Cash or Card?

[Twiggy553]

What was the cash vs. card situation like in 2019?

Are card payments now ubiquitous or do you still need cash at some places?

I always used to take a wad of cash but if it’s now faster/easier to pay with a card at bars might not bother…

[BambooShanks]

From what I remember, card/contactless payments were a lot more common with only the smaller stalls only being cash.

You could probably get away with exclusively using your card for the bar and  most food stalls.

I'd still take some cash just in case you lose your card, or for the few places that only accept cash

[Junglist1981]

We hardly used cash at all in 2019, it was great. I was always really paranoid carrying loads of money about back in the day when the cashpoint queues were a nightmare. I can't see there being very many cash only places at all now outside of the greenfields, card readers are so portable and ubiquitous.

I reckon £50 in your pocket would easily see you through the weekend, and if not the cash point queues will be tiny.

[Losing my hair]

If you want to take spare cash, just in case, you can/should leave it at a security lock up. 

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

Card everywhere for me in 2019, didn’t have any cash on me at all.

[Ingobernable]

I still like cash for budgeting. I can't blow my allocated spends for the weekend on Thursday night if three quarters of it is in a lock-up. That can't be said if I'm tapping away once I'm already gone. 

I also still leave my smartphone at home and switch to a burner so I'm probably behind the curve. 

[blutarsky]

On 4/13/2022 at 1:47 PM, Junglist1981 said:

if not the cash point queues will be tiny.

In 2019 we were camped near the Silver Hayes / Woodsies cash point (image below). I can’t remember seeing anyone use it all weekend, let alone queue for it. We did get cash out ourselves once and just walked straight up to it. 
 

[Junglist1981]

On 4/13/2022 at 5:14 PM, Ingobernable said:

I still like cash for budgeting. I can't blow my allocated spends for the weekend on Thursday night if three quarters of it is in a lock-up. That can't be said if I'm tapping away once I'm already gone. 

I also still leave my smartphone at home and switch to a burner so I'm probably behind the curve. 

This is a very good point. We spent way more than usual in 2019 after wandering about merrily tapping our cards here there and everywhere.

Not going back to cash though! I just need to be more disciplined and check my balance every now and again. Maybe I'll empty my cash account and only transfer in the amount I want to spend each day 🤔

Edited April 15, 2022 by Junglist1981

[Wanderlei]

Took some cash with me, and barely used it. Contactless is winning out 👍

[clarkete]

On 4/13/2022 at 10:56 AM, Twiggy553 said:

What was the cash vs. card situation like in 2019?

Are card payments now ubiquitous or do you still need cash at some places?

I always used to take a wad of cash but if it’s now faster/easier to pay with a card at bars might not bother…

There are always gonna be odd occasions where you're next to a place whose machine is down or something, so I dunno why anyone wouldn't choose to have a little cash for flexibility. 

[Twiggy553]

2 hours ago, clarkete said:

There are always gonna be odd occasions where you're next to a place whose machine is down or something, so I dunno why anyone wouldn't choose to have a little cash for flexibility. 

Oh indeed, I’ll definitely have both, it’s just about the ratio…

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

4 hours ago, clarkete said:

There are always gonna be odd occasions where you're next to a place whose machine is down or something, so I dunno why anyone wouldn't choose to have a little cash for flexibility. 

You say that but I certainly can’t remember that ever being the case for at least the last few Glastonbury’s. I never took any cash for the past two and it was never an issue. I’m sure it happens but not anywhere to the point it happens to everyone at least once. 

[e_p]

  No one wants the other half seeing what you’ve spent from the joint account though. 

[irnkrtn]

Can't get my head around a cash-free Glastonbury. We found a wallet one year with over £300 and thankfully the person's ticket. Huge huge props to Seetickets. I called them up and was like, I know you can't give me THEIR details, but I also know you must have theirs on file? They were brilliant. They took my number, called the person up and we somehow, in the days of no signal and the chaos of a Glastonbury, managed to reunite clearly a teenager with all their money in the world!

[Smeble]

Definitely going to use card, will have some emergency cash on me though.

I have a travel card I’ll load up that way I can limit my spend but also if I lose the card it won’t impact on my main account and the faff that comes with it. Easier to write off a lost travel card and get a replacement at my leisure than being without my main one.

also with a prepaid card it’s easier to keep track of expenditure via the app, you can see exactly what you spent, when. And where, rather than counting your cash, being surprised you have less than you thought and not being able to figure out where it went.

Edited April 17, 2022 by Smeble

[MaseTMT]

I can't remember using cash at all in 2019 and i'd be very surprised if everything isn't card this year

[eiepete]

Latitude  last year was "card only" but some of the food stalls would give you a decent discount for cash....not the bars  unfortunately

[vintagelaureate]

I was talking about this the other day. I have always predominantly taken cash to festivals, but I'm leaning away from it this year. I think I'll take some cash to cover any emergencies or issues with card payments though but will probably keep the majority of spending to my card now. 

On another note, moving to card mustn't have half hit the industry hard in terms of 'tips'.

[JoeSchmo]

All the stalls I went to had card machines. You will really only need cash for roaming independent traders.

[Hynes]

The silent disco required a £20 cash deposit, so take at least that if you want to get involved

 

[Leyrulion]

On 4/13/2022 at 5:14 PM, Ingobernable said:

I still like cash for budgeting. I can't blow my allocated spends for the weekend on Thursday night if three quarters of it is in a lock-up. That can't be said if I'm tapping away once I'm already gone. 

I also still leave my smartphone at home and switch to a burner so I'm probably behind the curve. 

I find the apps easier to budget, set up pots on Monzo and you can allocate your spend per day. 

Can always transfer more into it if you need to do not totally foolproof to 4am "fuck it" transfers from in the SE corner.

[gooner1990]

On 4/17/2022 at 8:37 PM, eiepete said:

Latitude  last year was "card only" but some of the food stalls would give you a decent discount for cash....not the bars  unfortunately

The street food market I occasionally go to in Oxford on my lunch break gives you more food if you pay in cash! 

[eiepete]

What really hacks me off at the moment in central London "card only pubs" that charge you a service charge 30p -70p a beer that you've bought from the bar!..unless you have asked for a receipt you have known idea...

[SecretFish]

Hope it's contactless all the way! (with no fees)