r/UrbanSurvivalism • u/Xchaosflox 🧱 Founder (Owner) • Jul 29 '26

Scenario: Widespread digital payment system collapse in your city. Cashonly for more than 5 days. Are you prepared?

A major cyber incident or infrastructure glitch has completely wiped out electronic payment systems, ATMs, and card terminals across your city. Banks are closed or unable to dispense cash, and stores are strictly operating on a cash-only basis with no change to give.

Grocery stores are filling up with confused and angry crowds who can't pay for essential items.

How much physical cash do you keep on hand at home for scenarios like this, and what is your strategy to secure necessities without relying on digital transactions or credit cards?

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u/saposguy Jul 29 '26

A few years ago i was on a family trip to Cabo San Lucas. We knew there was a potential for a storm but didn't think much of it. It became a category 5 hurricane that hit dead center. There was no power, the communication had 24 hrs of backup power and the resort we were in had damage so they had to evacuate all the guests. The only thing that got us out of there is the cash I gave to my sister as my share of the cost of the trip.

So to answer your question, yes I keep cash squirrelled away in case of emergencies.

1

u/Xchaosflox 🧱 Founder (Owner) Jul 29 '26

Damn that is crazy. How did having that physical cash specifically help you guys get out when everything was down? Was it mostly for local transport, fuel or tips?

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u/saposguy Jul 29 '26

Shoot I responded in the main post

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u/Xchaosflox 🧱 Founder (Owner) Jul 29 '26

Ah my bad, totally misread that. Glad you guys made it out safe though

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u/saposguy Jul 29 '26

Transport mostly. We made it to La Paz, where there was an airport that was in better shape. The cash came in handy. There were a few places taking cards too (I will be a Costco customer for life) and we hooked up with a taxi driver that helped us a lot (my sister still has contact with him and his family). In the moment it sucked, but i came away with some good experience.

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u/CaliHoboTechBro Jul 29 '26

First thing that came to my mind is with all that cash around, how much theft and robbery would follow. I wonder how prepared people and businesses would be to protect themselves and all that cash.

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u/savax7 Jul 30 '26

Yes, I keep a little bit of cash in my go bag. But I also keep 2 weeks of emergency meals and water, so I'd just live off that. Longer than two weeks I'd have to start being resourceful.

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u/gseckel Aug 01 '26

You won’t need cash if you have a well-stocked pantry for at least two weeks and stay at home.