Getting Cash

[lappir]

In an effort to best support small businesses when I travel I have found a significant difficulty. "Getting Cash". 

I have been mostly a full time Travel Nurse since 1989. I didn't "Graduate" into a full time RV Travel Nurse until the 2000's. I started out with the bank account near my childhood home and would open a new account when I felt I was going to remain in an area for a bit and would use the "Credit Card" as needed if I couldn't write a check. 

Next came the ATM, Debit or Cash Cards. Sure seemed to make things easier and then some folks thought of "Gift Cards". The only gift with one of those goes to the account who sells it. It's wrong in so many ways.

I thought one of the "Large Banks" would be the answer. You know the ones, had a branch in nearly every  city and ATM's everywhere. That proved to be too costly for them and now you find them only in the largest of Cities and they don't offer drive up service at all any more. 

Sure, I can get cash when I buy Groceries or other items, but I'm really trying to shop at a non chain store and don't feel it's fair to have a "Mom and Pop" store to have to be my ATM. I am reaching out to my two banking institutions today and will see what happens. I still have a "childhood account" and the "Large Bank" one too. Haven't opened a new one in a while. Had a "Credit Union account" once but never did the direct deposit from the paycheck so it just sat there with my opening deposit. Sort of a dumb move that I don't want to repeat. 

2020 want's me to think more clearly, do better and be better. I cannot change everything I want to, but I can strive to do more in small ways and hope others are having the same thoughts. 

My thought for this morning before I go out and pay an ATM fee to visit the Farmers Market. 

 

Rod

 

[Dutch_12078]

Did you know that those "Mom & Pop's" make money from the ATM machines in their stores?

[Kirk W]

18 minutes ago, lappir said:

My thought for this morning before I go out and pay an ATM fee to visit the Farmers Market. 

Wells-Fargo and several other major banks will reimburse your ATM fees. 

[GlennWest]

This topic is interesting. I carry no cash. Still using debit card but I was going to change to a cash back cc but can't get one until I go back to work. I forget about it when I'm working.

[NDBirdman]

I carry maybe $500 when camping and find I usually return home with most still in my pocket.  As much as I hate electronic cwap, I have found it much more convenient to use my debit card and my credit union re-reimburses me for ATM uses when I find it necessary (albeit rare) to hit them.  I put a daily limit on my card just in case someone got their thieving fingers on my number and used it.  A quick call during business hours will allow a bigger charge to go through when needed.  Come to think of it, I'm still carrying the same 5-$100 bills I took out from bank 2-3 years back.

[NDBirdman]

1 hour ago, GlennWest said:

 I was going to change to a cash back cc

This is a good idea in my opinion.  I have one of those, I charge anything over $50 on it.  When I get home, I pay it off electronically so it never builds interest charges.  I have just about enough points on it to pay for a new rifle on it (Cabela's).  There are stores that don't like them.  I have one I deal with that will add 3% on top of the total because they refuse to pay the CC company to accept it.  I've since changed stores, but you have to watch to make sure they (merchant) are not quietly doing that to your total.

[GlennWest]

Exactly. Why I don't carry cash. 

[Lou Schneider]

Cash is king if/when the credit card networks go down due to a regional disaster or or if someone hacks the CC provider.  Think regional disaster like a forest fire (two years ago Internet access was down from SF-Eureka during the fires there - if you didn't have fuel to travel 300 miles or cash to buy more you were stuck), hurricane or DDOS attack on a provider serving the area you're in.

I do most of my purchasing using a cash back credit card or in the case of Walmart, their scan and pay app that gives 5% cash back on in store purchases (until October).  But I carry some cash for miscellaneous purchases and have a cache to tide me over if the credit card network should go down.  Not $100 bills but mostly $20s that are more easily negotiable in a crisis.

Edited June 20, 2020 by Lou Schneider

[2gypsies]

OP:  You've gone through the majority of options.  Nothing is perfect.

We used a cashback credit card and paid it off monthly.  We put everything on it - restaurants, food, fuel, shopping, etc.  We also kept a separate credit card solely for our AutoPay bills.  Then we didn't have to worry about being compromised and messing up our bill pmts. Occasionally we'd draw out $300 from Wells Fargo and that seemed to last forever because we preferred to use our cash back credit card.  We've been doing variations of this for 55 years!  😁

[Kirk W]

2 hours ago, NDBirdman said:

I carry maybe $500 when camping and find I usually return home with most still in my pocket. 

I do that also. I almost never use my debit card for several reasons. If it should be lifted a credit card is much less risk to the end user and usually easier to shut down. My 2% cash back credit card has a phone app that will shut it off if need be and my wife has a different card to use as  a backup. Our debit cards are occasionally used for cash withdrawals but then we use them at an ATM we do so from a bank ATM and never a private one. 

[hemsteadc]

I stopped caring about paying $3 to get $200 from an ATM.  Life's short.

[Kirk W]

10 minutes ago, hemsteadc said:

I stopped caring about paying $3 to get $200 from an ATM. 

Wells-Fargo reimburses us any of those fees, as do several other major banks.

[TXiceman]

We also use Wells Fargo and can get cash at most any ATM and they will refund the transaction fee to our checking account.  They do require a certain minimum amount on deposit.

Ken

[sandsys]

4 hours ago, Lou Schneider said:

Not $100 bills but mostly $20s that are more easily negotiable in a crisis.

