Week 1525 - I Travelled Without a Wallet This Weekend-And It Didn't Matter

The Concept Explained

Counting Down to 90 - Week 1579

Why 1579

Bhavin's WritingsBhavin Jankharia

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I have been running late on all accounts.

This is a continuation, sort of, of last week’s riff on international travel…how things have improved compared to earlier years. 

Week 1526 - There Never Were Good-Old Days for International Travel

The paradigm has changed with better local transport access…from wasting time planning how to get to a place you want to go to, now you just spend time planning which places you want to go to and then…just go.

Bhavin's WritingsBhavin Jankharia

This weekend I flew to Chennai for a conference. Things were moving so fast in the last couple of days prior to leaving Mumbai that I did not go through my packing list and in the bargain forgot my wallet that contains my credit cards, my Aadhar ID and some loose cash.

I realized this just as I was reaching the airport and had a tiny panic attack for all of 10 seconds…because  it just doesn’t matter any more. 

I used Digiyatra to enter the airport - I didn’t need my Aadhar ID because it is present on the Digiyatra app and the security person just swiped to see it. I then wanted to purchase a shirt at the M & S and I could do that with Google Pay. The Digiyatra screen served as my boarding pass all through. 

When I landed in Chennai, I realized that I did have about Rs. 1000 in cash that I had stowed away in a small pouch…that cash came in handy to give tips…to the driver and at the hotel…but beyond that there was no need for cash at all.

At the hotel, my Digilocker Aadhar was good enough for ID…they just took a photo of that from their phone.

At the hotel bar, at the reception desk while checking out, at the airport on the way back…I was able to pay for everything with Google Pay. It felt a little off, because the idea of using credit cards is to basically accumulate points or rewards, which you can then use to get upgrades or tickets, and it seemed I was squandering that opportunity by directly paying from my bank account. 

Apart from that, it was an interesting good experience…that you can basically travel the country without any physical documentation as long as you have your phone on you and you know how to manage everything digitally…and you have money in your bank account, because the debit is instantaneous.

I assume this is the case in most parts of the world.

I felt naked initially for a short period…not carrying any cash whatsoever or a card, simply because for the last 55 odd years, there has always been cash on my person or in a bag next to me and for the last 30 odd years, I’ve always used credit cards wherever and whenever possible. 

Now…it’s all changed. And it’s a good change. 

Interesting times…