as well. They may be few and far between but cash only places are out there.

A lot of churches accept online donations with a credit card. You can set up amount and frequency. So even if you don't manage to make it to church, your money will still get there. :)

https://blog.clover.com/cre...0payments.

I think the dominant POS for small business in the US is Square (like 1 in 4, but that was a few years ago). Online, it's interesting how much flows through Stripe (that's what I use here).

I am starting to see more Toast pos systems at restaurants, especially when it comes to the terminals they bring to your table. First time I experienced one of those was at a bar in Ottawa in 2014 and I thought it would be great if we had the same here in the states. It has taken awhile but I am slowly seeing more and more at bars and restaurants, including here in Orlando.

Casinos and dispensaries are cash.

99er:

am starting to see more Torl] pos systems at restaurants

I paid for my bill last night via a Toast QR code.

RCMAC:

Casinos and dispensaries are cash.

Casinos are a weird hybrid: you give them cash and they give you chips (which you then, gradually or rapidly, give back to them). Or they give you their own card to use in various machines.

The worst thing about it, when I was in Vegas last fall, was that the ATM on the casino floor had a $7 surcharge. Come on, I’m giving you this money anyway - at least let me enjoy giving it to you!

(Dispensaries are cash because no bank will work with them. I’m a little surprised they could have an ATM on premises.)

Mulfinator:

Churches, for one. Nobody puts their credit card in the collection tray.

My AA home group has a Venmo code. We started it when we went remote during the pandemic and still use it. Most people do use cash though. Counting ones is a drag.

Yeah, my church uses Pushpay. I haven't tithed cash in years.

That said, I do use cash on rare occasion, when typically older relatives gift it to us or our kids. Kids are using Greenlight cards, so we take whatever cash they get as gifts and deposit that amount in their accounts. It's kind of a pain because while we can deposit checks via mobile app, we obviously can't with cash, and our brick-and-mortar bank is an hour+ away. I suppose it's possible to deposit via ATM, but I can't remember the last time I used one of those and I'm not even sure I remember my PIN.

Shades:

Isn't that the case here stateside? I can't think of a single place that does not accept credit cards. Phones maybe a different story but they all still take credit cards.

Land of Make Believe. Trip report here:

https://www.bannister.org/c...ke_believe

Dispensaries in Florida, at least, the one we go to, do take debit cards, which is close enough.

Even the drag queens now have QR codes for Venmo, PayPal, etc. No more sweeping up dollar bills on the stage or working the crowd for tips.
As for strippers, I can’t tell ya.
I’m scheduled to perform in a cabaret with a friend at the end of September and we have to have PayPal in order to collect any tips. No cash. So it looks like there will be a couple of Boomers who will reluctantly sign up for services that we thought we’d probably avoid due to old age. I’m sure we’ll find useful applications for it in the future though. I mean, sometimes it’s a simple as splitting the bar bill with someone, or paying someone for that concert ticket. Easy peasy they tell me. I can’t wait…

Pot is still illegal at the federal level which creates issues with credit cards.

https://www.nerdwallet.com/...%20though.

Be careful transferring money to individuals if its tied to a credit card. Certain services (Venmo for one) treats it as a cash advance (so there is a cash advance fee plus interest accrues from date of transaction). Using debit card avoids that issue.