Cards or cash: your comments

A new survey from the British Retail Consortium suggests that shoppers worried about their finances are increasingly spending with cash instead of on credit cards.

Your comments and experiences:

One reason for the rise in the use of cash is the threat of having your credit card cloned. After having my card cloned recently I was told by the card's fraud department that, apart from larger chains who have internal security on site, retail outlets are prime targets for employees who work for a few weeks, steal customer's details and then disappear. I for one will be using cash only from now on.
Steve, Nottingham

I am 50 and have never owned a credit card. I always pay for items with cash. I get strange looks when I hand over a wedge of £20 notes to pay for items such as a TV or a fridge and people constantly remind me how old fashioned I am but now I might not be the only one! I feared cash was on the way out but maybe not as quickly as I thought.
Sally, York

I've been using cash instead of cards for the last year as I'm trying to reduce my debt. The problem with debit card payments is the difficulty of keeping track of what you have left. I'd switch back to using the debit card if the chip and pin terminals had the option to display the remaining balance straight after a transaction.
John, Stoke-on-Trent

It's not a case of being worried about spending cash I don't have - it's a case of not trusting the banks. My bank dropped my credit limit without warning me and left me looking a fool with a "declined" transaction. Back to the folding stuff. There was a time when carrying a credit card was safer than carrying cash. With identity theft that is no longer the case. With cash I know my maximum loss.
Phil, Sheffield

I've started using cash because actually looking at the notes as you pass them over means impulse buying is less likely. I still use cards for essentials but increasingly use cash for discretionary spending.
Pete, Kingswinford

Since March, major retailers have withdrawn payment by cheque. I now pay for my shopping with cash. The cheque book was advantageous; I had a record of all transactions, I was able to balance my account and I could budget. If I had to hunt down a receipt for a refund, I could check the stub.
Tina, Swansea

I use cash every time when buying goods, as one slight mis-calculation as to what I have in my account and "bam!" I get a bank charge of £30 for going a pound or two over the limit.
Rob, Plymouth

I only use cash. I used to have a credit card - never again. I started with a £500 limit and ended up with over £2000 of debt. I am still paying it off and I won't do that again, it is a false economy.
Craig, Bristol

I use cash since card cloning and identity fraud became a problem. Nothing to do with only spending "what I have" - I draw cash on my debit card. I would never pay by card in a petrol station or restaurant, the horror stories were enough to convince me.
Dee, Watford

I'm suddenly tired of the baggage that is attached to having a card - the paperwork and the leaflets with it. If you need to phone them, it's a nightmare listening to the time consuming blurb. I had to report my mothers death and freeze her card - there was no facility for this kind of thing, only selling.
Kristina, Surrey

I find more businesses now are effectively refusing cash. I recently tried to book a hotel room for one night paying with cash. I was told they also needed credit card details from me to charge any extra costs. But I had no card so no hotel room for me, despite being in possession of the cash to pay for it.
Kevin, UK

I use a card for just about everything, mainly because I don't trust myself with cash. If I have a £10 note in my pocket I'll end up buying something I don't really want just because "I have it". If I just want a sandwich I'd rather pay £1.20 on my card than withdraw £10 and have a seemingly "spare" £8.80 to spend on stupid things.
Chris, Stevenage

There are pros and cons for both cash and card use. After a few bad experiences using my debit card, as some retailers took over a month to take the money out of my account, I now prefer to use cash. I can keep my eye on my bank balance much more easily.
Emily, Sheffield

I tore up my credit card and started using more cash when my bank refused to cancel a direct debit to a third party. It seems we can pay when we want to but cannot stop if we want to.
J Midgley, Sandwich