I finally saw how a cashless system can just cut you off

My friend in Austin had her payment app freeze her account for a 'security review' after she sent $500 to split a vacation rental. She couldn't buy groceries for three days while they 'investigated'. Who gave them the right to control her money like that? Has anyone else been locked out of their own funds over a normal purchase?

4 comments

4 Comments

sean_green442mo ago

I keep a backup debit card for exactly that reason.

river9528d ago

Ha, I read somewhere that something like 1 in 5 small businesses in the US can't take cards because of system glitches at least once a month. Makes me feel a little smart for keeping a twenty in my glovebox for emergencies. I figure it's not paranoid if it actually works, you know?

karencampbell2mo ago

That's why I still keep some cash in a drawer.

phoenix_lewis2mo ago

Totally, cash is the one thing that never has a system outage. I keep a couple hundred tucked in a book for when the card readers go down at the corner store. It just saves the whole hassle.