The RBA has warned the banks to stop stealing money from consumers who pay by card (surcharges). The bank Governor has said that she will mandate ‘least cost routing’ unless the industry meets an 80% take up by mid-year.

In Europe and the UK, card charges are BANNED. Australian authorities are piss weak expecting banks to do the right thing.

Keep cash!

In the meantime, if you wish to pay by card - or are forced to by some trader you should be avoiding - the advice is, don't tap: insert the card and the payment will go through the cheaper ‘eftpost’ instead of the Visa or Mastercard network.

Tried to get cash from my usual ATM today to be greeted with, Sorry this ATM it unavailable.

Lesson: always keep cash on hand as I do. I can still do the weekly shop with cash.

Thanks ttbn for raising this issue. Cash is part of democracy as it is relatively anonymous. If the government can track everything you do they can control you and the nation is no longer free.

CM

It seems that you and I are the only ones here who care.

There are lots of people who are in for a big shock; it serves them right.

Dear Ttbn,

«It seems that you and I are the only ones here who care.»

I also care very much, it's just that I didn't have much to add.

Also, even more than I am concerned about government tracking, I am concerned about big-business tracking, and even more than I am concerned about big-business I am concerned about the dependence on computers/machines, about the complexity and unnaturalness it brings into our lives and about the loss of direct human contact.

Yuyutsu,

It gets worse.

In September 2024 the UN will be hosting the “Summit of the Future”, where member states will be asked to adopt an agreement that further consolidates globalist policy reforms, and strengthens global governance “ for present and future generations”. The UN Secretary General would be endowed with “authority to convene and operationalise an emergency platform in the event of a future complex global shock ….”. ATTRIBUTE extraordinary powers without authorisation from member states.

Australians either stand for their basic rights and freedoms or risk losing everything come September 2024.

Over the last four years, Australian governments have exerted powers over citizens on a scale never before attempted.

ttbn,
Cheers for that, will do the Eftpos thing from now on. I realise Banks as do I & everyone else need to make/save money, there's a huge difference between making profit & massive profit.
The increased swipe limit to $200 is another problem for those who lost their card or had it stolen.

Indyvidual

Eftpos refers refers to debit cards only. I imagine it would be different for credit cards where interest has to be processed etc and charged.

«Eftpos refers refers to debit cards only. I imagine it would be different for credit cards where interest has to be processed etc and charged.»

It is sad to observe how important choices are finally decided by financial gain rather than by principles.

Whichever of them you use, government and corporations can still track and increase their knowledge about you.

If you really must use magnetic cards (not to speak of even worse means of financial transactions), which increase the stronghold of computers over our lives, then at least you can use gift cards that can be purchased anonymously at Australia Post. Yes, it is more expensive because AP charges their overhead, yes it may not be as convenient due to the strict limits, but at least nobody can then track down your purchases.

71% of Australians have made expensive financial mistakes because they don't listen to advice; as one expert has said, "Australians are not very financially literate. They "struggle" with financial matters.

So, it's a waste of time putting up anything about money here. I won't waste my time again.

50% are impulse buyers. So much easier without cash.

25% have never made or stuck to a budget.

No savings, or spending savings on impulse.

As for tracking and surveillance, they are helping the government with that by constant fiddling with mobile phones, which reveal where you are within a few metres.

The first basic law of human stupidity is: "Everyone always and inevitably underestimates the number of stupid people in circulation".

As for the digital surveillance opportunities offerd by a cashless society, combined with Albanese's thirst for digital ID - also ignored by Australians with their heads in the sand through fear or lack of interest - Rebekah Barnett writes:-

“The same Australian Senator who promised Covid-19 injections would be voluntary is promising that Digital ID will be voluntary. What could possibly go wrong?”

https://dailydeclaration.org.au/2024/03/08/digital-id-will-be-voluntary-the-way-covid-vaccines-were-voluntary/

She is referring to “mean girl” Katy Gallagher. Although, I seem to remember Scott Morrison saying something similar before allowing business to make it mandatory for their employees, leading to every man and his dog imposing mandatory vaccination - and getting away with it.

But, it is Gallagher, a great friend and little helper to Albanese, who is beavering away at introducing Digital ID. Go Communist China!

