Dave Caolo, writing in Does money even exist anymore?:

More and more it seems like money is a myth.

I assume he does not live in the USA or Japan. Back in Australia in the 1990’s I certainly would have answered no, everything was BPay and a card swipe. In Japan in the early naughts, the answer was yes, they still hold on to cash as a primary form of exchange because its polite, but now do most smaller transactions via SUICA.

But the USA, folks, oh yeah, money exists. You need

• Checks (Cheques) to pay rent or company bills (my wife had never seen a checkbook until we came here), no electronic service here
• A checking account to receive checks, because that’s how I get paid
• Small denomination bills to pay tips or purchase coffee
• Larger denomination bills to split restaurant checks (bills) or buy milk
• Coins, yes actual coins, to do laundry and buy newspapers

They don’t even offer PIN service for credit cards, or electronic payment between friends.

I can’t wait for the day that money becomes bits for me again.