Remember the days when everything revolved around cash? You would leave home with folded bills in your pocket or bag, constantly calculating how to spend them. Even then, it never felt completely safe. In crowded places like buses or markets, you find yourself checking your pocket repeatedly. With a small mistake, your money could easily be lost or misplaced.

Everything changed when banks introduced money transfers, and later, apps like OPay made payments easier. People began using their phones to pay instead of carrying cash everywhere. Initially, this shift felt risky, but it gradually became the new normal.

Here’s how both sides feel about cash and cashless payments in Nigeria:

Cash:

- You don't depend on network connectivity.

- You don't have to wait for payment confirmations.

- It works anywhere, even in remote local markets.

- However, carrying cash can be physically risky; you might lose it, misplace it, or attract unwanted attention if you’re carrying a large sum.

- Once it's gone, it’s gone.

Cashless:

- You don’t carry physical money around.

- It feels safer to have your money in your phone rather than in your pocket.

- You can make payments from anywhere, provided the network is stable.

- However, if there are network delays or if the POS system malfunctions, everything comes to a halt.

- In such cases, you find yourself scrambling for backup cash immediately.

- Additionally, some places still don’t fully trust cashless payments until the alert confirms the transaction.

In reality, neither option fully replaces the other.

Cash is generally reliable but can be risky to carry, while cashless payments feel safer and more convenient but depend heavily on the system functioning properly. Here in Nigeria, most people like myself don’t commit fully to one method; they utilize both. This way, if one method fails, they can quickly switch to the other without any warning.

Do you still trust your bank app enough to go out without cash?