Like the “voluntary” vaccines, “voluntary” digital ID, if you don't volunteer, will mean you probably won't have access to certain services, including government.

The still voluntary use of the MyGov app is a case in point.

I have managed - eventually with the problems caused by old age - to get into the app. I have a MyGov account, but it is useless because I can't link it to a government department,

My tech-savvy family members can't link it; my financial adviser can't link it, and the government department employees can't link it, and just shrug it off because I can still do what I need to do by post. But for how long?

The Socialists obviously hate people; they hate old people even more.

Taking away cash, online banking, digital ID and Communist-style surveillance could well be the next big human rights issue; worse than the loss of human rights of Covid, because the atrocities planned by the Albanese government will be permanent, thanks to our uni-party system.

Aldi is now wacking on a card purchases surcharge.

TTb
Absolute gripe that means nothing of substance at all. Those that dislike a new system are grossly outdated and have things to hide.
You want to go for an international plane flight to get a heads up of changes for the better.
Go to a bank and send 20$ overseas and it will cost you 30$ + your 20$ investment.
Go to Western union and it costs nothing. because your cash never leaves AU.

Eye watering ignorance.

The big four banks have closed 460 branches around the country over the last three years. They are also removing ATM'S, 60% of which have just disappeared, unmentioned, and unknown, until regular users have found a blank wall where the ATM used to be.

While banks and governments bang on about fewer and fewer cash transactions, have they ever been asked if the switch to online banking occurred before the branches and ATMs disappeared, or was it after those events. Or, did the scare-mongering about “dirty” banknotes during the Big Scare, Covid, have something to do with it.

If you can find an ATM these days it will cost you $3 to get your money; if the banks and credit unions won't provide the service from their massive profits, we can't expect the private providers to do it for nothing.

Dear Ttbn,

Yes, we are certainly under siege.

Lucky for us, we now do not have that long to live in this world as it become worse and worse. I pity the younger generations.

As for ATM fees, many still support particular banks without charge, so by reading their list and keeping accounts in different banks I can still withdraw for free, but yes, it's best to plan ahead and keep more money at home.

Yuyutsu

Yes. I'm glad my life is ending, not starting. I don't share your concern for younger generations,though. They will reap what they sow, and they would rather sneer at us than learn from us.

YouGov research conducted in February 2024 showed that the often crowed 'acceptance' of a cashless society is not all that straightforward, with baby boomers, regional dwellers and lower-income earners "extremely concerned" about the threat.

Current digital payments are not secure; private information is being stolen, and card fees and surcharges are "ridiculous".

Dear Ttbn,

Indeed, we are in great trouble.

One thing that we can do, is to let our friends who receive cash without declaring it to the ATO know that by doing so they hurt us as they are encouraging government to restrict the use of cash, as they do in other countries. Also, when we pay a tradie, just as they are about to leave we should tell them, "oh, and please take this extra 10% too, this is for GST".

Yuyutsu

What other countries "restrict cash"?

Dear Ttbn,

Most European countries, and Israel.

http://www.evz.de/en/shopping-internet/cash-payment-limitations.html
http://www.cpa-dray.com/en/blog/limits-on-cash-payments-in-israel-2022/

Yuyutsu,

Same here. In Australia, traders must:

“Submit a TTR to AUSTRAC for each individual cash transaction of A$10,000 or more.

If you suspect your customer is structuring their transactions to avoid the TTR reporting threshold, or is transacting with proceeds of crime, you must submit a suspicious matter report (SMR) to AUSTRAC.”

Nothing whatsoever to with the imposition of a cash-free society.

Dear Ttbn,

In the above countries, no TTR can even help - the transaction itself is forbidden.

We can blame the the school teachers for the move to a cashless society.
I went to pay for two cups of coffee and a couple of cakes with cash.
Talk abut a pantermine, the cashier (unintended pun) got all confused
and took the $50 note away to another staff member and they worked it
out with pen and paper. Took ages, because from where I was it looked
like they did the calculation at least twice, and another customer
was waiting to pay.
A cashier at Coles was magic and was as fast as a card transaction.

In the future your Medicare card, or pension card, or drivers licence
will have trackers built in. Just like the chips included in every
supermarket product in Germany so you can just wheel the trolley
through the checkout and it is all charged to your account.
That is not just cashless, but cashierless also.