Fears UK’s cashless society will leave more than just the vulnerable behind
-There have long been concerns that older people will suffer as we ditch coins and notes, but other groups, such as tourists, may also be affected

人们担心英国的无现金社会将不仅仅把弱势群体抛在后面
——长期以来，人们一直担心，随着我们抛弃硬币和纸币，老年人会受到影响，但其他群体，比如游客，可能也会受到影响


(Tap and go is an easy quick way to pay but relying on cards in a cashless society has its downsides.)

（“碰即走”是一种简单快捷的支付方式，但在一个无现金社会，依赖银行卡也有其缺点。）
新闻：

Armando Bordalo e Sá planned ahead before coming to London for a five-day trip this summer, exchanging euros for sterling at a good rate to pay for meals, tickets to events and other expenses.

阿曼多·博尔达洛·埃萨今年夏天在来伦敦进行为期五天的旅行之前就提前计划好了，他以优惠的汇率将欧元兑换成英镑，以支付餐费、活动门票和其他费用。

But by the end of his short trip, much of it went unused, because so many places no longer accept cash, and he had racked up a series of unwanted charges from his bank in Portugal.

但在他短暂的旅行结束时，大部分钱都没有用，因为很多地方不再接受现金了，而且他在葡萄牙的银行已经积累了一系列不必要的费用。

The UK’s rapid shift towards a cashless society ended up costing the 72-year-old from Lisbon dearly. When he tried to charge his Oyster card, his only option was to use a debit card, while the shops at Tate Britain and a number of other museums were cashless. When he tried to buy an £8 adapter from the vending machine of his hotel, it was card-only.

英国向无现金社会的快速转变最终让这位来自里斯本的72岁老人付出了沉重的代价。当他试图用牡蛎卡结账时，他唯一的选择就是使用借记卡，而泰特英国美术馆和其他一些博物馆的商店则不使用现金。当他试图从酒店的自动售货机购买8英镑的适配器时，只能刷卡。
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


Returning to Portugal, he found his bank had charged him a 4% fee for “international services”, as well as additional taxes on any debit card transactions he had made because he was unable to use cash – adding up to €85 (£73).

回到葡萄牙后，他发现他的银行向他收取了4%的“国际服务”费用，并且因为他无法使用现金而对他进行的任何借记卡交易征收额外的税——总计85欧元（73英镑）。

It was a frustrating additional bill when he had money on him to pay. “I was only able to use currency at the restaurants, pubs and taxis,” he says. “It is indeed a fine way for banks to profit.”

当他有钱要付的时候，这是一笔令人沮丧的额外账单。“我只能在餐馆、酒吧和出租车上使用现金，”他说。“这确实是银行赚钱的好方法。”
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


Britain has been at the forefront of the switch to a cashless society – a trend which is even more pronounced in the capital, especially since the pandemic.

英国一直走在向无现金社会转型的前沿，这一趋势在首都伦敦更为明显，尤其是在疫情爆发后。

Figures from banking body UK Finance show that almost half of all payments were made with debit cards in 2021, with newer ways of paying set to almost completely eclipse cash within a decade. “We expect usage to continue to fall, with cash forecast to account for only 6% of all payments made in the UK by 2031,” it says.

英国金融机构的数据显示，到2021年，几乎一半的支付是用借记卡完成的，新的支付方式将在十年内几乎完全取代现金。“我们预计使用量将继续下降，预计到2031年，现金支付将仅占英国所有支付量的6%，”该机构表示。

But with the shift has come growing concern about groups who still want to use cash – including many older people, those on low incomes and people who want to keep tight control over spending.

但随着这一转变，人们越来越担心那些仍想使用现金的群体，包括许多老年人、低收入者和希望严格控制支出的人。

But others, such as tourists, have also emerged as wanting a system where both cash and cards are accepted.

但其他一些人，比如游客，也希望有一个同时接受现金和银行卡的支付体系。

The Federation of Small Businesses says there are many like Bordalo e Sá who want to try to avoid charges added by banks.

小企业联合会表示，有很多像博尔达洛·埃萨这样的人想要避免银行额外收取的费用。

“They don’t have the luxury of shopping online and, in any case, the allure of hand-picking souvenirs in store offers a personalised touch to their travels,” says FSB national chair Martin McTague. “Phasing out cash and eliminating tax-free shopping sends the wrong message about our readiness for business, and dampens visitors’ spending enthusiasm.”

小企业联合会全国主席马丁·麦克塔格说：“他们没有网上购物的奢侈，不管怎样，在商店手工挑选纪念品的诱惑为他们的旅行提供了个性化的感觉。逐步淘汰现金和取消免税购物会传递出我们对商业准备的错误信息，也会打击游客的消费热情。”

Cash costs more
One of the problems with the shift towards a cashless society, according to critics, has been that it costs more for people who have to pay cash to do what they want to do. In the case of the Portuguese tourist, that price was £73.

