The convenience of a cashless society was abruptly disrupted on Friday as a global tech glitch rendered card payments inoperable in many parts of the world, including the UAE. Residents who relied solely on plastic money found themselves caught off guard as they were unable to make purchases.
From filling up their cars to buying groceries, everyday activities became unexpectedly challenging. Shops and businesses were forced to adopt a “cash only” policy, a stark contrast to the norm in the increasingly digitalized UAE.
“I usually get a full tank which costs about Dh210. But the moment I saw the board saying ‘only cash’, I hurriedly told the attendant to stop petrol pump,” said Nida Huq, a Pakistani expat living in Dubai. She recounted her ordeal of scrambling to find enough cash to pay for fuel.
Mohammed AbuHamid, a marketing executive, shared a similar experience. “After a nice meal, I found out the POS machines were not functioning. And some of my colleagues did not even get their wallets. All we had was Dh50 with us and the total bill was about Dh140 for eight members,” he said.
Awais Toor, a resident of Sharjah, described his frustration when his debit card was repeatedly declined. “I had to go to the ATM and withdraw cash to pay to the grocer. Thankfully, the ATM was working,” he said.
While the underlying cause of the outage was a technical failure at a global scale, the incident serves as a reminder of the importance of carrying some cash, even in a predominantly cashless society.
“This experience made me realise that sometimes we need to stick to our roots and not just follow the trend,” said Huq.