It was pointed out to me one time that smaller bills were preferable in a regional emergency. If the guy selling bottles of water won't give you change, do you want to pay $20 for that bottle? Now I carry a bunch of ones and fives as well as a few twenties.

Linda

[Barbaraok]

15 minutes ago, sandsys said:

It was pointed out to me one time that smaller bills were preferable in a regional emergency. If the guy selling bottles of water won't give you change, do you want to pay $20 for that bottle? Now I carry a bunch of ones and fives as well as a few twenties.

Linda

Also use for tips, especially 1s for carryout that is delivered to our car in the parking lot.   Some apps let you designate a tip, but if they don't I have one  I then have a couple of 1st ready.    Or if paying cash, I round up and tell them to keep the change.   Also get a lot of 5s (especially good for takeout orders when paying for cash - "keep the change"!)

[bigjim]

Pm sent to Barbaraok concerning another subject.  If you can answer a pm is good or in the techincal section if it might be useful to others.

[lappir]

18 hours ago, Dutch_12078 said:

Did you know that those "Mom & Pop's" make money from the ATM machines in their stores?

Probably, but my comment was about adding cash back to a purchase, which may increase their fee. I don't know if it does though. I won't use one of the stand alone ATM's. If it's not affiliated with a bank and most often actually attached to it I don't use. I may consider finding a local bank and using their ATM. Thanks for the comment. 

 

Rod

[lappir]

12 hours ago, hemsteadc said:

I stopped caring about paying $3 to get $200 from an ATM.  Life's short.

I did too for a while, then I was forced into unemployment for 8 weeks and had way too much time to think about things. Hopefully I will get a positive answer from one of my banks. Thanks for your reply. 

 

Rod

[lappir]

12 hours ago, Kirk W said:

Wells-Fargo reimburses us any of those fees, as do several other major banks.

One of my banks used too, but stopped a few years ago. I didn't mind because I thought the other "Large" bank still had ATM's everywhere. I have never had an account with a Wells-Fargo, and am not sure I would. The way they have treated their customers in the past just doesn't sit well with me. I don't do Amazon, Walmart, any of the "Dollar" stores, Casey's and most "Convenience Stores".  I try to search out the businesses who have been in a community the longest and support them. I'm sure they have supported their community which in turn supports me as a Nurse. If I lived full time in a Sticks and Bricks I would do my best to make sure my money wouldn't travel further than 50 miles from my home except for the things that cannot be made in my local area. I would encourage businesses to ensure their suppliers used US made products and would pay more for that effort. Maybe it's the time in my life when I am able to more clearly see the circle. Maybe the circles are getting smaller. I don't know. You do something and pretty soon what you have done comes back around. Most often with a good result, but sometimes not. I'm trying to think about the back around more when I start things in motion. 

 

Rod

[SWharton]

We deal with a credit union and have a cash back CC plus our debit/atm card with ATM fees reimbursed. We try t go cashless as much as possible. Stores rarely give a discount for paying cash so why go through the hassle of using cash. We use cash once a week to buy 2 donuts(keep the change). That is it. About 10 years ago we decided to simplify our lives, limit ourselves to 1 credit card(we have extras) associated with our credit union and  1 financial institution. So much easier to deal with.

[Kirk W]

3 hours ago, lappir said:

I have never had an account with a Wells-Fargo, and am not sure I would. The way they have treated their customers in the past just doesn't sit well with me.

I have heard the same news stories that you have but have no idea what the stories were about. I have never had anything but good service in the 20+ years that we have been with them. We have our accounts with Wells-Fargo Advisors, which is the brokerage side of the business so that might make some difference. You are certainly free to bank anywhere and pay the fees too. 

[Sehc]

Our local WF bank has a very bad reputation with local merchants. The BOA had a better reputation, but closed most of it's branch offices. I have a cash back Visa from Amazon. A BOA credit card. And debit cards with two banks and a credit union. BOA has machines every where but charge high fees at all but their own. Ally reimburses my fees and has the best interest, now not even worth counting.   I keep $50 cash and when it is under $10, I replace.  It is not a requirement that a merchant offer cash back, so if they do it is all-ok.

[Kirk W]

8 minutes ago, Sehc said:

Our local WF bank has a very bad reputation with local merchants.

I'm not sure why that would matter to you as the customer? I make the vast majority of purchases with a cash back credit card not from W-F so the business never knows who I bank with but I have never had a merchant question our use of their debit care when we do so. I bank where I do for the services that they give to me, not to some merchant. 

[lappir]

4 hours ago, SWharton said:

We deal with a credit union and have a cash back CC plus our debit/atm card with ATM fees reimbursed. We try t go cashless as much as possible. Stores rarely give a discount for paying cash so why go through the hassle of using cash. We use cash once a week to buy 2 donuts(keep the change). That is it. About 10 years ago we decided to simplify our lives, limit ourselves to 1 credit card(we have extras) associated with our credit union and  1 financial institution. So much easier to deal with.

I try to always pay cash at the Farmers Markets. They do have the option of using a card, but why?I too use only one card for cash back purchases and another card for rounding up to the savings account. It's fun to teach the youngsters at the cash register how to count change back to someone who wants the amount on the card to end in $xx.01. Had a Postal Clerk (not young) one day that just couldn't comprehend the concept. Kept trying to give me the one cent stamp and adding the amount to my card. I gave up when there was a line behind me. 

 

Rod

[Sehc]

If a bank branch treats their commercial customers poorly, what would they do such small potato as me?  I wonder why Kirk is so quick to defend WF? Their criminal behavior was well documented.