Loose change…

It’s not just large scale problems I like to have a good moan about. Coins are quite small in size and for that reason alone, give me the biggest headache. Not literally of course but they’re just a pain I could easily live without. When I pay with a note, I hate getting coins back and fiddling about with my wallet to put them away. It’s better at a restaurant or the like because I tell them to keep the change (I’m generous like that) but I wouldn’t do that in a shop eventhough it would be easier sometimes. For example, the 1p you get back from a CD (I still buy them) that costs £9.99 is just pointless and annoying.

You’re probably wondering why I don’t just use a debit card to avoid coins. Most of the time I do but that form of payment has its difficulties too. It depends on the position of the PIN machine because if it is fixed to the till, it can be very awkward for me to reach and enter my number. Also, depending on how tired I am, my hand can become unsteady and more likely to press the wrong key. I could ask a friend to put my PIN in but that sort of defeats the object of chip & PIN being about privacy. I want to be independent with many things and I could be if all shops had machines that aren’t attached to the desk.

A couple of months ago, I told HSBC that entering my PIN can be difficult at times and they told me about the contactless card which would mean I simply had to put the card near machines to pay. The perfect invention for me but there are two problems. Only a sprinkling of companies (namely McDonald’s) have the facilities to accept contactless cards for one. Secondly, it can only be used for small purchases under £20.  I ordered one to see if it would be easier and although I’ve only used it once (forgot to look out for the signs), the card does make life simpler. The definition of pay and go. It’s like an Oyster card (I realise only people who have been to London will understand that reference).

Bye for now!