Who carries no cash?

[cardtrick]

I always carry cash. Maybe once homeless people get the Square CC reader, I'll get rid of the cash.

[snafu]

A medical office is the last place I'd expect to find Liddites. I'm shocked that your boss won't accept CC/Debit card, HSA or even Square. Individuals are using Square for their yard sales, Craigslist sale and craft shows. If only a tiny percentage is skipping co pay, I suggest you tack on a surcharge for billing fees, with a really big sign in the waiting room to eliminate confusion. As receptionists book appointments they could remind patients they must pay cash co pay.

[shaggy]

Hmm... I guess I just expect that to be built in to the markup on whatever I'm buying. I very rarely make any really, really small purchases, though, like a dollar or less.

The processing fees can be as high as $2.00 per transaction for some merchants. So if you buy something that costs $10, they're taking a beating.

[kv968]

If you consider $2-$13 "carrying cash" then yeah, I do.

Although I do have a little stash at home so if I know I'll need it I can grab that instead of going to the ATM. The only problem is not being accustomed to needing cash and forgetting to grab it. I've done that also.

As far as not accepting CC's, as the old saying goes, "the customer is always right", and if you do start losing business because people don't want to pay in cash then it might be time reevaluate the cost of accepting them vs. losing those patients. I know a patient is a totally different customer than say a convenience store patron but a "lost sale" is a "lost sale" if they add up.

[amreen]

I carry both. I carry less cash for security reason but still I feel safe if I had some cash with my credit card.

[neatdesign]

I stopped carrying cash sometime in the mid-1990s. It was so long ago that I don't even recognize U.S. coins at first glance anymore. At some point in the past decade the quarter, nickel and penny were all redesigned. I don't recognize them now. In my mind the quarter only looks like this and the nickel only looks like this and the penny only looks like this. Even though the penny is the same color as before, I still have to make sure it's actually a U.S. penny and not a British 1p or a Canadian penny.

On the off-chance that I DO need cash, I usually just buy something at the grocery store with my debit card and get cash back. That way I don't have to pay any ATM fees.

[Mjenn]

I almost never carry cash. For a long time I carried change for parking, but now they also take cards so I don't even do that anymore. I would be rather surprised if my Doctor's office didn't accept cards -- but they can and do also send invoices (at least they always give the option, but my 20 dollar co-pay is not a bank breaker).

I guess if I knew in advance I would not mind carrying cash, but I don't go to the doctor very often, so I might forget that. Also, unless it was always the same amount, I would probably find it pretty annoying. (But then again I haven't carried cash for years...)

[~bs]

I almost never carry cash. For a long time I carried change for parking, but now they also take cards so I don't even do that anymore. I would be rather surprised if my Doctor's office didn't accept cards -- but they can and do also send invoices (at least they always give the option, but my 20 dollar co-pay is not a bank breaker).

I guess if I knew in advance I would not mind carrying cash, but I don't go to the doctor very often, so I might forget that. Also, unless it was always the same amount, I would probably find it pretty annoying. (But then again I haven't carried cash for years...)

Yeah, if the doctor charged more than $10 or $20 that I normally carry, and had no option to use a card, and required payment before leaving the office, I'd pretty annoyed actually.

[FrugalTexan75]

I rarely carry cash. When I do have any amount of cash on me, it might take me a few weeks (or longer ...) to get it deposited since the only deposit ATM is 40 minutes away. I put everything on my cc's, and even when I *do* have cash on me, usually forget it is even there. I'd really be annoyed if I couldn't pay for my copays/doctor visits without a cc.

[rennigade]

I would probably be one of those patients who would have to reschedule since I never carry money. Actually I have been to offices where they only took cash/check...luckily they didnt make me reschedule and they did mail me a bill...However that was the first/last time I visited their office.

It kind of reminds me of restaurants/gas stations that only accept cash. It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth for some reason.

I would think most businesses would rather take the 2%-4% hit from people using credit cards and be guaranteed the money than take a risk of not getting the money at all (although in your case you can refuse service)

I have a family member who owns a small business. He used to never require money up front and was sometimes stiffed for $5kish. Even after going through lawyers/collection, some people just refused to pay so he was out...minus the small deduction he could take from that. He then started accepting cc's before he would perform the service and hasnt had a problem since. He said he's more than happy to loose 2% and have the money up front.

[Blessed]

The processing fees can be as high as $2.00 per transaction for some merchants. So if you buy something that costs $10, they're taking a beating.

I know from my boss that merchants can shop companies. She uses one that charges one and a half percent.

[Like2Plan]

I know a lot of folks who don't ever carry cash, but I'm not one of them. DH and I get an allowance in cash every week so we always have some cash. Still, I'd say we use cash most often for tips when we travel. I prefer to use plastic whenever we can.

DH and I also see an opthamologist who doesn't take our insurance and doesn't take plastic so we have to remember to bring the checkbook each visit.

[esb3357]

Honestly I would offer debit/credit card and then charge an extra processing fee. I know many companies that offer cash/credit cards but offer an extra charge. Honestly almost every place I have been to offers credit/debit. I rarely if ever carry cash. So I would be one of your customers who would have to be turned away. Heck I don't even carry a debit card. Just credit so I wouldn't be able to go to the atm.

[feh]

I carry a small amount of cash; generally less than $20. I use my CC for all purchases, unless the total is under $5.

[JoeP]

I try to carry a small amount cash. My wife helps with the "small amount" part because sometimes I go looking for a couple dollars that were there yesterday, only to find they had been deducted from my wallet without notification, permission, nor apology.

I have since been squirreling away an emergency 20 in my wallet's secret pocket in case a happy hour breaks out.