I used to swear by keeping a credit card for emergencies until my car died in St. Louis last month

I had to choose between using my debit card and paying a $500 tow truck fee upfront or waiting 2 days to pull cash from savings, and I went with the debit card because the tow driver upcharged 15% for card payments. Has anyone else found that cash-only makes emergency situations harder to handle in certain cities?

2 comments

2 Comments

rowanc2914d agoTop Commenter

Did your friend have a similar issue with cash only backfiring in Chicago?

zarapalmer14d ago

My friend actually tried that in Chicago last summer and it totally backfired on him. He showed up to this vintage furniture store with a wad of cash for a deal they'd texted about, but the seller got weird and accused him of trying to launder money or something. Then the seller just packed up and left with the furniture, wouldn't even take the cash anymore. He ended up having to find another couch on Facebook Marketplace way more expensive. Idk, maybe it's just that area but he said people were super sketchy about cash only deals there.