Man who's lived away from UK for 8 years warned about huge change when he returns

A man who has been away from the UK for eight years has been told to prepare himself for some big changes when he comes back.

After living in Britain for the first 27 years of his life, the man then moved to the US.

He said he hasn’t had the opportunity to come back for eight years due to various life events, but is contemplating returning for a trip and possibly permanently.

However, he wanted to know what’s in store for him after his hiatus.

Taking to reddit to ask the question he wrote: “What’s going to surprise me when I return?”

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While he might have been warned about something like the empty shops on the high streets, his biggest warning from others was to adjust to how cashless the country has become.

Answering the question, the user wrote: “Yes the US has got better in this regard but the UK is lightyears ahead.”

And it was a point many people, perhaps foolishly, agreed with.

Commenting on the answer, another said: “Not even just cashless, cardless as well - thanks to Apple Pay, even getting my physical card out feels a bit archaic nowadays.”

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“I literally have not carried my physical card for over 18 months,” said another seemingly proud user. “Every single purchase, including some that were several hundred pounds have been on Apple pay. Only time I ever use my card is in the rare occasion I need to take money out for a cash only place.”

Someone else wrote: “Yeah, I visited the UK recently after 8 years, and was shocked at how useless my cash was.”

Many joked that they now just make eye contact with the cashier before walking out of a shop – but another user said they’re not far off the truth with that.

They wrote: “I mean, with the amazon shops they're trialling, we probably aren't that far away from that actually being the case. Except there won't be a cashier's eye to catch, I guess.”

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While others shared that they do still carry their wallets with them – just in case they have a tech issue or their phone dies.

“I do it just for redundancy,” another said. “If my battery dies or my phone breaks while I’m at work, I’m basically stuck and it’s a long walk home. So having a card as well is a bit of extra security.”

What many of the commenters failed to mention was the potential dangers of a completel cashless society, such as every single transaction made being tracked and traced.

The contactless spending limit has gradually increased over the years.

It started off as £10 in 2007 and then £15 in 2010. It’s steadily risen since with the limit being £20 in 2012 and then £30 in 2015.

Last year the contactless spending cap was increased to £45 as the pandemic led us further away from using cash and last October the cap was set to £100.