Especially since COVID pretty much every place accepts touchless credit cards. In our case that means Apple Pay. On this trip we have used Apple Pay for just about everything. We have spent maybe €10-15 in cash and that was at places we could have used Apple Pay but decided to use cash. It is pretty convenient and we have an instant record on the phone of every payment we made.
Everyone uses the same little wireless devices that they bring to the table and you double click the phone and tap the device and you’re done. They don’t make any distinction between paying by credit card or phone.
Of course this also means that anyone with subpoena power or maybe just about anyone period, can see the details of all the charges you make. This is true of using credit cards already and may soon be true of “cash” once digital dollars are implemented. Apparently Scandinavia is already basically cashless. There is really nothing we can do about it.
India has gotten into digital payment in a big way, though I’m sure cash is still widely used. As I understand it, they have payment apps that let you transfer money from one person to another person or business. Even businesses as small as tea stall vendors use these apps, which are typically for sales equivalent to 10 US cents or less.