Scott woke up with a splitting headache and the all too familiar taste of gin in the back of his throat. It was clear that he’d had a big night. He reached over clumsily for his wallet and searched its contents. It was completely bare. In a time of Internet banking his findings were not particularly surprising; he couldn’t remember the last time he’d even withdrawn money. He quickly grabbed his phone from the nightstand and on the third attempt logged successfully into his mobile banking account. Scott was 217 dollars and 94 cents poorer than the day before. Blame shifted as he worked his way through the statement of spending: It began at the local bar, made its way to the casino, and eventually found itself at a downtown strip joint. Reflecting hazily on his actions Scott quickly moved responsibility from his own shoulders; it was the banks that were at fault. It was his decision to set off on the wild adventure; however, ultimately, it was the debit card that had caused the haphazard spending. Scott reminisced about the days of hard currency. When you handed over a 50 dollar note and received only a handful of coins in exchange, the experience was a painful one; your hard earned money was visibly disappearing. With bankcard transactions all items are of equal value; a half-pint of beer requires the same number of swipes as shouting an entire bar. The thin magical piece of plastic seems completely disconnected from the real world. It’s only when the statement arrives that we eventually feel the pain.