Paying For Stuff in a Minimal way

leave a spare card in your car ?

I use a SECRID wallet. Fab item and very compact. 

Mostly however I just use my phone. 

Biggest pocket saving was recently getting a NUKI smart door lock. Means no more keys to carry. 

Though I do always now carry a portable battery pack as the thought of a flat phone battery is unimaginable. 

Maybe an emergency 50 note secreted in the slim case?

Maybe if you’re in London. Such things appear to be regarded with utmost suspicion wherever I’ve seen one presented in the NW. and I can imagine folks at the Spar being unimpressed having to give change for a packet of Eccles cakes and a can of Irn Bru.

Maybe £10 - £20?

Edit.
To your query.
I take phone, £10 note, £20 note, a few £1 coins. Pockets are good for all of these. I wouldn’t put a card and my emergency cash in the same pocket as my phone. Lose one, likely lose all.

Oh, and about £20 in various coinage in the car. Some of those Peak District parking meters are HUNGRY.

Sometimes I take a small trifold wallet, ‘Dun’ perhaps? Wouldn’t recommend as though it is small and encourages minimal carry it is a bit thick when folded.

Edit edit. Despite carrying these things I inevitably use ApplePay.

I still carry a card as Google Pay appears to have a £100 limit in a lot of places.

phone on me, card in a small wallet, kept [somewhere], if I know I'm gonna make a big purchase I'll grab the wallet for the day. If not, I just trust the phone (though, my pixel often needs 3-5 passes before it connects with the card machine, which is annoying - i'm forever telling the cafe/shop that it's my phone, not their machine...).

I would always want a card.
I use my phone more and more, but the prepper in me wonders how much trouble i could get myself into if i ended up on a train to somewhere and got a flat battery, or got mugged for my phone, and had no way of getting at funds to get home.
If im in walking distance of home (even if that walking for 2 or 3 hrs) i would be happy without a card i think.
but wouldnt go further without one.
Having said that, some banks let you get at cash out of the machine with nothing, dont they? or do you have to have a phone to approve that? The prepper in me is not prepped enough to have looked into that.
not convinced about a battery pack. Its just another thing to keep charged.
better to keep something like this on you, as you cna always find a plug if you need to?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TWICK-Charger-Folding-Adapter-Samsung-WHITE/dp/B0BXVPCRVK/

nice and slim, though probably not very robust
Though even slimmer would be a £50 note that lives in the back your phone, so you could buy one (or a charge pack) should the need arise.

Just writing this I am feeling goosebumps and heat at the thought of being at a payment till and my phone not working

Had this happen once when all I had was my phone and the POS terminal failed. It was no big deal. I just postponed the purchase. For petrol or meals where you’ve taken the thing already I’m sure most places would be considerate and helpful.

submarinedFree Member
I still carry a card as Google Pay appears to have a £100 limit in a lot of places.

Does it? I bought my last car, from the dealership via contactless. He joked it wouldn't work, but it did! That may just be due to Apple Pay having different limits or something though.

Very occasionally Applepay gets refused and I have to put my card in and enter my PIN.

I take my card with me as a back up for an important purchase.

I was unsure if I would get any sensible answers to this as it is very much a 1st world problem but the answers have been really useful thank you.

I think I am going to go down the route of cards hidden in cars (must remember it is there if I sell them) and a note in the back of a slim case. That said @olly and his 'prepper' status resonated with me, maybe a card stashed in my work backpack for the monthly trip to the office.

Still carry cards - had plenty of times where, say in a pub, it's rejected google wallet on my watch or phone and I've had to put the card in.  The whole point of me setting my watch up was so I didn't have to get either my phone or wallet out in a busy place - tap and go.  It's usually the venue's issue though.

Does it? I bought my last car, from the dealership via contactless. He joked it wouldn’t work, but it did! That may just be due to Apple Pay having different limits or something though.

Yup. But it could be the retailer's, card provider, or Google Pay setting the limit, and the lowest takes precedence.
Despite repeated attempts to sort it I can't make payments of more than £100 with my phone at the local Tesco.

