39 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Starting to see more and more free wifi hot spots popping up here in Bangkok. All the malls have them based upon your cellular provider if you care to log in....so many afraid their phone will get malware.

Or you can forget all this wifi stuff and just pay AIS 1,800 Baht a year for unlimited data 24/7/365 ...

There is a well known saying: convenience is control.

 

So it may be convenient to pay everything through your mobile phone, but it means your transaction is no longer simply two-way trade between you and the shop: the bank or credit card company now is the crucial middleman which controls whether the payment goes through.

 

So what happens if some middleman entity decides you are an 'undesirable' of some kind, and decides to block your payment or access to cash? Of course it happens like that if you have maxxed out the card, but that's only one reason to block a payment.

 

So far, such a kind of 'social credit' scheme only operates in China and maybe Canada, but I expect it will soon spread to other places quite rapidly.

1 minute ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Credit cars ? online purchases ?

 

Are you worried about your 7-11 purchases being watched ?

 

I’m genuinely curious, what exactly is the concern that 'big brother’ can track purchases ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't mind having what I do at present tracked, because it is not a complete record. Different story entirely if governments can track everything I do.

 

Think about it, let's say you are having a bit of fluff on the side your Mrs. does not know about. Hypothetically, of course. She gets a regular stipend from you.

Would you be comfortable with your government having that information?

1 minute ago, Eleftheros said:

There is a well known saying: convenience is control.

 

So it may be convenient to pay everything through your mobile phone, but it means your transaction is no longer simply two-way trade between you and the shop: the bank or credit card company now is the crucial middleman which controls whether the payment goes through.

 

So what happens if some middleman entity decides you are an 'undesirable' of some kind, and decides to block your payment or access to cash? Of course it happens like that if you have maxxed out the card, but that's only one reason to block a payment.

 

So far, such a kind of 'social credit' scheme only operates in China and maybe Canada, but I expect it will soon spread to other places quite rapidly.

Drink to much, smoke to much, eat sugar to much, well they could just ban you from buying these things if there was no cash...

1 hour ago, robblok said:

What you do with cash i do with a phone as fast maybe faster.. it all depends i got people with cash who dont prepare they take as long as those with phones who dont prepare.

 

Its all about preparation and getting used to it.

No, it's all about location! Come here to the North in a remote area and try to pay by card or mobile. You will leave the shop with empty hands. Only one exception: 7/11. But there it takes longer than cash.

Just now, redwood1 said:

Drink to much, smoke to much, eat sugar to much, well they could just ban you from buying these things if there was no cash...

Yes. An official central digital currency is no different from food stamps.

1 hour ago, CharlieH said:

I find I am using truemoney more and more, used it recently for Lazada too.

 

I tried to open a Truemoney account recently. First up, scan my passport. It took a few tries but I got there. Next up take a selfie.

 

Remove your glasses! I have +6.5 Far-sightedness. I can't even see the phone when I take my glasses off, never mind take a selfie! After several tries I gave up. 

 

Like @billd766 we live in the country where cash is still king, so me, I'm not too fussed. I can pay the bills on-line. For the rest cash is fine.

I still prefer cash, I don't like all the governments in the world like to know how I spend my money.

 

I know, I know, I belong to a dying breed.

What do I do I don't even use a smart phone.

28 minutes ago, scoutman360 said:

I stopped going to Major for this reason and only go to SF Cinema City. They still take cash. The prepaid cards always have money left over you don't use. Vote with your feet. 

Not entirely true.  I went to the SF Cinema in the Central Bang Phli last weekend to catch the new Top Gun Movie, only by transfer or use of a card they have is allowed for ticket purchases.  However, when I bought my popcorn and soda I paid cash, and the daughter had to use coins to play the arcade games....hmmm

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

 

Part of what I do is analysing how people use "customer facing" interfaces.

 

It's incredible how many people will queue for, say, an ATM, but wait until it says "please insert card" before rummaging in their bag for the relevant item ???? 

 

It's the same with pay cash, I calculate in advance how much I have to pay, and have instantly the money present, not so difficult....when you have,..... no when you use your brains.

In the west Google pay or a fallback contactless card.. All so simple and if you use the right banking apps all with auto budgeting and categorization of spending etc... 

All for it (less so Thais QR systems and no consumer protection). 

Deleted

32 minutes ago, billd766 said:

My massage shop is my friend of 29 years who lives next door. She also does a good manicure and pedicure and if I am having problems walking she does house calls too.

 

The only happy ending for me at 78, is less pain when she has finished.

As one of my now-deceased friends remarked to me, he would rather have a good s##t.

I'm probably getting to that state of mind too, except my Thai GF is a lot more attractive than his wife.

Problems for cash money:  counterfeit money. If you lose cash, you must be very lucky to get it back.

