For starters, there’s the sensory satisfaction in the rustle and the clinking. The different sizes, textures and designs of various denominations bring to the owner’s fingers a multisensory experience in a way that digital transactions simply cannot replicate.
Also, if not carrying cash was once a style statement of the wealthy, the opposite holds true now. Along with the little joys of status flashing, there is the subtle signalling that you have a strong sense of financial awareness and responsibility.
Cash holds a delightful aesthetic appeal. Hold up a note and there’s a small, foldable artwork you carry in your pocket that goes beyond commerce. While coins remind us that metal holds the original mettle of transactional value.