Is it possible to do without cash in the USA: the experience of a Russian-speaking immigrant

There is an opinion that in the USA everything can be done with a credit card, but those who come to the States are faced with the problem of lack of cash. Author blog "Elena in America" ​​on "Yandex.Zen" She told in what situations in the US need cash and where to get it.

Фото: Depositphotos

Next - from the first person.

Cash the money will be very useful to you in the following situations (there are no other forms of payment):

Parking Payment. Not everywhere there are modern machines for paying for parking by card or by phone - coins are very useful for them. There are also temporary parking spaces that are not equipped with any machines. Usually such places are allocated when there are large events in the city, and parking spaces in the center may not be enough; churches provide their own parking for non-parishioners, but you need to pay a fixed price when entering the parking lot.

Museum Donation - this happens when you visit a free establishment where you can put any amount into a donation jar if you wish.

Tour donation — in Detroit (Michigan), volunteers conduct free tours, after which you can thank the guide financially.

Salvation Army Donation (especially common before Christmas) - you will see people ringing bells at the entrance to shopping centers and supermarkets with a mandatory "identification" pot - money must be placed in it.

Contrary to popular belief formed by American films of past years, I hardly see anyone leaving tip in restaurants in cash - they are usually added to the bill.

On the subject: 10 unusual ways to save money

However, faced with the fact that you need to pay parking guard for keeping an eye on the car while you ate. We have this in a family-run German restaurant located in the disadvantaged Detroit area (for security reasons, the parking lot is surrounded by a barbed wire fence and a guard is assigned to watch that your car is not stolen, scratched or stolen parts).

In other cases, you can, in principle, get by with a card, check, payment application on your phone or something similar.

Where to get cash in the USA

There are no ATMs at every step here, as there were in Moscow when I lived there. Here they can be found in shopping centers and bank branches, and you can also get money at the checkout in some supermarkets. When paying by card through the terminal, you need to select the cashback item and the required amount - in this situation it will mean “receiving cash”.

Not really in the subject, but I didn’t see any machines for replenishing a mobile phone or terminals like Qiwi here.

Original column published on the blog. "Elena in America" ​​on Yandex.Zen

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