Wake up call – Have cash on hand in case your bank card gets suspended

John Chamberlain - August 17, 2022

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wake up call

Some friends visited us early this year and had just received news from their bank that their bank cards had just been suspended due some one else trying to use them but do not worry  they will receive new cards in a week, so here they are 100 k [65 miles] from home not enough fuel in their car and very little food in their house so I lent them enough cash to fill up with fuel and food and also showed them some of my preps. 2 months ago we visited them and what a difference he showed me the cupboards in their kitchen completely full same with the cupboards in the bathroom and laundry , in the garage was a new chest freezer completely full, in the garden was a new poly tunnel with raised beds to grow vegetables solar panels on roof and much more. They will not be caught out again lesson learnt .

I know during the pandemic cards where more preferred than cash but some people want to do away with cash altogether which to me the above is a good example why we should not .

I know some European countries it is almost impossible to use cash so people have to rely on the banks which to me is crazy who in there right mind would trust banks to do the right thing

keep on prepping

John

6  

Thanks for sharing this great example of having backup forms of payment! I always like to carry and use cash as my primary form of payment (can’t get hacked, be traced, declined), and use a debit card as my secondary and credit card as my third option. My debit and credit card are issued under the same bank, and while it does make for some convenience come time to pay off the credit card to have them by the same bank and account, your friend’s predicament makes me think that I should get the credit card issued by another bank in case my main bank is down for any reason.

And you are a good example of being a good friend, and also being prepared with some extra cash on hand to bail them out of a sticky situation.

Hope you don’t mind me expanding the title of the post to be a bit more descriptive of what it’s about.

 

no problem  Gideon 

John

 

The most common reason to lose access to your credit card is for someone to steal and use the number when you use the card. Even with your cards being from the same bank, that won’t happen to both at once, so it’s still a good backup.

I do take some comfort in having credit cards associated with two different companies. But that happened by accident. I probably wouldn’t apply for an extra card just for that.

 

John, you were a good friend, and your friends changing their tune around prepping is great to hear about. I have two credit cards and two debit cards so that if one of them is compromised, I have another. I set up automatic bill pay for a small monthly bill to be charged to one card. That keeps it active. I routinely use the other card. The card used for the small monthly bill auto pay stays at home, 

 

This post was particularly useful to me at the moment, as I’ve been debating whether to cancel one of two credit cards, and also deciding how much hard cash to have on hand.  So, thanks!

 

Well that was not how I expected this post to pan out!! (There seems to be a lot of noise about banks at the moment in some places)

I have always tried to keep some cash on hand but following the lead of a couple of forum members earlier in the year I increased what I keep.

My theory is enough to fill the tank, buy a weeks worth of food and in a worst case scenario pay over the odds for accommodation should we ever need to evacuate!! I may need to adjust again due to inflation though. 

On the subject of going cashless, in a previous life I was a cashier at that time (in the UK) cash was the only ‘legal tender’ – the definition of which was (basically) it could not be refused if offered in settlement of a debt! So if someone owed money and offered to settle by card/cheque/payment in kind they called all be refused but if the debtor offered to pay in cash it HAD to be accepted (although you didn’t have to give change if given too much 😅) – with all the talk of going cashless I’m wondering if this law will be changed or re-written (or if it has been already!!)