Yeah, google pay limit is £100. And as my van is always over that to fill up I always carry a card too. Cash, maybe depending on where I am going. Still some places that are cash only - fish and chip shops etc. So yeah, still a proper wallet as I don't think we are there yet with phone only for stuff.

I’ve moved completely to iPhone only with a £5 note in the back of the case that only ever gets used when I go in a corner shop for some sweets and they won’t take a card for that low value.

Before Covid I was in Korea watching everyone do everything with their phones and thought ‘that’ll never catch on in the UK’. Wrong about that, like so much else.

Oh and my local petrol station 'pay at pump' only does cards.

PS I rarely carry any cash. Precisely 77p in my wallet in loose change. More bloody loyalty cards than cash.

Phone for everything, I frequently now misplace my wallet for weeks at a time !

I regularly breach the £100 limit that keeps being mentioned on Google Wallet, it definitely isn't a Google restriction..

Just writing this I am feeling goosebumps and heat at the thought of being at a payment till and my phone not working.

No different to being at the till and realising you've forgotten/lost your wallet.

AFAIK there is no limit on Google Pay itself. Like I say, the card issue or the retailer may have a limit though

Just writing this I am feeling goosebumps and heat at the thought of being at a payment till and my phone not working.

Had this happen just before Christmas in Tesco when trying to pay for a near-£300 shop. Payment wouldn't work either via the Tesco app itself, or Apple Pay. Thank **** I'd lifted my wallet that morning, although 99% of the time I don't!

Oh and my local petrol station ‘pay at pump’ only does cards.

Same here, they've yet to get new devices for their pumps to allow contactless, so it's card-only.

2 cards and forget the phone?

phone on me, card in a small wallet, kept [<em style="box-sizing: border-box; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; color: #000000; font-family: Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">somewhere],

Prison wallet?

Never carry cash. And almost never carry a card.
I've paid £1000+ on ApplePay, if it doesn't work then I just won't buy the item.

I use Apple pay on my watch for everything these days. Regularly pop out without a wallet

Wallet has debit card and driving licence in, plus some notes. It's tiny (Trove). Carried in case I think I might need cash, plus the local self service petrol pumps need a card and pin rather than a tap with a card

Met my mate at Sherwood just before Christmas for a bike ride.
When we paid for car parking, it turns out the payment machines don't work with phone contactless - dunno why, but didn't work on my Android phone, or his Apple phone.
I ended up paying for both of us on my debit card, as he didn't have anything else on him to pay with.
He also didn't have any proof of ID required for his hire bike, such as driver's licence, so had to leave his car key as a deposit 🤣
If he'd have been on his own I'm not sure what he would have done for paying for the parking to get out of the car park.

My phone payment works most of the time, but sometimes it just refuses - don't know if that's an issue my end, or the payment terminal. Either way, there's no way I would rely just on my phone for payment.

Google Pay's limit is higher if you unlock the phone I think.

I actually got caught out with this earlier this week. I'd booked a room at an Easy Hotel (it was sub-£40 slap in the middle of the city centre, don't judge me). Even though I'd paid in full online they still wanted card details, presumably as some sort of security deposit (because there's a lot to break, obvs). I ended up ringing my partner, "go to my bag, find my wallet, dig out the card, read the number to me..." on the very edge of reception in Reception. God knows what would have happened if I hadn't been able to do that, I'm not entirely convinced the receptionist knew either.

i have pictures of all my bank cards on my phone, so when I have to buy something online and the details aren't stored, and paypal isn't an option, I don't have to find my wallet

@flicker No different to being at the till and realising you’ve forgotten/lost your wallet.

Yes, same thing to a degree but a bit different as forgetting your wallet is because you are a numpty, not being able to pay by phone is because there is an infrastructure issue which is largely beyond your control. I can still remember the time I whacked in around a 100 quid in diesel and 2 people from the front of the queue to pay I patted my pocket and realised my debit card was on the side at home. The physical response to the situation was totally out of proportion but I was sweating like a pig near a politician. Fortunately they let me leave the car and walk home (2 miles only) to get my card. Was a bit embarrassing but not the end of the world. 

