"Haven't you got a credit card?"

someone asked me a couple of days ago. I was paying for something small with a ten dollar note.

The ten dollar note had been given to me as payment for something else - and I had even given that person a fifty cent coin in "change". 

I thought the question was rather rude, especially from a shop assistant who obviously disliked dealing with "real money". My response to them was, "That is none of your business and this is legal tender."

The response to that was nothing more than a very put out sort of look. As I went off I heard her saying to the next person, "You'd think people would know better these days."

Really? Is there something wrong with actual legal tender? There are places which will no longer accept it of course - but they don't get my business. 

I do have a card. I have two cards in fact. It is almost impossible to operate without such things now. I have a debit card issued by the bank. It never has a lot of money available on it. I top it up at intervals. I use it to buy food and other such essentials. It paid for a new bike tube recently and for a birthday present. I also have a similar card issued by the Post Office. That has even less money available on it. I use that to pay for internet and phone access and if I want to buy something via the internet. I put the required amount of money in at the Post Office and pay the bills that way. 

As an old cat I am still wary of doing "internet banking" so I keep all these things to a minimum. I have been "hacked" once. There were no financial consequences but there could have been perhaps and my funds are - shall we say, limited?

And I still think that "cash" has a place in the world. When I pay cash for something there is no record of whether I bought that "lottery" ticket (except I don't) or a loaf of bread (almost as expensive). There is a record that those things have been bought of course - but not of who bought them.

I have a "loyalty card" at the supermarket. I had no intention of getting one because I had no desire for a record to be kept of what I was buying. When it happened I told the girl who served me of this. She laughed and said, "Do what I do...put it in another name." I thought about it before I did that but it works - if I am careful. They can have the information they say makes for a more efficient service. Someone is buying all those litres of milk...but it isn't me. 

But a credit card is something different. I don't want to be in the situation where I suddenly find myself accidentally in debt and having to pay more to a bank because I failed to pay the bill on time. It is cheaper this way. Cash would be cheaper still...but of course it would not be as convenient for the shop assistant. They, help me, have to work out how to give me the change if I hand over "real money".