Not Paying with Cash By Ruben Schade, Sydney, Australia (04 September 2025) --- Overview Ruben reflects on the resurgence of cash use, especially among younger generations ("Zoomers"), and contrasts it with his own preference for convenience through card payments despite his wariness of digital surveillance and smartphone dependence. --- Key Points Why Some Prefer Cash Cash is largely anonymous and offers privacy against digital tracking. It avoids hidden fees and card access charges. It works independently of electrical power or digital network uptime. Cash does not require a bank account, smartphone, or credit checks, making it accessible to vulnerable populations. Concerns exist about "cashless societies" potentially disenfranchising those without digital access. Ruben’s Perspective on Cards vs. Cash Ruben uses cards mainly for convenience—tapping a card is fast and avoids fiddling with coins. Cards aid budgeting significantly; transaction records allow precise reconciliation. Despite attempting to reduce smartphone use, Ruben keeps Apple Pay as a fallback but doesn’t rely on it. Card surcharges are accepted as a fair trade-off for budgeting ease. Cash handling is unpleasant due to hygiene concerns; physical money is often dirty and carries germs. On Cash as a Social Construct Money, including cash, is a social construct and can potentially be done without. Ruben prefers card payments but respects anyone’s choice to use money how they see fit. --- Context and Personal Notes Ruben is mindful of digital surveillance and financial pitfalls associated with credit cards. He values practical budgeting which cards facilitate over the emotional or privacy benefits of cash. Australian coins are notably large and inconvenient, contributing to the preference for card payments. The blog post reflects on broader societal themes related to technology use, privacy, and accessibility. --- Tags and Metadata Categories: thoughts, finance, money Location: Sydney, Australia Word count: 687 --- About the Author Ruben Schade is a technical writer and IaaS engineer based in Australia. He balances technology use with concerns about privacy and convenience. Readers can get in touch or support his work via Ko-fi.