Good question. One that I often have when I’m out shopping.

When it’s time to pay, I always ask myself “Why pay with Cash when I can get credit with Credit Card?”

(I use the term “credit” in this context to refer to the period of 30-odd days I get to settle my Credit Card bill without incurring any interest or fees i.e. “deferred payment”.)

In addition, I get many other benefits by paying with Credit Card viz. rewards, fraud protection, merchant’s receipt, etc. More at Ketharaman Swaminathan’s answer to Which is better, using a credit card or using a debit card?. I don’t get these benefits if I pay with Cash.

OTOH, there’s the friction of updating my Bank Transaction Log and computing the Virtual Balance, which is a Best Practice I follow in order to ensure that I have enough money in my bank account to pay my credit card outstanding dues in full every month.

As a result, I find Cash more convenient. One and done. (Except when I have to fish around in my wallet for change.)

Cash or Credit Card? I always have this tussle in my mind when I reach checkout.

I find myself leaning towards Cash for small value purchases and Credit Card for medium and high value purchases.