My dad told me to keep a cash emergency fund after my card got declined at a gas station in Flagstaff.

I was driving through Arizona last month and my main debit card got flagged for fraud at a pump off I-40. I had no cash and my backup card was at home. My dad, a retired banker, always said to keep a hundred dollars in small bills in the glove box for exactly this. I finally did it, and it saved me from being stranded. Anyone else have a specific cash backup plan that's saved them?

4 comments

4 Comments

spencera772mo ago

Honestly that cash would just get stolen from my car.

the_rowan2mo ago

Wait, you just leave cash in your car on the regular? That's wild to me. My car got broken into once for an old gym bag with dirty socks in it. If I left actual money in there it'd be gone in five minutes, no doubt. Some people have all the luck, lmao.

bennett.harper2mo ago

You ever see those stories about people leaving cash in their glove box as bait? I read about a guy who did that and then hid an air tag with the money. Cops actually tracked the thief to his apartment building. Seems like a lot of work though, I'd just be too paranoid to leave it in the car at all.

-1

ryanm602mo ago

Yeah, that air tag trick bennett.harper mentioned is clever... but then you gotta actually follow through. Like, are you gonna confront the guy? Wait for cops who might not care? I saw a story where a guy did that and the thief just dumped the cash in a public trash can once he found the tag. So you're out the money and an air tag... and the guy just walks. Feels like a lot of risk for basically no reward.