Carrying cash on you.

I carry about £20 plus change and normally use contactless, or PIN if over the minimum. The hairdresser wants cash so I withdraw cash from the nearby supermarket ATM. If I go into central London I don't keep too much in my handbag and keep small cash and one debit card on my "person" as they say. I'm sure crime happens just as often in my home town but there's a false sense of security about its familiarity that makes me feel less concerned.

I usually carry about £30 in cash and then pay by card if anything is £10 or over.

There doesn't seem any need to carry 'wads' of cash, but I know of a couple of people who prefer to have 'plenty' in their pocket and immediately to hand. I wouldn't think of them as 'showing off' - just like to do things the way they feel most comfortable.

I find it quite worrying when my dad gets his wallet out in a shop or wherever . If I can see the wad of cash then so can everyone else. I think he just enjoys the feeling of having the real money on him but I wish he wouldn't carry so much around it's silly and unnecessary.

I always have about £30.00 handy for small purchases and debit card for anything bigger or maybe contactless,I keep a dish in the kitchen handy for change for the Daily paper and window cleaner/gardener,I just wouldn't feel safe carrying around a large amount of cash but people are different and like to have their money available on their person.

Interesting answers. I use contactless or debit card for over the limit and I usually have about £30 float in cash. Why I asked this question was my friend was paying for her share of a meal we had just had in the pub and there were loads of different characters in there. To me it seemed she could be vulnerable to some dubious person, a clear candidate for a mugging. Apart from that I don't have access to that amount of cash to carry around.

If I happen to have just been to the ATM I try to be discreet and not make it obvious how much is in my purse when I'm taking out cash to pay. No point in attracting attention.

Oh, and another time I use quite a bit of cash is for Xmas gifts. If the recipient wants to take the item back to the store, it's all a bit tricky if it's been paid for on my card.

Well, it is a bit 'loadsa money' to flash the cash, does she actually wave it about?
I do like up to £50 on me as cash, but more often use a card.

I've never shopped with anyone who made me aware how much cash they carried!

I take £30 out of the bank each week and try to eke it out - if I do need more, not more than £20. I use cash for taxi and sometimes DS's bus fares, small shopping items (papers etc) and to pay for DS and myself to have coffees and maybe breakfast on family shopping days. Otherwise debit card for most things. The shops on my estate charge extra for using cards (including debit), so use cash when forced to go there.

I usually have around £20-30 on me and use cards for everything else. I use cash for small purchases and need cash for example collection money in church on Sunday's

I usually only take out with me the money I know I will need. If I want to buy something else I use a debit card.

I've usually never got more than a few pounds on me or in the house, mainly using cards these days.
But having been caught out a couple of times when needing to pay the Avon lady/gardener etc, I'm now trying to keep about £30/40 or so hidden away, just in case.

I usually carry about £20-£30 in my purse. If I need any more I use my card.
How many people on gransnet have a dual account with your h. I have one and an account in my name.

Oops ment joint account.

Carrying wads of cash around does seem foolhardy and puts her at risk from being mugged or having her purse lifted by pick pockets. Maybe the friend has an underlying security issue re running out of money or not having enough on her to pay for things. Just a thought.

I'd be horrified to be routinely carrying loads of cash around. Any time I've needed wodges of money (second hand car from private seller for instance) I've had it bunged in an envelope and hidden down the front of my clothes.. Better to look porky than invite muggers!

I tend to have between £30 and £50 in my purse most of the time. I usually pay by contactless or chip & pin, it's easier and safer.
However, I arranged with the bank to increase the limit I can take from the ATM daily. It used to be the standard £250 per day, but it's been increased to £1000 as we occasionally buy antiques (for our home, we're not traders) and find that having cash available almost always gets us a generous discount! DH can take £1000 on his card too (the arrangement is for a joint account) so we could draw £2000 if necessary. We've never taken that much, the most on any one day was £1150, but it's a useful facility to have. Of course, we have to remember to keep the balance fairly healthy, but as we bank on-line that's easy enough to keep an eye on!
I certainly wouldn't advertise the fact that I was carrying a lot of cash!

A German woman was once appalled to learn that my DH had no cash on him. "What will you do if a dog pisses on your leg?", she asked!

Since having my handbag stolen containing £50 I do not now carry more than ten pounds cash and in a variety of coins. Cards are accepted everywhere and you can leave a tip on a card.Cards can be replaced your cash can't.

Actually, cards aren't accepted quite everywhere. Here, in Scarborough, there are a few places that don't accept them including some of the cafes.

I rarely have more than a tenner in my purse (I also save coppers, 5ps and £2 coins in jars) and pay for almost everything with my Tesco credit card so I can collect loyalty points. It's always paid off in full every every month so that costs me nothing. I wouldn't like to see cash disappear but rarely use it now e.g. paying for my weekly quiz at the pub £1 ( I get drinks bought for me as I drive) and we often win so that provides me with a bit of cash, getting the odd small thing from a shop etc. I have an online lottery account now as before I paid cash for a ticket.
My granddaughter's school operates an 'ice cream Thursday' sale (which can spill into other days!) so I always pocket a few coins if I am picking up and my daughter has a habit of dipping into my purse because she needs to send some money for a school trip. She then pays me back by bank transfer so I don't see that cash again. I may get about £20 out monthly from an ATM when I top up my PAYG mobile but I find I need very little cash nowadays but can understand that some people prefer to pay for most things with cash. Personally, I wouldn't risk carrying a large amount around with me.

This is something of a joke in our household. 'If somebody mugged Mum they'd give her a donation'. I carry VERY LITTLE cash and tend to use my cc for most purchases. Main reason? I have a cash back cc and every penny counts. I find it a decidedly 'nice little earner ' over a year. Obviously I comply when I know cash is required but that is very seldom and I've had the contactless facility removed from my cards. I don't mind if people flash cash. They may make themselves a little vulnerable but that's their prerogative. We all manage our finances differently, I guess. Long may we have some to manage!!

Unusual in my bag. I've usually got a couple of notes & a few coins for parking but otherwise use debit & credit cards.

I'm nearly 70 and I've never been mugged for my cash!

I did once, however, leave my bag, containing my purse, cash and cards, on top of my car when I drove away from a car park. I never saw any of those again.

I started using contactless a few months ago and it has cut the need for cash. I don't carry large amounts of cash as I don't feel safe with it. I still need cash for the local shops which don't take cards and hairdresser, window cleaner, supermarket trolley, taxis, public loos, a coffee out etc.