Archive | March, 2015

Cash is King? – not at a Spanish petrol station!

19 Mar

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So we have been enjoying a well-earned break in Andalusia for a few days following the end of my contract with the new Payment Systems Regulator (http://www.fca.org.uk/psr). We pull in to a petrol station somewhere south of Ronda (definitely worth a visit). I fill up with €31.20 worth of petrol and proffer €32. ‘Un momento’ says the lady – who has noticed another car pulling up in front of us. She leaves us, fills up the new arrival. He proffers a card, which she processes with a portable card terminal – voila, done. He drives off. At which point she toddles off to get my 80 cents. Leaving me feeling very stupid. Good job I didn’t try Bitcoin.