I saw something weird at a gas station in Phoenix that made me think about cash

I stopped at a Circle K off the I-10 last weekend and their ATM was completely out of cash. The screen just said 'temporarily unavailable'. I stood there for a minute and realized I hadn't carried any paper money in over a year, so I didn't even need it. It hit me how much I rely on my phone and cards for everything now, even small buys like a drink. Has anyone else run into a spot where going cashless just wasn't an option?

2 comments

2 Comments

richardknight6d ago

I used to be all in on a cashless future, but my local farmer's market changed my mind. Every single vendor only takes cash, and the one ATM on site always has a huge line. Now I keep a small stash of bills in my glove box just in case.

taylor_flores6d ago

That's wild, I had the opposite problem last month. My card got declined at a food truck festival because their reader lost signal. The guy just shrugged and pointed to a sign that said cash only. I had to borrow twenty bucks from a friend like it was 2005. It's crazy how some places are totally digital and others just aren't set up for it at all. Makes you realize the old paper stuff isn't completely useless yet.