Poll: Since March 2020, what's the frequency of your cash or credit/debit card transactions for in-store purchases

No change.

Just overall spending oodles less cuz we are self isolating ... so never go anywhere / do anything.
It’s either order online for Canada Post / Courier delivery, Curbside pick up, or Door to Door Delivery
Mostly essentials ... Groceries (Fresh & Drygoods) - Household Needs
Occasional Take Out Food
Other than Booze ... haven’t been spending any money from our Monthly Entertainment Fund
Think I have put gas in the car just once or twice in like 3 months
Gonna spend some money this week ... hopefully ... on Outdoor Gardening ... if the weather warms up.

Lol, so my Credit Card Spending is waaay down overall
And so is my Cash Back / Loyalty Points Earns
* CC Cash Back ... almost nothing
* AirMiles at nearly 0 in 3 months ... March, April & May
* Costco Exec about the same as this time any year
Where my CC Statement used to be pages long with numerous Retailers listed (many in the USA ) it’s now just a few entries
Most of them are ... Costco - PC Express - LCBO - and HD / Lowe’s

How could you pay cash more than credit card or debit since march 2020? The more stores are closed, the less place you can pay cash. No?

smartie wrote: ↑ How could you pay cash more than credit card or debit since march 2020? The more stores are closed, the less place you can pay cash. No?

Not necessarily ...
Some folks in small towns & rural communities etc
Don’t have access to click & collect or curbside shopping
So they have to rely on friends & family etc
To do their shopping & errands for them ... all in cash
And this ain’t necessarily places in the boonies
Up until about a week ago ... even the Govt run LCBO in Ontario
Didn’t have an alternative operating for online orders or curbside pick up ANYWHERE in the Province

Know plenty such people ... their outings are to their mailboxes & the ATM Machine
They haven’t left their homes otherwise in weeks / months

Always use creditcard for payment, collect points to offset the account fees.
Use cash for smaller stores etc if necessary but cash use is way down these days much better to use debit or cc. Although we try to limit debit use for account safety.

Use my CC for near enough every purchase and always pay the balance in full every month.

cardle wrote: ↑ Use my CC for near enough every purchase and always pay the balance in full every month.

Same. I don’t think I’ve paid credit card interest in over 20 years.

I know I haven’t had a cash transaction since early March.

On the Thursday before March Break on Ontario, as I was driving home, I was at a red light when I heard the news that the schools were going to be closed after the break. I had 20 bucks in my wallet, and for some reason (maybe the same hoarding mentality that was happening with toilet paper at the time), I thought "I better get some cash just in case". I wheeled into the TD drive thru in the parking lot I was beside at the red light and took out $100 (not sure why I only thought $100 if things were going to go south to cause me to think I needed cash on hand, but whatever lol). Here I am 9 /2 weeks later, and I still have $90 of that $120 I had in my wallet. $20 of it went into a collection bucket at work for someone who retired at the beginning of April, and I can't remember where the other 10 bucks went lol. I'm still out working and making purchases, all by debit and credit.

For myself, I spend more cash than before. One of the businesses that I choose to shop at (almost weekly) during the pandemic does not take credit cards. Before the pandemic I would go there once every 2 months or so.

Otherwise I am spending the same amount of cash as before - very, very little.

TrevorK wrote: ↑ For myself, I spend more cash than before. One of the businesses that I choose to shop at (almost weekly) during the pandemic does not take credit cards. Before the pandemic I would go there once every 2 months or so.

Otherwise I am spending the same amount of cash as before - very, very little.

What kind of business? Wouldn't accept cash is not only bad for business but also virus?

smartie wrote: ↑ What kind of business? Wouldn't accept cash is not only bad for business but also virus?

Local bakery (been around for decades). The cash thing is likely because of their typical clientele - it is mostly seniors from the surrounding community and old folks homes.

I've elminated carrying cash all together. If a store doesn't accept debit at least then I'm not shopping with them.

i haven't paid cash in a long time but even more so nowadays as some businesses i used to frequent pre-pandemic are now accepting cards only so that's good. they used to be cash only

As the others have stated, 90% of my payments go through my credit card. Small payments, or stores that don't accept CC get paid with cash, or debit.
Cash is the least preferred payment method for me, I never have cash on me at all.

jacnel wrote: ↑ I've elminated carrying cash all together. If a store doesn't accept debit at least then I'm not shopping with them.

I've mostly eliminated spending cash, but I will never eliminate carrying cash. I always have at least $100 in cash with me which I rarely use, but it has saved me several times, like when the payment network went down in the supermarket and cash was the only way to pay. I was one of the only customers in the store who could actually pay for what was in my cart. Garage sales, craigslist, street performers, girl guide cookies, bottle returns, Remembrance Day poppies, when the power goes out, when the payment network goes down...I could go on and on. There are plenty of uses for cash and there always will be. If we think the electronic payment network will always be available for everything we'll ever want to buy, and at the time we want to buy it, we are deluding ourselves. It pays (literally!) to be prepared.