Cash is King ??? or not at The Oval

Last season at The Oval the club introduced "Contact Less Payment" only in all areas of the ground after stating in
membership literature that the pavilion area cash could be used !!
i complained bitterly to the club that cash should still be able to be used, the reply from someone in "Marketing" is
that it was membership as a whole are ok with this??
i say no, no, no to that that's have a vote on line at the very least and see the result?
please everyone who feels strongly about this is to complain to the club and if need be start a petition.
remember we are a members club and the should do what the members want.
Comments and thoughts please.

Bring back using cash please.

Why carry cash if you don't need to? Most people it seems, including me, hardly use it any more. Not sure what the big deal is here. It's still useful to pay the small tradesmen to get a discount, but for lunch or a coffee?
Like it or not, the pandemic has hastened the cashless society.

I think I've drawn out cash twice this year, which is also about the number of times I had used contactless pre-Covid. I did take Euros to Crete in September because you can get hit by transaction charges if you use a normal card overseas, I think.

Also would have been useful for giving the paper boy a tip when he knocked on the door last Friday expecting one. But as he got me out of bed early morning on a cold day, he didn't get one! If I had ignored it, no doubt it would have been a parcel.

My favourite cash story was of a friend who was being badgered to pay a builder in cash. "Oh yes, why should I do that?" Builder taps nose - "No VAT". Killer response - "I'm the VAT officer for Barnet!". I think he let the builder off with a stiff warning but I trust that he didn't actually pay in cash.

Merry Christmas to all, if such is possible these days!

What a truly bizarre post - the whole world is moving away from cash. Cash is minority payment method. It costs more to count/bank, creates security issues and potential fraud issues, as well as being able to spread COVID.

And against this backdrop someone is asking to use cash?
What next - bring back uncovered pitches, get rid of the floodlights and even electricity presumably....

Surrey are on trend - you are not!

I'll go for bringing uncovered pitches back but nothing else!

Bring back using cash please.

The facility to use cash should still be an option. If you don't want to use cash, fine but don't force everyone to use cards. I like cash, it acts as a self imposed brake - if I've run out of cash I go home! At the very least the club could introduce its own card system allowing people to use cash to load the card when they arrive at the ground.

Well the system last year with credits on the membership card was a mess. There was £20 supposedly on mine but I had at least £25 worth of coffees. I say coffees because bar Pizza you couldn't buy anything else.
I'm not sure really why people waste their money in the ground anyway. Bring it in from home or go to the Cafe, it's better and cheaper!

Cash slows down the transaction and I'd subject to 'shrinkage' behind the counter.
I don't want a cashless society in general but there are some situations where it makes perfect sense NOT to use it.

I will restrict my contribution to this debate to reproducing part of an article from this morning's Guardian, and wondering whether we risk being tarred with the same brush as Lord's (never a comfortable thought for any Surrey fan) in our rush to "modernise".

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2022/jun/03/toxic-relationship-with-money-elephant-in-long-room-lords-first-test-england-new-zealand?fbclid=IwAR1fGjWl2vDVVtNFN5A4XehZyHaeL6QjY6BgZieeMFfrdoaCSn0iOZTna-E

“Lord’s is a cashless ground,” announces a message on the big screen as you enter, a statement that is true only until the moment your bank statement drops. But then this has always been the genius of Lord’s: a place that works the senses so thoroughly that you barely notice the efficiency with which it is simultaneously working your wallet. They don’t really obsess about anything as vulgar as money here, largely because for centuries it has been run by the sort of people with so much of it that it hardly matters."

Lama wrote:Cash slows down the transaction and I'd subject to 'shrinkage' behind the counter.
I don't want a cashless society in general but there are some situations where it makes perfect sense NOT to use it.

That's why an increasing majority of customers will choose to pay by card. These days I only use cash for the launderette and things like raffle tickets. However, I still feel it should be an option for those who prefer to use it.

The pandemic was the perfect opportunity for businesses to phase out cash transactions with the excuse that cash was a "disease vector" but not being able to use it is still a nuisance to a minority of people, especially those who don't have a smartphone with the apps to keep track of their spending.

Apparently Lord's no longer accepts card payments for ground admission to Championship matches, even though at least 90% of seats will be empty.

Apparently Lord's no longer accepts card payments for ground admission to Championship matches, even though at least 90% of seats will be empty.

I think you mean CASH payments

kjb wrote:
Apparently Lord's no longer accepts card payments for ground admission to Championship matches, even though at least 90% of seats will be empty.

I think you mean CASH payments

No, I do mean CARD payments as well as cash payments. There is no ticket office facility on Championship match days according to reports I've seen from spectators on social media. You have to buy online. I'm assuming you can do that on arrival using your smartphone, if you actually have one of course. I stand to be corrected if I'm wrong but that's my impression from what I've heard.

*Edit: I've just checked the Middlesex website and it seems you can order a ticket by telephone, presumably paying by card, then collect it on arrival.

https://www.middlesexccc.com/page/lords-tickets

Apologies, PP.
I know you have to book online but you obviously need to use a credit/debit card to pay.
I've heard of a number of prospective punters who didn't have the necessary phone so had to walk away.
I should have thought Middlesex will be upset about that although their members do have the facility to take in one other person as a guest.

kjb wrote:Apologies, PP.
I know you have to book online but you obviously need to use a credit/debit card to pay.
I've heard of a number of prospective punters who didn't have the necessary phone so had to walk away.
I should have thought Middlesex will be upset about that although their members do have the facility to take in one other person as a guest.

Sorry, I've just realised my original post was worded ambiguously. I was trying to say you can't even pay with a card at the gate or ticket office. I just find this incredible.