I still only use cards and cash. My local greengrocer only takes cash - there's another further up the road which takes cards but the quality isn't as good or as fresh. A couple times I've had to bail my mate out when Apple Pay didn't work in the pub and I've had to use my card. I've also had an issue with an e-ticket for a football match so now print out a paper copy.

Watch with Phone as a backup.

Yeah, google pay limit is £100

it isn't. Larger payments will require additional security - often being a recent biometric unlock before the payment will work. If your phone is "just unlocked" and you tap it the payment will fail, but retrying after an unlock (which you should be prompted to do) should work.

There may be some old terminals where the terminal itself has a block on larger payments, but tbh I can't think of a time I "accidentally" needed to spend £100, so I just take a backup payment method when I know I've a big spend coming up..

OP - just your phone with a £20 note stuffed in the back

Keep my cards in my car and just use my phone for everything.

I still carry a card as Google Pay appears to have a £100 limit in a lot of places.

The only time I get this is with my Halifax debit card - why they think £100 is a sensible limit is beyond me.  The only time Google pay has failed me other wise was a few months ago when we checked in at a hotel in the early hours and I needed to pay with my credit card.

I'd checked before we left on the trip and was told that GPay had no limit on the credit card - got to the hotel and it wouldn't work.  Yet again it was a Halifax card!

I don't normally carry a wallet/card, especially since the limit increased (during COVID?). I just use my phone. That's in the Scottish Highlands where one might expect an above-average infrastructure problem.

Phone with a credit card and £10 note tucked behind in the slim case.

I've been caught out with "pay at pump" which doesnt take contactless, or "cash only" shops

That's the other thing, isn't it. I don't see why they shouldn't exist but I've yet to come across an ATM which accepts contactless, so if you do hit 'cash only' and you've only got your phone, you're stumped.

Maybe an emergency 50 note

I cant think of many situations where a £50 note would help... Couple of £10's and a £5 would be more helpful.

I cant think of many situations where a £50 note would help

Lighting cigars?

I've lasted since Covid struck only carrying my phone and paying with that. It's literally been a handful of times that I've been caught out, in four years and thousands of transactions.

That’s the other thing, isn’t it. I don’t see why they shouldn’t exist but I’ve yet to come across an ATM which accepts contactless, so if you do hit ‘cash only’ and you’ve only got your phone, you’re stumped.

They're coming. It's taken ages because ATMs cost a tonne of money, it's hard to update them with new hardware (like a RFID reader) so providers understandably wait until they need replacing through old age before replacing them with newer, fancier ones.

As an aside, although I don't use cash, more people are, and the stats for the amount of cash taken out of the ATMs run by the woods-adjacent building society that I work for are flabbergasting.

Still carry cards here - usually debit + credit card. I don't have a payment method loaded onto my phone.

One of the guys in my cycling club paid for a coffee with his watch the other week - i had no idea you could even do this!

I also travel for work a bit - including overseas - i'll always ensure i've got at least 2 methods of paying for anything when away from home, even if its just my own credit card as a back-up to my corporate card.

My 16 year old daughter regards me as basically Amish in my attitudes - she rarely takes her bank card anywhere - just uses her phone.

could you take the chip out of the card and have it inlaid into a sovereign ring? I realised last summer I has on the train to london for work and I'd not picked up my wallet as rarely do and also that I didn't have a coat luckily it was nice weather and my phone worked everywhere to pay for stuff.

I also travel for work a bit – including overseas – i’ll always ensure i’ve got at least 2 methods of paying for anything when away from home, even if its just my own credit card as a back-up to my corporate card.

Yeah, I always have a physical credit card abroad, even though it's also on my phone, just in case

@surfer I cant think of many situations where a £50 note would help… Couple of £10’s and a £5 would be more helpful.

Yeah, I get you. I was thinking bulk, one 50 versus a few other denominations adding to the thickness and reducing the fit of the phone in a case. I might be overthinking it, I do that a lot.

could you take the chip out of the card and have it inlaid into a sovereign ring?

No, there's an antenna built into the card as well.

could you take the chip out of the card and have it inlaid into a sovereign ring?

I'm pretty sure I've seen a Ticktac or Youtube video of that being done.

