Is GBP (cash) necessary in England

Personally I'll carry some notes with me, but I think you'll find that it's extremely easy to use contactless cards in stores, markets and on TfL.

You don’t need cash for normal transactions pretty much anywhere but it won’t hurt you to have a small amount just in case. Some people will say they haven’t spent any cash at all for years. I do use it for a few things and I also like to leave a tip for housekeeping in cash if I’m staying at a hotel.

Depends for how long you will be there, and how and where you will be traveling.

The longer you are in a place, the chances you will need cash at some point increase, travel a bit away from the tourist hubs, you might need small amounts of cash.

We found we needed cash, or preferred to use cash, for small purchases in little shops. We also needed cash for some parking pay points that had not been updated to contactless, and some coin-op laundries had also not updated to card.

So a longer trip, maybe even part by car, have some cash as back-up. A long weekend in London, don't worry about it; there even the buskers on the street have QR codes for electronic tipping.

Some stalls and vendors at markets may only take cash. I always have some, but nowhere close to what I used to have.

I spent almost 6 weeks in England earlier this year and did not have any cash on me, nor did I need any, even at small markets. Every place I went to (and some were pretty much off the beaten path) took credit cards/Apple Pay.

One exception where I wish I would have had cash was in some of the very small churches. I love historic old churches, and visited a few that were very small. Most churches now have electronic pay displays so you can leave a donation using your card or Apple or Google pay. But some do not have that, so it would have been helpful to have had a small amount of cash on me for stuff like that.

If you do decide you want some cash, I would suggest not buying the GPB ahead of time, but waiting till you get to England. You can use ATMs at the airport or in town. There will probably be a fee, but not too much if you use a reputable ATM.

Only personal experience as a UK resident but it been three years since I touched any bank notes or coins. And then it was only because my sister who lives in the 1980s sent me cash for my birthday.

Great advice. Thanks for mentioning tips and donations for church visits, etc. I hadn’t thought of that. Sounds like we’ll be safe to just grab a small amount of cash from the ATM when we arrive. Thanks again

I was in England last summer and was not aware of how cashless of a society it had become so I still had a good amount of cash towards the end of the trip. I had to force it on people, and they were not happy. One poor lad was so terrified that he would have to make change that he called his supervisor over to make sure he did it correctly. So yeah, if you are only there for a week or two then I agree that grabbing 100 pounds out of an ATM upon arrival will be sufficient.

...just grab a small amount of cash from the ATM when we arrive....

You might want to consider getting a small amount from your bank or AAA before you depart. I think AAA has a "starter" pack that has various denominations, but I'm not positive.

Upon arrival, you'll probably be tired, sleepy, and jet lagged. I usually am, and in that condition I don't want to search for an ATM, wait to use it, and then hope it works (they do malfunction from time to time). It will cost just a little more to get pounds before you go, but well worth it, in my opinion, to avoid the hassle upon arrival. In any event, be sure to check with your bank(s) and credit card people to see if a travel advisory needs to be put on the accounts. Some do and some don't.

My Dad still uses cash all the time and he often gets the wrong change these days as people aren’t used to handling it.

These days a matter of choice as a great deal of England is tap and go.

I still use cash for museum, church and cathedral donations. I also leave something for the hotel room staff cleaners. Just how I travel.

Oh, boy, what fun! Another "how much cash do I need" thread!

The answer as always is that it depends. Unless you're handing out tips, you don't need any. How much you might want to have on your person is entirely up to you. I want to use no cash at all, and usually I don't need any; certainly my preference is catered to in the UK. Other people prefer cash. Chacun à son goût.

We were staying in a smallish town in the Peak District last year and found we needed cash on a number of occasions - the small hairdressing salon and a cafe we encountered on a walk only took cash, the system was down in the local supermarket one day so we could only pay in cash, and on another day we split a taxi with another couple (strangers) when our bus unexpectedly didn’t arrive and paid them our share in cash. We ran out of the small amount of cash we had, there was no ATM in the town, and although locals could withdraw cash from the post office, this didn’t work with ‘foreign’ cards. We ended up going out of our way to another town just to get cash.

I traveled in the UK last year and agree that carrying cash is usually unnecessary. While staying at a Premier Inn in London, though, I used the lobby phone to call for a taxi. Not sure what company PI connected to (although I was very satisfied with it), but they insisted on cash. I also found that the taxis in Southampton preferred cash.

I suspect Ethel's experience in a small town without an ATM isn't exactly rare. In 2017 there was no ATM in the coastal Cornwall town of Mevagissey (population over 1800). The locals were distressed.

taxi..... they insisted on cash.

Many taxi companies do prefer cash, so if you are planning on taking a taxi, be prepared with cash!

The black cabs are required to take credit cards. In London, I’ve never had them refused. But if they did, I would do what I’ve done in other places and start noting their registration information so I can file a complaint. Every time I’ve done that another places, they suddenly realize the machine was working.

I was there a few months ago and I got 50 pounds out of the ATM my first day. I just noticed yesterday that I still have 20 left so 30 was all I used. And yes, I know people are going to tell you small mom and Pop places only take cash. Nope that wasn’t true. I went in this one little bakery I found out in the outskirts of Hampstead. I mean, this place couldn’t have been any smaller “card only”.

"The black cabs are required to take credit cards. In London, I’ve never had them refused"

I think wasleys is probably talking about cabs outside of London. Black cab drivers are sometimes reluctant to take card, but as you say, they are required to do so.

The only places I've ever had to use cash is antique markets (not in London) where many stalls tend to be cash only. But apart from that, I almost never spend cash. That said, it's not hard to offload it if you want to - most shops still accept cash.

Many taxi companies do prefer cash, so if you are planning on taking a taxi, be prepared with cash!

I prefer not to pay with cash so any taxi that wants my custom will have to be prepared to accept card payment. It's been a long time since I've been in a taxi that doesn't accept card payments so if you want to pay by card there's no excuse for a taxi driver not to accept it.

I've just seen a sign that has gone up in the last week or so in my own town-

"Help us to keep our prices down, use cash where possible, although card payments are accepted. Thank you"

Are there not still pay toilets in cities that require a coin? Are there not still bathroom attendants that expect a tip?

You do still find some public pay toilets around but I haven't seen a bathroom attendant for years and years....

I only ran across one public toilet that charged an "entrance fee" and there was no coin slot. You needed a credit card. This was in Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens.

A pay toilet in the Cotswolds required 60p in coins. That was the only time I needed cash.

Are there not still pay toilets in cities that require a coin? Are there not still bathroom attendants that expect a tip?

Most any toilets in a city that charges a fee have been upgraded to contactless pay. Literally Tap and Go.

Are there not still pay toilets in cities that require a coin?

I came upon several in London last summer and was wishing I had some coins. Perhaps they have been upgraded to tap and pay by now, but I will stay carry some coins and a small amount of notes for my next visit in September.

Are there not still pay toilets in cities that require a coin? Are there not still bathroom attendants that expect a tip?

A lot of pay toilets are now tap-and-pay. In the city where I live, there are a few that still take coins but they’re being converted to tap-and-pay.

Bathroom attendants expecting a tip are not really a UK thing. I’ve only encountered them in parts of mainland Europe. I remember somewhere - maybe Romania many years ago? - when you had to put cash in a saucer in order to be given two squares of toilet paper.

I was in a small deli in Cornwall a couple of weeks ago that had a sign saying cash preferred. I happened to have some cash on me as I’d just been paid for a bit of casual work. So I pulled out a £20 note to pay a bill of about £7, and the woman behind the counter asked me if I’d pay by card because she didn’t have enough cash in the till to make change.