现金成本更高
据批评人士称，向无现金社会转变的一个问题是，那些不得不支付现金来做他们想做的事情的人的成本更高了。在葡萄牙游客的案例中，这一价格是73英镑。

Sian Williams, vice-chair of the Financial Inclusion Commission, says that taking part in activities important to you costs more. “And that is another aspect of the ‘poverty premium’ for millions of people every day in this country,” she says.

英国普惠金融委员会副主席希恩·威廉姆斯表示，（使用现金）参加对你很重要的活动成本更高了。她说：“这是这个国家每天数百万人享受‘贫困溢价’的另一个方面。”

The commission, an independent body of experts, wants cash and access to cash to be preserved for as long as people need it. “We can see that it is a vital payment method for people in a range of vulnerable situations.”

该委员会是一个由专家组成的独立机构，它希望现金和获得现金的途径能一直保留到人们需要的时候。“我们可以看到，对于处于一系列弱势处境的人们来说，这是一种至关重要的支付方式。”
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


A report last year from the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) found that more than 10 million people in Britain would struggle to live in a cashless society, with many losing control of their finances and seeing debts spiral.

皇家艺术学会去年的一份报告发现，超过1000万的英国人将难以生活在一个无现金的社会中，许多人失去了对自己财务的控制，债务螺旋式上升。

Mark Hall, lead author of the “Cash Census” report, says there is a large group of younger people who like the security of cash. “It was often people on lower incomes, or with less stable incomes. We heard many say that they like to keep cash to budget because that way they can keep track of it more easily,” he says.

这份“现金普查”报告的主要作者马克·霍尔表示，有一大群年轻人喜欢现金带来的安全感。“这通常是收入较低或收入不稳定的人。我们听到许多人说，他们喜欢用现金来开支，因为这样他们可以更容易地跟踪资金。”
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


Another group, who had access to debit cards, went back to cash to more carefully monitor what they were spending.

另一群体——可以使用借记卡的人，则重新使用现金，以更仔细地监控他们的支出。

“They weren’t just tapping their phone on a regular basis, and they were able to manage their cashflow more effectively,” says Hall.

霍尔说：“他们不会常态化地刷手机，而且他们能够更有效地管理自己的现金流。”

Frustated generation
Older people are often highlighted as being prone to isolation in the shift towards the cashless society. In London, where an increasing number of services no longer take cash, many are frustrated, according to charity Age UK.

受挫时的一代
在向无现金社会转变的过程中，老年人往往被强调为容易被孤立。慈善机构英国年纪表示，在伦敦，越来越多的服务不再接受现金，许多人对此感到沮丧。
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


“In bigger cities, many are falling behind even faster due to the accelerated speed in which many businesses are progressing toward a cash-free model,” says Abigail Wood of Age UK London.

英国年级伦敦分部的阿比盖尔·伍德说：“在较大的城市，由于许多商家加快了向无现金模式发展的速度，许多人被落得更远了。

“Older people are constantly telling us how left behind they feel, and how much harder life is when they are unable to use cash.

“老年人不断地告诉我们，他们觉得自己是多么落后，当他们无法使用现金时，生活是多么艰难。

“Many older people view cash as the most reliable and straightforward way to pay, as well as an effective means of managing their weekly budget when money is extremely tight – as it is for the majority now.”

“许多老年人认为现金是最可靠、最直接的支付方式，也是在资金极度紧张时管理每周预算的有效手段——就像现在大多数人一样。”
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


Another group, “cashless sceptics”, tend to be older and have concerns about fraud and may find technology difficult to use, says Hall.

霍尔说，另一个群体是“无现金怀疑论者”，他们往往年龄较大，担心欺诈，并可能会发现技术难以使用。

Keeping access
The UK is leading the shift towards a cashless society along with some Scandinavian countries, while Italy and Germany are still high cash users, says Graham Mott of lix, the ATM network.

保留途径
自动取款机网络lix组织的格雷厄姆·莫特表示，英国正与一些斯堪的纳维亚国家一起引领向无现金社会的转变，而意大利和德国仍是大量使用现金的国家。

Figures from the company show withdrawals in some parts of London slumped by 60% in the four years to last May.

该公司的数据显示，在截至去年5月的四年里，伦敦部分地区的现金取款量下降了60%。

There are limitations to how far cashless payments can stretch, however, as online payments can fail, he says. “Most people will go out with some cash, or at least have some at home as a contingency,” he says. “It is important that cash access remains.”

然而，他表示，由于在线支付可能会失败，无现金支付的发展空间有限。他说：“大多数人出门都会带一些现金，或者至少在家里带一些现金以防万一。重要的是，现金支付途径仍然存在。”