That’s the other thing, isn’t it. I don’t see why they shouldn’t exist but I’ve yet to come across an ATM which accepts contactless, so if you do hit ‘cash only’ and you’ve only got your phone, you’re stumped.

With RBS you can do it through the app, tell it which branch/Tesco you're standing at and it will give you a withdrawal code.

Been handy a few times!

Applepay on an Apple Watch is a bit of a gamechanger.

Also, I don't know about Google/Android, but Applepay is far harder to spoof than your standard contactless card and doesn't have an upper limit AFAIK.

I actually got caught out with this earlier this week. I’d booked a room at an Easy Hotel (it was sub-£40 slap in the middle of the city centre, don’t judge me). Even though I’d paid in full online they still wanted card details,

Just as a follow-up to this: I provided feedback in a customer survey form, I've just had an email apologising and promising they'll take steps to ensure that it doesn't happen again.

could you take the chip out of the card and have it inlaid into a sovereign ring?

It probably wouldn't work as well. You can soak it in acetone to dissolve the plastic leaving the electrics behind, but there's thin wires running inside the card which act as an antenna and probably also as an induction loop to power the chip.

That said, I used to have a thing called bPay which was a chip exactly like a SIM card that sat in a clip on my watch strap. It was replaced by PingIt and then discontinued. Which is a shame because it was great. You can buy "wearables" like NFC rings but they're hella expensive for what they are. I'm still looking for an alternative, it's the one feature my original Huawei smart watch doesn't have.

could you take the chip out of the card and have it inlaid into a sovereign ring?

Oh, and, this is a tale worth repeating.

Back in the Oyster Card days, some bloke had clearly done just that and stripped a card. I was two strides behind him going through the Tube gates. He was dressed in full-on wizard regalia, robes, hat, and tapped in to the barrier with the tip of his magic wand. 👏

Either:

1)  Travelling Light - Phone with £20 folded inside case.

2) Out for the Night. As above with Tyvek Paper wallet with 1 x card/cash

3)  Actually buying stuff.  Phone & old school wallet stuffed with cards & cash.

Never used my phone to pay for anything so this thread has shocked me a bit.

Have a small card wallet that lives in my pocket with a few notes in case phone lines are down and its cash only at the tills.

Do people really not carry cards anymore? I'm getting old.

The funny thing I laugh at my mum and dad who use cash for everything. I am becoming my parents 🙁

Next step I start to read the Daily Mail! ARRGGG

could you take the chip out of the card and have it inlaid into a sovereign ring?

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen a Ticktac or Youtube video of that being done.

you definitely can do that, however its pretty pointless. For contactless the card has an antenna that runs around the edge of the card to allow it to be picked up by the reader. without that, the chip won't have enough reception to be read by the card machine

If you inserted the chip it'd work, but you'd have to position it "just so" over the physical chip reader

the only time I need to bring my wallet out is when visiting a national trust property as those backwards sods still won't put a digital card in place :/

photo works ok for carpark machines, but not for being scanned by a volunteer at a site

Never used my phone to pay for anything

Me neither. Don't intend starting to either.

I've had a tiny "clip" wallet for about a decade now, holds ~5 cards on one side and folded notes on the other.

Depends how often you spend >£100 or whatever the limit is I guess. Not often*, but often enough that it'd make it a PITA.

*most big purchases I'd just order online and get delivered, why waste half my weekend driving into town (or worse, and out of town warehouse) when I can order online and do something fun instead.

you definitely can do that, however its pretty pointless. For contactless the card has an antenna that runs around the edge of the card to allow it to be picked up by the reader. without that, the chip won’t have enough reception to be read by the card machine

Nope, it can work 'contactless', back in the days of oyster cards which are basically the same thing there was a trend to embed them in allsorts, usually harry potter wands.

Apple Watch. With two "cards" in my virtual wallet, one Mastercard one Visa.

Do people really not carry cards anymore? I’m getting old.

I'm 65.

I use a SECRID wallet. Fab item and very compact.

Same, great little wallet. I have a habit of forgetting my phone sometimes, so the habit of always having my wallet comes in handy. Even when I have it, I still often forget to use it to pay for things.

Guess I need to apply myself to embed a bit more of a effective habit in that regard.

