[kdmccormick]

From a government or bank's point of view, I can see the incentives for phasing out physical currency.

But for a common person, there are definitely uses:

* Tipping, when you don't want your server to have to report the tip as taxable income

* Buying/selling in places without reliable internet service

* Buying/selling illegal items

* Certain types of bars, etc. where it's logistically easier to use cash than handle a card + tipping on a receipt

* Training yourself to be more frugal by restricting yourself to cash for shopping / eating, where the shock factor of "look how much I'm spending!" is more visceral

* Giving to the visibly homeless

* Buying lemonade from kids

Also, I just like paying in cash sometimes. I'm hoping that the practical uses of it would create enough public outcry if banks/governments ever tried to phase it out.

[xxs]

Few notes:

>Tipping, when you don't want your server to have to report the tip as taxable income; Certain types of bars, etc. where it's logistically easier to use cash than handle a card + tipping on a receipt

The 1st option is clear tax evasion. Tipping is quite unpopular in Europe. When I tip I just leave a note after paying by card and that's that. Cards are immensely better when it comes to bars, restaurants, etc. (Actually they are better in almost any regard as losing them is rather fine, just get a new one from the bank)

>Buying/selling in places without reliable internet service

I can't think of a place w/o mobile internet, even mountain treks have decent internet.

[macNchz]

>I can't think of a place w/o mobile internet, even mountain treks have decent internet.

I'm not sure where you are located, but in the US there are still quite many rural areas without cell service, even in the areas fairly close to major metropolitan areas. I can drive two hours from NYC and find entire towns that have no service.

I also just got back from a two week trip around the UK, where I expected better coverage but actually found I regularly had no cell service (on the biggest mobile carrier) in the countryside, including in the center of some villages.

[rsynnott]

Note that if you were using your American phone, it's likely it does not support all bands used by UK telcos (especially since LTE became a thing, true worldphones aren't really a thing anymore). I was amazed at how terrible the phone signal was in San Francisco last time I was there, until I realised that my (European) phone only supported one of the LTE bands used in the US.

[mgbmtl]

Agreed. In some Canadian provinces, tipping is taxed. There is even a "minimum assumed tip" by the government, so restaurants can't declare having received $0. It's draconian, but it's a sector that has been caught again and again doing systemic tax evasion.

Payment terminals have a tip $ or % option, which is more convenient than pen and paper which we often still see in the US.

Unless it's a low-end restaurant, most restaurants in Canadian big cities pay well. There are huge staff shortages and lots of turnover because it's an exhausting and difficult job.

re:Europe and Internet: Bavaria has pretty terrible service outside of towns.

[xxs]

>re:Europe and Internet: Bavaria has pretty terrible service outside of towns.

True that. Last year I went on a trip through and there were times the internet was proper bad GPRS (edge), still enough for map navigation. However, I cant recall areas w/o any service at all. GPRS is enough for bank card services.

As someone mentioned - if you use a NA based phone, you might lack a full support in Europe for LTE

[stordoff]

> I can't think of a place w/o mobile internet, even mountain treks have decent internet.

I went to a wedding in Ireland two years ago, and we didn't have a data connection for most of the weekend. We didn't even have a reliable _phone_ connection most of the time (Best Man forgot his cuff links, and it took three phones before we found someone with a signal, and even then that was patchy).

[anchpop]

Using Google Fi and driving through rural Michigan, it's not too uncommon for me to enter an area without service.

[kdmccormick]

>The 1st option is clear tax evasion.

Yes, and?

>I can't think of a place w/o mobile internet

There are dead zones all over the rural east coast. I can imagine other parts of the country are even worse.

[xxs]

>Yes, and?

So the argument is the cash existence is providing support for tax evasion?

[kdmccormick]

Yes. Are you not a fan of tax evasion?

Edit: To be clear, I am not against taxation as a concept. However I do have issue with the American tax code and the atrocities committed with its revenue, so I am not morally opposed to helping other members of the middle-class avoid paying taxes on all of their income.

[dasKrokodil]

> I can't think of a place w/o mobile internet, even mountain treks have decent internet.

That was rather funny, had a good laugh at that...

[benbristow]

Bars that don't take card nowadays are often a bit shady. Especially those in busy city/town centres.

Willing to bet not all of that money is declared to Mr Tax Man.

[Shish2k]

> Giving to the visibly homeless

There are already homeless people carrying QR codes to accept digital donations, I assume a lemonade stand could do something similar...

[thymehog]

> ...QR codes to accept digital donations

Any idea what service that is through? Do people that are donating need to download an app, or just go to website or...?

I've never come across this

[lotsofpulp]

Why would a common person want to help their fellow citizen evade taxes?

[kdmccormick]

Because I don't think someone waiting tables should have to sacrifice a chunk of their income to fund the American military-industrial complex.

[lotsofpulp]

Is it specifically people that wait tables, or do you support no taxes for all for their first $x in income?

[kdmccormick]

The latter.

If tax evasion were not incredibly common among the wealthy, and if fewer of our tax dollars were used to create war, subsidize big business, etc., I'd be less inclined to feel this way.