 

Problems for paying by card or mobile:

safety; card datas have been stolen on ATMs by criminals.

just a short time before, card paying has been stopped in Germany for cards of some issuers because of a data mistake/s;

 

30 minutes ago, puck2 said:

No, it's all about location! Come here to the North in a remote area and try to pay by card or mobile. You will leave the shop with empty hands. Only one exception: 7/11. But there it takes longer than cash.

That is probably true too, cant speak for all of Thailand just Bangkok and provinces around BKK. But I absolutely paying by mobile. Loved it when I could pay by mobile at the Makro. 

 

But you need to be like technology too. 

18 minutes ago, Peterphuket said:

It's the same with pay cash, I calculate in advance how much I have to pay, and have instantly the money present, not so difficult....when you have,..... no when you use your brains.

Four bottles of Chang : 53 Baht times 4 = 212 Baht 

I packet of SMS Deng = 60 Baht .

Total cost 272 Baht 

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

You patronise some of the other 99% of businesses that will take cash. 

That percentage will drop dramatically in the coming years when cash will be the minority!

24 minutes ago, puck2 said:

Problems for cash money:  counterfeit money. If you lose cash, you must be very lucky to get it back.

 

Problems for paying by card or mobile:

safety; card datas have been stolen on ATMs by criminals.

just a short time before, card paying has been stopped in Germany for cards of some issuers because of a data mistake/s;

 

Welcome to QFS

10 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Four bottles of Chang : 53 Baht times 4 = 212 Baht 

I packet of SMS Deng = 60 Baht .

Total cost 272 Baht 

I'm not a Thai, I learn how to calculate with my brains, yes without calculator!!!

 

It's always fun, when they take the calculator, I can already say how much I have to pay.

50 minutes ago, Eleftheros said:

Yes. An official central digital currency is no different from food stamps.

https://cbdctracker.org/

 

Better get used to it.....Its coming

3 minutes ago, Peterphuket said:

I'm not a Thai, I learn how to calculate with my brains, yes without calculator!!!

 

It's always fun, when they take the calculator, I can already say how much I have to pay.

Yes I was writing down and posting how you would mentally do the maths , I wasn't suggesting that you would need a calculator to do the maths 

2 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

 Makro near us is going the same way, scan and pay by transfer.

No way. BS! 

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

I don't mind having what I do at present tracked, because it is not a complete record. Different story entirely if governments can track everything I do.

 

Think about it, let's say you are having a bit of fluff on the side your Mrs. does not know about. Hypothetically, of course. She gets a regular stipend from you.

Would you be comfortable with your government having that information?

Of course at those extremes, paying for fluff, a bag of weed, the street food vendor etc is always going to be cash...  

 

There could be two separate discussions going on... 

 

1) The convenience of cashless for regular shopping...  great

2) Society going totally cashless...  horrible.

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

I don't mind having what I do at present tracked, because it is not a complete record. Different story entirely if governments can track everything I do.

 

Think about it, let's say you are having a bit of fluff on the side your Mrs. does not know about. Hypothetically, of course. She gets a regular stipend from you.

Would you be comfortable with your government having that information?

Why would the Government have any interest if you were using prostitutes ? 

17 minutes ago, Chris.B said:

2 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

 Makro near us is going the same way, scan and pay by transfer.

No way. BS! 

My Macro doesn’t accept the Credit cards I have...  (I think only accepts SCB cards). 

 

Cashless payment by scanning the QR code takes seconds.... for those who are ‘at the ready’.

 

 

That is.. it takes seconds IF you’re not some dozey halfwit who waits for everything to be scanned and be told the total before digging out there phone, logging into the Banking APP, then selecting Scan QR then triple checking everything before accepting. 

 

Its like arriving home...  getting into the lift, going up 25 floors, getting out of the lift, walking to the front door, then looking through the handbag for keys !!....   or get the keys out in the lift.

 

But, it was always the same with credit cards and cash.. they same people waited to find out the total before getting their purse out... the irony being they were usually on their phone !!! ????

 

 

1 minute ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Why would the Government have any interest if you were using prostitutes ? 

legality...

6 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

legality...

Governments the World over turn a blind eye to prostitution , some Countries its completely legal  .

   The only time when authorities get involved is when pimps , gangs or children get involved . 

   No ones going to be bother about Lek spreading her legs for 1000 Bhat

Here in the UK , you scan your goods at a supermarket yourself , then touch your ATM card against the scanner , it deducts the money and you pack your bags and leave .

   No contact with any person or contact with any money

12 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Governments the World over turn a blind eye to prostitution , some Countries its completely legal  .

   The only time when authorities get involved is when pimps , gangs or children get involved . 

   No ones going to be bother about Lek spreading her legs for 1000 Bhat

Interesting that you know exactly what the governments will and won’t turn a blind eye to....

 

Ultimately, any information which is collected can be useable in some form....  there are information leaks, data breaches, privacy compromises.....     

 

Its very easy to say we have nothing to worry about because ‘they’ (whoever they are) are not interested in us, but we have no idea how information will be used in the future. 

 

I understand that this may concern some...  Cambridge Analytica anyone ?