By Julie Muhlstein, Herald Columnist
When possible, I pay cash. Seeing that green go out is a simple way to limit spending. It lessens the buyer's remorse that comes with opening credit card bills.
I'm not nutty about it. I don't go around with hundreds of dollars, paying utility bills in person -- although I could if I wanted to. The Snohomish County PUD accepts cash paid in person from customers settling accounts.
Mostly, I pay my bills with checks. For incidental purchases, and even at the gas station, it's cash. When it's gone, that's a strong signal to stop spending.
There are times, of course, when whipping out plastic is the only reasonable option. I recently used my credit card to make an airline reservation online.
Once I was on my Alaska Airlines flight to Southern California, I was surprised to hear that cash is no longer accepted for alcohol or meals. Airline passengers must pay for their $5 beer -- an incidental purchase if ever there was one -- with a credit or debit card.
I was fine with my diet soda at no extra charge. The only time I ever ordered a real drink on a plane was on an overnight flight to Ireland. Still, I'm guessing many travelers are none too pleased about what the Alaska Airlines Web site calls "the convenience of a cashless cabin." Do travelers really want to leave paper trails of airborne refreshments?
Marianne Lindsey, Alaska Airlines manager of corporate communications, said the cashless policy began Aug. 5. "It really was a customer request, not having to carry cash," Lindsey said. Previously, the airline only accepted cash for drinks. For a time, she said, $5 vouchers will be available for travelers who don't have plastic, including kids.
"I remember being on flights where attendants were asking, 'Anybody have change for a $20?' It's more efficient, and it's all accounted for at the end. It makes it easier," Lindsey said.
I don't know, I find it fairly easy to hand over a $5 bill.
The airline isn't alone with its no-cash practice. Costco won't take cash for gas.
Bill Ingram, manager of the Costco store in Everett, said the policy keeps costs low and helps with security. "It's volume and speed. We pump a lot of gas, and dealing with cash extends the wait time. This keeps prices low," Ingram said.
Costco gas stations have one attendant. A drawer full of cash could present a security problem at the stations, which are open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Ingram said.
He's aware that many are reluctant just now to use our credit cards. Raise your hand if you're trying to pay one off.
"We really encourage people to use debit," Ingram said, adding that customers using Costco American Express cards rack up rebates. That's OK, I'll keep paying cash for gas.
Have you ever actually read a dollar bill? On the George Washington side, there's a statement: "This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private."
So what gives? Don't businesses have to take cash?
I called the Washington State Treasurer's Office with that question. A woman on the line was quick to get rid of me by saying, "Currency is federal. We don't deal with currency."
She did give me the number for an "information specialist" with the federal government. At 800-688-9889, I found a helpful fellow. He wasn't authorized to give his name.
"I'm at a call center set up by the General Services Administration, the federal government," he said. He listened as I read the dollar bill to him. Yep, it's legal tender, but there's a loophole. He read something back to me:
"The Coinage Act of 1965, Section 31 of the U.S. Code 5103 entitled Legal Tender United States Coins and Currency, including Federal Reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal Reserve banks and national banks are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes and dues," he said -- and then added "however."
My federal helper read on: "There is no federal statute that states a private business or person or organization must accept currency or coins as payment for goods and or services. Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether or not to accept cash, unless there is a state law that says otherwise."
If you happen to be reading a dollar and wondering why a business won't take it, you can find all this at www.usa.gov.
And if you're considering stuffing all your money in a mattress and living a cash-only existence? Not so fast.
Columnist Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460 or muhlstein@heraldnet.com.
