[Youden]

Honest question: unless you're American, what kind of emergency could require a large volume of cash in less than a week?

In the US it makes sense for medical bills or a broken car or something but in a country with sane healthcare and public transit, I'm having trouble thinking of anything.

[briffle]

I keep about $500 in small bills hidden I’m my car. I have been on road trips where I have had car trouble, and the small town mechanic nearby only takes cash or local checks. When it happened, I had to get a ride to an ATM with an huge fee.

I also live in the PNW, which is way overdue for a >9.0 earthquake. I keep some cash in a safe at home because it could be a week (or more) before phone systems are up and working again for things like gas stations, etc.

[sofixa]

Even in such countries one could rely on a car. Some medical things aren't covered fully or require prepayment to be reimbursed later ( e.g. dental or glasses, but we're talking a couple od hundred euros max, not tens of thousands).

There's also natural disasters or unexpected maintenance, appliances dying, roof/plumbing leaking, etc.

In general though, i think for most EU countries a few thousand euros is enough of an emergency fund, depending on circumstances of course.

[Shatnerz]

A meteorite strikes your house and puts a hole in your roof in the middle of rainy season. You will likely need cash quickly. You may be able to get an invoice or payment plan, but a lot of workers who will patch your roof get ripped off and demand cash up front as a result.

Other examples:

- car transmission fails at a crucial time such as during travel (now you may need accommodation)

- boiler breaks

- AC failures during summer

Really any major house related or car related issue. You could argue that these are maintenance costs and not emergencies and I would agree, but not everyone approaches these the same. It is also entirely possible for several affordable and expected events to unexpectedly happen at the same time.

[hprotagonist]

getting across a border to a country that isn’t getting shelled, without access to an ATM because they’re in pieces.

getting across a border to a country that isn’t shelling its neighbor, without access to an ATM because they’ve been frozen.

there are a few cases where “hundred dollar bills stuffed in the mattress” is actually the way to go!