If you listen to trend pieces in the news and online commenters, cash is on its way out. There are coffee shops and restaurants that don’t accept it, and most people don’t carry very much cash at any given time. Yet it turns out that retailers still generally prefer cash, since it’s the cheapest way to accept payments. [More]
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Man’s Honesty Pays Off When He Gets To Keep $15K He Found In The Street A Year Ago
By 3.30.17 — Updated: 4.3.17
As the old saying goes, crime doesn’t pay. But in some cases, being honest — and patient — can certainly reap financial rewards, as one man now gets to keep $15,200 he turned in after finding it on the street. [More]
Wells Fargo Customers Won’t Need A Card To Get Cash At ATMs Anymore
By 3.23.17
Can’t be bothered to carry a debit card, but need some cash on the go? Not a problem for Wells Fargo customers with smartphones, as the bank is rolling out its cardless technology at all of its roughly 13,000 cash machines. [More]
Sick Of Being Robbed, Coffee Shop Goes Cash-Free
By 2.3.17 — Updated: 5.8.17
There are plenty of restaurants and businesses that refuse to accept anything other than cash, but one Baltimore coffee shop is swinging the other direction after getting robbed one too many times. [More]
Here’s What $20M Cash Stuffed Inside A Box Spring Looks Like
By 1.24.17
It is a rule universally acknowledged in crime writing that if you stash your ill-gotten gains under the mattress, someone is eventually going to find it. Just like the $20 million in cash hidden in a box spring that federal agents found in Massachusetts this week. [More]
There Could Soon Be Fewer Bodega And Bar ATMs After MasterCard, Visa Policy Shift
By 9.9.16
You know what it looks like: it’s buried way in the back of the corner store or your local watering hole, covered in a thin layer of grime from all those who have punched its keypad before. It’s the ubiquitous non-bank ATM, and it could be vanishing from some familiar spots in the near future with new policies at MasterCard and Visa that shift the blame for fraudulent transactions. [More]
Bank Of America To Allow Android Pay Cash Withdrawals At Some ATMs
By 5.20.16
Back in January, Bank of America jumped on the card-free bandwagon by developing new ATMs that allow customers to withdraw cash or complete other tasks using their cellphones instead of their bank cards. This week, the company took that initiative a step farther, announcing it would let customers perform those tasks through Android Pay. [More]
Does Venmo Hold Moochers Accountable, Or Let Cheapskates Show Their True Colors?
By 5.19.16
Between PayPal’s Venmo, Facebook’s Messenger, Chase’s Quickpay, Square’s Cash, and other money-sending services, there’s no shortage of ways for friends to quickly send each other a few dollars to split the check at dinner. But with the convenience of such apps, are we forgetting our manners or just finally holding our friends accountable? [More]
Does Paying With Cash Increase Your Emotional Investment In A Purchase?
By 4.25.16
Say you go to the store with a friend and you each buy the same lamp for $150. The only difference is you pay in cash and your pal pays with plastic. The dollar amounts are the same, the purchased product is identical, but a new study finds that your levels of emotional investment in that lamp are likely different. [More]
Former Uber, Lyft Drivers Are Selling Their Vehicle Decals Online
By 2.29.16
The bright pink mustaches and the “U” decals used to designate ride-sharing vehicles for Uber and Lyft have found a second purpose: making their owners quick cash on sites like eBay. While selling the insignias might be a good way for former drivers to pad their wallets — sometimes by thousands of dollars, it means the decals might be used for other purposes. For that reason, always be sure to double check the license plate, and driver’s name before getting in a hailed vehicle. [Business Insider] [More]
Chase To Install Cardless ATMs That Offer A Variety Of Denominations
By 1.26.16
Bank customers weary of using ATMs for fear they’ve been compromised by ne’er-do-wells using skimmers to get their hands on card numbers have a new option. That is, if they bank with JPMorgan Chase, as the company is rolling out new cash machines that are not only cardless, but will let you take out money in a wider variety of denominations. [More]
Applebee’s Server Returns $32,000 In Cash Family Accidentally Left On The Table
By 12.18.15
If you work in a restaurant, finding a large amount of cash on the table might be one of those moments where you think you’ve just lucked out and scored a huge tip from some abnormally generous person, and you figure the money is yours to keep. Or, if you’re like one Applebee’s server who recently discovered $32,000 left behind, you turn it in and save the day. [More]
Walmart Employee Says He Was Fired For Waiting 30 Minutes To Turn In $350 He Found In Parking Lot
By 12.2.15
A maintenance employee for Walmart thought he was doing the right thing by handing over a stack of bills totaling $350 that he found discarded in the store’s parking lot. But instead of being thanked for his honesty, the man says he was fired because he waited 30 minutes before handing over the cash. [More]
ATM-Refilling Crew Leaves Bag Of Cash Behind, Then It Disappears
By 7.29.15
Sure, all humans make mistakes, and sometimes we even make mistakes at work. However, you have to feel really sorry for the ATM company employees in New Jersey who left a bag containing $141,000 outside of a building where they were working…and accidentally left the bag behind. Local police say that the employee responsible for leaving the bag had to be transported to the hospital when he learned that it had been stolen. We hope that he’s okay, but there’s something very weird about this incident. Update: Police have found the people who allegedly took the money, one of whom happens to have recently bought a $46,000 SUV in cash. [More]
Bojangles’ Customer Who Returned $4,000 He Found In Bag Says His Good Deed Was Greeted With Disrespect
By 7.21.15
When you do a good deed, you probably don’t do it just because you’re anticipating a good reward. But at the very least, a pleasant “thank you” is surely something you could expect. But one Bojangles’ Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits customer says not only was he not thanked for returning between $4,000 to $4,500 in cash he found in a bag that was supposed to contain his food, but was treated with downright disrespect by restaurant staff. [More]
Police Asking People To Please Give Back Cash That Fell Out Of Armored Truck
By 7.17.15
It sounds like a dream come true: the doors of an armored truck fly open, and cash comes flying out, all over the road, just begging to be scooped up by passers-by. But even when dreams become reality, that doesn’t mean loose money is free money, which is why police in Baltimore are asking the public to return cash that spilled from an armored vehicle earlier this week. [More]
With No Credit Cards Allowed, No Cash In ATMs, No Banks Open, Tourists In Trouble In Greece
By 6.29.15
Banks all across Greece are closed today, and will remain closed for the rest of the week. Not because it’s a holiday, but because the Greek government is trying to stop the banking system from collapsing as money flows out of the country while its long-running debt crisis reaches a critical point. As a result, tourists in Greece are finding themselves unable to pay for basics like food and shelter. [More]