Back in the Oyster Card days, some bloke had clearly done just that and stripped a card. I was two strides behind him going through the Tube gates. He was dressed in full-on wizard regalia, robes, hat, and tapped in to the barrier with the tip of his magic wand. 👏

This mental image has absolutely made my day. Thank you.

Despite repeated attempts to sort it I can’t make payments of more than £100 with my phone at the local Tesco.

You can if you use the 'pay in store' feature of the Tesco Grocery & Clubcard app. Single transaction limit is £250 or £500 cumulatively over 7 day period for all purchases using the app.

Your card issuer may have a lower limit, however, so this would take precedence.

It's remarkable the differences between countries. I've followed half a dozen people through checkouts paying with their phone to date in SW France. Most use a card, some cash and a few irritating people still write a cheque and the cashier still asks for their ID car and writes the details on the back for when it bounces. In Germany a lot of people still use cash, then it's cards and phones. In Spain the credit card dominates. I use credit card and cash, and still have a wallet or money belt.

I haven’t carried anything but my phone for a few years. The only issue comes when occasionally card payments aren’t working at whatever shop. That’s only happened to me twice. Emergency cash is helpful in this scenario. <br /><br />

This is in London. YMMV elsewhere. 

I've ditched the full wallet, but my phone has a Magsafe Quadlock case with a magnetic slim wallet that carries my debit card, driving licence and Tesco Clubcard.

99% for the time I use Apple Pay, but I'm also covered for buying stuff, photo ID and cheaper sandwiches.

Something like this.... Amazon

Same, great little wallet. I have a habit of forgetting my phone sometimes, so the habit of always having my wallet comes in handy. Even when I have it, I still often forget to use it to pay for things.

how can you forget your phone? if I'm going somewhere I'll most likely need to navigate there (either on foot or it connects to my car via CarPlay); contact someone while I'm there/meet them; wish to have means of contacting people in an emergency (ie solo bike ride); play music; or I will need to pay for something.

apart from taking a bike round the block to check I've fixed it correctly I cant think of a trip out of the house where I dont want to have at least one function my phone provides.

I'm more likely to forget my shoes than my phone.

I hate taking the phone everywhere so just have a slim leather wallet that holds my card and drivers licence. Leaving the phone at home is bliss.

how can you forget your phone?

Because I've spent portions of my life without it, which I quite liked. So I have actively tried to reduce my reliance on it, so sometimes simply leave the house without it.

The world hasn't stop revolving yet so I don't sweat it.

What's wrong with a cheque-book? 🤷

This thread has amazed me. 2 pages of advice on whether or not a piece of plastic 8x5cm x 1mm is too much to carry around with you!

Do people really not carry cards anymore? I’m getting old.

Yes.... It's actually safer than using a card.

My.problen with putting cards in my pocket is that if I take something else out the card often comes with it and potentially is lost.

No such problems with my phone.

Nope, it can work ‘contactless’, back in the days of oyster cards which are basically the same thing there was a trend to embed them in allsorts, usually harry potter wands.

it won't work contactless reliably. RFID basically works with 2 aerials, one on the tag and one on the reader. The range is effectively a relationship related to the sizes of those aerials - make one massive and it can read a tag from a reasonable distance (see security scanners at the entrance to shops).

The size of the reader (and aerial) on oyster is massive compared to that on the average pin terminal, which means it can work with a far weaker signal (smaller aerial) from the card. A normal pin terminal has a pretty small arial (not much different to the one in your phone), so the card needs to be right on it to work with the standard amount of aerial. Take most of that away and you'll be really lucky if it works

Additionally, the rfid reader for a card has (I suspect) to provide a lot more power than oyster needs - basically the reader is powering the chips on the card and allowing it to encrypt/decrypt the payment information (and decide whether things like a PIN is needed). I suspect that oyster, being effectively treated as cash, has far less complex circuitry built in.

Source: I work for a company that issues payment cards

Tesco have a flat £100 limit on contactless of all varieties in our local store so the fortnightly shop needs a card, otherwise, I could go cardless.

Google and Apple dont have limits but do insist on your phone being locked.

