Ask Lemmy

Does digital payments made cash wallets obsolete?

Nope.

Phones crash, apps screw up, Google arbitrarily decides your phone isn't "secure", batteries go dead, cell networks are sometimes unavailable (wallet app requires internet), merchant payment networks occasionally go down, etc.

I don't use digital wallets since the only options are Apple and their walled garden or Google who uses every transaction to profile you for targeted ads and deems your phone insecure should you do anything that might keep their eyes out of your life. But even using my "old school" debit card, I still feel much more secure always having some cash on hand for emergencies.

Not in Germany.
Lots of bakers, independent fast food vendors, barber shops and small grocery stores still don't take cards (hmm, I wonder why...)
Forget about paying electronically at street festivals, smaller concert venues, or markets.
The parking meters in my city still only take coins. So do many public toilets.
You need coins to unlock the shopping carts in supermarkets.
If you order something from overseas with a customs fee, you're expected to pay it to the mailman - Who can only accept cash and carries no change. Oh, and there's no way to know in advance how much it'll cost.

Yes. Everyone else here is perfectly normal

There are still a ton of folks who are cash only in the US. Some of it is because cards and digital transactions make it easy to track people (in the US at least). Others can't open bank accounts for one reason or another, usually because they don't have an address or appropriate ID. And quite a few only accept cash so they don't have to report their income, because they are on disability or they owe money to the government.

I'm actually dealing with my last example right now. I want to hire someone, they only want cash but I live 5 hours away from them so it's causing some difficulty. They don't even want a check because they are so cautious about their income being tracked that way.

I still use a wallet when I'm travelling, as that's the only time when I actually need cash. Plus it also holds my passport, seamans books, vaccine booklet, and misc other useful stuff.

When I'm home-ish I only use a card holder. It has most of my cards (duh), and that's it really.

So where do you keep your id, and other cards…

I wouldn't recommend a digital wallet, as convenience kills off privacy in more ways than one. Digital wallets are attempting to make cash obsolete, but don't comply with the convenience demands.

I'm confused, what you mean by "cash wallet" that's different than electronic payment? Or maybe, what do you you mean by "electronic payment" that's different than a cash wallet?

I rarely use my wallet, I prefer to pay with my physical card than my phone.

I have a wallet but haven’t brought it with me in years. The only time I do is when I need to drive (which is maybe once a month) because it contains my drivers license.

All my payments are done using my Apple Watch.

I use a card, its really easy, dont have to fuck around with my phone. I get cash back on purchases and fraud protection. Ive no need to change from that.