The idea of a cashless society is to enable people to pay for various things without them having to carry currency. But this also means that they have to fill their purses and wallets with a bunch of cards, each of which serves a different purpose. All of that is counterproductive.
Yet, there seems to be no respite. As The National reported yesterday, a new rechargeable card, Hafilat – Arabic for buses – will come into effect in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
While the scheme could make life easier, it will also mean a fatter purse or wallet for those already burdened with credit and debit cards, parking and loyalty cards, driving licences, health cover, and identity cards and so forth.
To solve this issue, how about introducing a universal payment card that will allow people to access all sorts of commercial services across the country? If you think a universal card is a good idea, tell us this: what should it be called?
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Company%20profile
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
