Fair enough. I acknowledge people have different viewpoints on this issue.

Believe it or not, my wife is actually a proponent of cash transactions. She has not been able to convince me of the benefits either. We've agreed to disagree. She carries the cash, and to my benefit she spots me whenever we encounter a merchant that doesn't accept credit cards since I don't carry cash.

You don't seem to see the difference in language that you're subtly slipping in without realising. It's like a form of newspeak.

"Accepting" credit card payments or bank transfers is meaningful. Accepting cash is not.

Anyone can by default accept cash. There is no-one who cannot accept cash. You don't even need to have like, hands to count it with, I can put it in your pocket.

In order to "not accept" cash you have to intentionally make the choice to be an arse and decline it.

By contrast digital stuff is this whole web of "need an account, need an app, need a terminal, need this, ...". It's not automatic.

It's like the difference between walking and having a car.

> She has not been able to convince me of the benefits either.

…

> She carries the cash, and to my benefit she spots me whenever we encounter a merchant that doesn't accept credit cards since I don't carry cash.

I’m having trouble understanding these sentences written together in such short succession. Are you being serious?

Not sure what you mean, but yes I'm serious.

I rarely if ever carry cash. Nearly every transaction I make is via credit card. The only time I'll usually have cash is when traveling overseas (for emergencies, in the foreign currency, not USD). I find cash terribly inconvenient and annoying to use.

Meanwhile my wife loves using cash. I don't understand it. It's not for any privacy or idealogical reason - she says she just likes the old fashioned feel of handling physical money. She doesn't understand my dislike of using cash. As I said, we've agreed to disagree.

Every now and then when we're out together we'll encounter the rare merchant that doesn't accept credit card. Then she'll spot me with her cash. Otherwise we'll typically use our joint credit card. When she is out by herself she's much more likely to use the cash she always carries.

70 years after plastic was invented, people are seriously been proud and think of themselves as progressive and tech savvy because they use plastic.

The thought has not occurred to me even once. It is purely a matter of convenience.

If the only benefit of cash is dealing with cavemerchants, that's covered by keeping some money around for such cases. It's not something you'd normally do so the thought is perfectly congruent.

The only real advantage to cash is avoiding government overreach. It is most definitely not convenient in any way