Data Ive access to shows card to cash is 85% card where people have equal opportunity to pay however they want, except cheque. Of the card transactions 70% are contactless, 18% phone and 12% chip and pin. Phone is increasing, chip and pin reducing.

could you take the chip out of the card and have it inlaid into a sovereign ring?

All you need to do is program an RFID implant, problem solved.

And you do know a sovereign has a value itself? (albeit less than the metal it's made from)

Also, sovvies make you look like a total bam. I inherited one from my grandma and love wearing it for 5 minutes to bam my wife up*.

*that's not a euphemism for domestic violence for the non-Scots amongst us

Noted that Tesco have a silly low limit! 

I did have a moment of anxiety a couple of years ago when I'd done a Christmas shop in Sainsbury's and got to the checkout with £230 on the handset and just my phone!  But as it's often the case, it just wanted me to confirm my fingerprint (which the screen protector prevents) but there was an option to use my pattern.

Interestingly, my phone won't make any contactless payment if it's not unlocked, which I suppose is good seeing the latest craze of taking the terminal and tapping your mates pocket to pay for your pizza!

I tapped my credit card in my lbs and had to be reminded there was a limit (I normally use the phone).  They then said they take contactless up to £10,000, they only stock one bike that's over £10k 🙂

Card in phone case... Don't see the point as if you lose your phone, you've lost the card, and it presumably makes it harder to ensure you don't tap the wrong device/card.  I also try not to carry my card in my pocket as it tends to come out with keys etc and get lost.

But how do you pay for the C&H?

2 pages of advice on whether or not a piece of plastic 8x5cm x 1mm is too much to carry around with you!

My.problen with putting cards in my pocket is that if I take something else out the card often comes with it and potentially is lost.

Happened to me. I went out one night with card and phone, stopped for coffee on the way home and got a call from the bank asking if I'd got my card. They'd flagged it as fraud because someone had used it to buy KFC or some such five minutes before I used Google Pay 30 miles away. It must have come out of my pocket the night before, or the hotel maid had found it in the morning and thought "free chicken, fantastic!"

Since then if I do take a card it's in a slim card wallet (literally a fold of plastic with a pocket either side) and it lives in a different pocket from my phone.

Interestingly, my phone won’t make any contactless payment if it’s not unlocked, which I suppose is good seeing the latest craze of taking the terminal and tapping your mates pocket to pay for your pizza!

That shouldn't work in any case. You might need to unlock it for larger amounts or if you haven't done so in a while (I don't know the exact logic but it seems to want it most when I'm at the head of a large queue), the rest of the time it still needs to be awake. You'd have to fumble in your mate's pocket for the power button first.

I've not carried a card in last 3 years.  Apple Pay for everything.  I've been all over europe in last 2 years with just apple pay.  I always assume the wife has a card in her purse..... but no issues touch wood

I’ve colleagues who have coffee cups that are chipped.

Personally I prefer to pay with bullion, and one of my people carries it for me.

Years ago downsized to a minimal wallet - card sized, one debit card (I don't have a credit card), my driving licence and occasionally a folded up tenner.

Since lockdown even that only leaves the house now if I'm bothered my phone won't work for whatever reason or I'm away on holiday, etc. Everything else now is phone or online payments. Can't honestly remember the last time I used cash for anything other than a car park (and the car park change purse in the glove box is running rather low these days too).

I'm happy to be free of the tyranny of cash and cards.

(53 and a self-confessed geek if it makes any difference)

Popped back in to see if anything had topped the wizard story, it hadn't but I am going down the magsfe wallet route I think. Mous case and either Mous wallet of the one in the Amazon link.

@hardtailonly 2 pages of advice on whether or not a piece of plastic 8x5cm x 1mm is too much to carry around with you!

I think it was nailed though, and in 2 pages with an awesome story about a wizard, and without it descending into a political row, or a rant about the cashless society. I think that's a win.

Haha - I made the brave move to pure Apple Pay about 3 months ago - proudly leaving the house with no other payment method I felt pretty smug.

2 hours later I pulled up at the M6 Toll -

PHONE PAYMENT NOT ACCEPTED said the large yellow sign

oh 💩

card back in phone case now