Somebody recently asked me to send them payment through Venmo.
Apparently, it’s a way to send someone a payment from your bank account directly to them. You need to create an account (with a password) on your computer or smartphone and link it to your online banking account. That allows you to send them a payment instantly.
Several payment services will do this for you. There’s PayPal, Google Play, Amazon Pay, Apple Pay, Square, Stripe, the list goes on and on. I guess using a credit card wasn’t easy enough.
Some merchants are pushing to go completely cashless. They just don’t want to deal with cash anymore. The largest merchant on the planet, Amazon, doesn’t accept paper or coins in their retail stores. Cashless stores are going to put criminals out of business.
Of course, you still have the option of paying cash when you do venture out into most stores. Recently, there have been signs requesting cash customers to use exact change because they are running out of coins. What makes them think people carry coins with them to the store?
The only time I ever have change in my pocket is after I’ve paid for my merchandise in cash. You know why? Because the New York State sales tax is an incalculable 8.875 percent, guaranteeing you will need to use coins to make the change.
Women used to carry change purses, while men always had coins jingling in their pockets. You never knew when you would grab a pack of gum or need to use a payphone, so you were always prepared. That ended when debit and credit cards became the preferred medium for payments.
Initially, merchants would require a minimum purchase before allowing the customer to use a credit card. That requirement has long since bitten the dust. I once bought two screws in Ace Hardware for 37 cents (with tax, of course) and had to use my credit card because I walked out the door without any cash in my pocket.
Years ago, I started taking advantage of online banking and bill payments. It ended a monthly nightmare of trying to balance my checkbook. But we still have a checkbook for things that you can’t pay online. We use it when we get an oil delivery, taping a check outside next to the spigot. We send birthday, anniversary and Christmas checks to family members. My wife still uses checks to pay bills because she never liked online banking. I’m even writing checks to all the guys in my Fantasy Football League when I distribute the prize money.
My children don’t even have checking accounts. They never write checks. I’m not even sure if they know the proper way to write a check. Everything is a credit card or a payment app. Sometimes they surprise me if they have cash in their pockets.
My wife was running low on checks, so I went online to reorder them. I’ve done it many, many times over the years. As a “preferred” customer, checks were free, so I was surprised when I found a $40 service charge on my statement (yes, I still look at my monthly statement).
When I called to inquire about the charge, they told me they began charging for checks this year. Apparently, people were not ordering checks that often, so they started charging those that did.
Are we losing the ability to put a check into a birthday card now? In a society that is on the verge of going cashless, how do you give a gift to little Johnny when he makes his First Communion?
I’m not ready to sign up for another service to pay merchants with. I have credit cards; I have a checking account and I have cash. That’s going to have to do for now.
Besides, paying my bills with any of those things doesn’t require me to remember another password.