GB News presenter Anne Diamond has hit out at an “annoying” charge that she has become increasingly accustomed to as a result of Britain’s creep towards a cashless society.
It comes as in the wake of the Covid pandemic, more shops, cafes and pubs opt to only accept card payments.
The rise of Apple and Google Pay has also given rise to the trend, which Diamond has bemoaned during a discussion on GB News.
The GB News presenter says she has been forced to pay a regular charge for withdrawing cash from an ATM (automated teller machine) as their restricted nature has resulted in her being at its mercy.
Anne Diamond has hit out at the creep towards a cashless society
GB NEWS
“It gives the banks such power”, she said.
“What annoys me is that my nearest cashpoint charges me 65p.
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“I don’t have a major bank in my village or anywhere near. I would have to get in my car and actually drive to a bank.”
Political commentator Emma Woolf concurred with the sentiment, saying the move towards a cashless society is “appalling”.
“If they want to, they can see what we’re doing at all the time”, she said.
“It shuts out older people, poorer people, it shuts out giving a couple of quid to a homeless person.
David Mellor and Emma Woolf concurred with the sentiments
GB NEWS
“It’s a horrible move.”
Diamond continued by suggesting that it is harder to budget without cash, arguing that using money in its physical form makes it a more significant possession for punters.
“You feel it more if you have physical cash”, she said.
“It’s too easy paying for it with a card.”
It comes after pub landlord Douglas Whitney from The Chequers Pub in Essex spoke to GB News about why he only accepts cash payments.
Doug says not accepting card means he “knows where he stands”, as cards are often declined.
He told GB News’ Lisa Hartle: “With cash, I know exactly where I stand. If you serve somebody and then their card is declined, and they’ve got no cash, what happens? You lose out.”
If customers don’t have any cash on them, Doug said they often simply tend to ask where the nearest cash point is.
“Generally, they come back. Some don’t but that’s alright – they’ll go down the road and pay more. It’s their choice," he said.
“A lot more people are carrying cash because they know what they are spending and with cards, they don’t know what they’re spending – especially when they’re tapping their phones and tapping the card and tapping this and tapping that. They haven’t got a clue [what they’re spending].”