By Editor,Lee Boyce

Copyright dailymail

From Saturday, the football stadium housing the club I have supported for 33 years will no longer accept cash.

Southend United told fans with little notice that Roots Hall ‘will transition to a cashless stadium.’

No more handing over a few quid for a box of scalding hot chips and a cup of Bovril hotter than the earth’s mantle. Nope, I’ll have to tap a card instead to burn my mouth.

The ground, an old school throwback, is somewhere I watch football around five to 10 times a season, as time, family commitments and the rest fall into line, and is one of those places I’ve nearly always used cash.

That’s to pay for my programme, the forementioned Bovril and chips and, if I’m feeling adventurous, a pint from a selection that wouldn’t look out of place in the 1990s. (I’ll give you a clue, the most exotic beer on tap begins with an F and is ‘Australian’.)

But despite its foibles and grim toilets, I love the old girl and the thought of not being able to use physical money there, of all places, feels completely alien. It’s not like I can take my business elsewhere – the club is part of who I am.

At first, when I digested this news, I thought: ‘That’s annoying. I hate being told I can’t use a certain payment method somewhere.’

It’s not like a lower league football club is awash with money – they, along with all businesses, should be accepting money however it comes.

But then I thought… I’m a dinosaur in my late 30s. Nobody cares anymore, everyone uses cash alternatives, get with the times and accept it.

Add to that, up until recently, the club was on the cusp of extinction until new owners came in and saved it.

Then I took a glance at the club’s social media feed – and a place I head frequently to for a smile, our online supporter’s forum – and felt much better.

The backlash is clear. The comments made me feel like I’m not in the minority, there are still plenty of us out there that like to still use cash.

Fans say it’s a business decision, not a customer one; another pointed out one of the card machines recently at the food kiosk was out of battery, so it was only accepting cash; many older fans prefer to use coins and notes – and many were like me, happy to use debit cards for day-to-day spend but hate being coerced into using a certain payment method.

The reason I write this is because also this week, a UK Finance report showed for the first time ever, cash usage in Britain dipped below 10 per cent of all payments.

In 2024, just 9 per cent of transactions were cash.

To put that into context, just a decade ago it was nearly half of all payments before collapsing to 23 per cent in 2019.

I read an old story of ours from 2019 suggesting by 2028, just 9 per cent of transactions would be cash.

At the time, I remember thinking, ‘yeah right.’ But in the end, the collapse has come some four years earlier than predicted.

Now don’t get me wrong, I like innovation. For example, the new wave of challenger banks have been a breath of fresh air in an area ripe for competition and while I was sceptical of contactless payments when they first arrived, they no doubt have their place.

But we shouldn’t neglect cash. It should remain part of our financial spending in my view.

The UK Finance report suggests that by 2034, cash will make up just 4 per cent of transactions.

That will make it harder to withdraw cash and spend it. I previously commissioned a piece on how a cashless Britain was on the cards, back in 2018 – much of it still rings true.

The new report also shows that nearly a third now live ‘largely cashless lives,’ with 17million using cash once a month or less last year compared to 1.2million who mainly used cash.

That line stirred something in me – a huge number of people no longer using physical money.

If you’re no stranger to This is Money, you’ll know I champion cash, and while I like to think I’m not old at 38, I still remember that thrill of jiggling the little brown envelope containing my first pay packet at a local shop. Yes, that still happened in the 2000s.

I still like to withdraw what I call float money on payday, and I use it for what I like to think of as ‘off-grid spending’ that can’t be tracked.

Haircuts, the pub, magazines, football matches, local fetes, tipping in cafes and often, for my daughter as a little bit of physical pocket money, so she can see the value of things.

Let’s not let cash die out. Go withdraw some money if you can and get spending. Or else it’ll disappear.

As for the football? Well, programmes will still allegedly be allowed to be bought with cash. Hallelujah.

The chief executive of the club said: ‘By moving to card and contactless payments across our bars and kiosks, we’ll be able to serve fans more quickly, reduce queue times, and ensure transactions are simple and secure.’

I’ve never had a problem with queues, mainly as the food and drink offerings leave plenty to be desired – and is cash not simple and secure, or have I missed something?

In the meantime, I’ll be making my Bovril beforehand and smuggling it in via a carefully placed Thermos.

I’ll have to forgo the chips. It’s the principle.