Though most islanders admit to predominantly paying by card these days, it is clear that their heartstrings are reluctant to let go of the purse strings on cash.
‘I think it would be a sad day if they ruled out cash,’ said Ann Mourant, who owns Beekers on the Bridge.
‘I suppose for the banks, to keep them going, and it’d be weird just having plastic. Some people prefer to have cash, especially in Guernsey, if you want to buy something on the hedge.
‘We still take a lot of cash here – I would say it’s about 60/40 card over cash.’
All 30 people who took part in a recent survey conducted by the Guernsey Press agreed that all businesses should still be legally required to accept cash.
When asked about their personal spending habits, however, most said that card has vastly overtaken cash as their primary form of payment, with the convenience of phone-tapping and card-tapping transactions negating the need for them to even carry notes and coins any more.
These people said that they only tend to use cash for the few occasions in island life that will not accept card – including meat draws, veg hedges and various school activities.
However, 10% of those surveyed said that they use both cash and card equally. Just one person used only cash.
‘It’s so easy to use your plastic but then you don’t realise how much is going out,’ said Violet Edmonds, who, unlike her husband Peter, prefers to stick with cash.
‘I like that you can see it – I physically feel it when I spend it. It keeps me on track.’
The majority agreed with Mrs Edmonds, and said that they enjoy the concept of cash – but nowadays feel almost a social pressure to use a card.
It seems that opting to pay by cash feels awkward and time-consuming for both the recipient, and those queueing behind them at the check out.
Before words have been spoken, the card machine is often presented assumingly.
A review was launched last year in Jersey, to assess whether there is a need for the government to oblige all local businesses to accept cash – or to consider phasing it out completely. But there is an ongoing campaign to keep cash as legal tender across all its businesses.
But, like Beekers, a lot of shops along the Bridge in St Sampson’s said that they still take a substantial amount of cash.
An assistant at Stonelakes estimated ‘at least 40 or 50%’ of its takings are cash.
‘I take a lot of cash still, which I think is good,’ said Julie Le Page, the manager of Shoestring.
‘I do get quite a lot of the older generation shopping here and they like to use cash more, so yeah, we do bank cash.’
Co-owner of the Candy Shop, Rhian Whitchurch, is divided about the convenience of cash. Though more cumbersome to handle, she said that not having enough cash in the tills has caused certain issues.
‘My mum’s been running this shop for about 25 years,’ she said.
‘And when I first joined about three years ago, there was a lot more cash.
‘We’re definitely taking far less now, which becomes a bit of a problem because we sell scratchcards, and sometimes we can’t cash out the winning tickets.
‘But it also costs a lot for us to bank cash – it costs more to bank cash than card.
‘We still have to go to the bank every week to get change, which means you’re paying for someone to go there and stand in a queue and then carry it all back, sort it all out and then remember to change it over from one safe to another. If there was no cash, it would save a lot of time.
‘But, if the banks went down or there was a cyber attack – then you want cash. And people don’t want to see the Guernsey money go.’
She added that the Candy Shop still welcomes excited children keen to spend their pocket money – but that even pocket money gets loaded onto a card these days.
‘The only problem with that is, they’re not learning to count money,’ she said.
‘But then – is that a problem for them, going forward?’