Cash -Still Top Of The Tree At Christmas.

The Times Newspaper gave over almost a whole page on 23rd December to promoting a device which attaches to a mobile phone and allows traders to accept cards.

The main example quoted of a company benefiting from this thrilling innovation sells Christmas trees.The owner imports them from Denmark (hard to find trees in the UK,no doubt?) and says they are too expensive to buy using cash!

Well,I can tell you I have always used cash to buy my Christmas trees(though I have never needed to go to Borgen-land to find one).If your tree costs so much you need to use a card, find a different tree trader!

Another part of the same article features a Big Issue seller who "noticed people were not carrying cash" so "invested" in new technology.He now sells up to 100 copies a week "as many as a tenth of which are paid for by card".So,in other words,at least 90% are still purchased using cash!

I am sure the author of this article is enthusiastic about new payment technology.Aren't we all? BUT the facts are the facts.

CASH IS USED FOR WELL OVER 50% OF ALL PURCHASES MADE BY THE UK PUBLIC-AND THE PERCENTAGE IS INCREASING !

And, YES, that includes Christmas trees!