{"id":74291,"date":"2025-05-04T16:39:15","date_gmt":"2025-05-04T16:39:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/74291\/"},"modified":"2025-05-04T16:39:15","modified_gmt":"2025-05-04T16:39:15","slug":"brits-holidaying-in-europe-given-cash-at-all-times-warning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/74291\/","title":{"rendered":"Brits holidaying in Europe given ‘cash at all times’ warning"},"content":{"rendered":"

The warning comes after a widespread power outage crippled Spain, Portugal and much of France earlier this week\"EuroBrits holidaying in Europe given ‘cash at all times’ warning(Image: Getty Images\/Westend61)<\/p>\n

A travel expert has warned Brits to carry cash with them at all times if they’re heading to France this summer.<\/p>\n

The warning comes after a widespread power outage crippled Spain, Portugal and much of France earlier this week.<\/p>\n

Entire cities were plunged into darkness, leaving many holidaymakers in a panic.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Free childcare hours ‘won’t automatically begin’ parents warned<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The crisis has led to those in the UK stockpiling cash, in case something similar happens here, The Express<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n

Chris Jones, director of PSE Consulting, has now encouraged tourists going abroad to do the same.<\/p>\n

He said: “The widespread outages across Spain, Portugal and some parts of France earlier this week are a stark reminder of why cash remains essential.<\/p>\n

“As digital transactions dominate more aspects of daily life, we risk overlooking the fundamental resilience that physical money offers during periods of disruption.<\/p>\n

“When systems fail – whether due to technical issues, cyberattacks, or power outages – access to cash ensures that people can still buy essential goods and services.<\/p>\n

“In emergencies, cash becomes more than just a payment method; it is a vital safety net.<\/p>\n

“While cash usage continues to decline across Europe, events like this reinforce why maintaining robust access must remain a priority.<\/p>\n

“This includes identifying and supporting critical services \u2013 such as supermarkets, petrol stations and pharmacies \u2013 to ensure they can continue accepting cash when digital systems are down.”<\/p>\n

He continued: “Countries like Sweden and Norway have already recognised this, encouraging citizens to keep emergency cash and reinforcing cash acceptance in key parts of the economy.<\/p>\n

“As we continue to move towards a more digital economy, policymakers and businesses must not lose sight of the need for balance.<\/p>\n

“Protecting access to cash isn’t just about supporting vulnerable groups – it’s about ensuring the whole economy can function when digital systems falter. [This week’s] outage is a clear reminder: in times of crisis, cash still counts.”<\/p>\n

Spain has now recovered more than 99 per cent of its power following an unprecedented blackout that brought much of the country and Portugal to a standstill.<\/p>\n

The blackout saw thousands of train passengers stranded and left millions of people without phone and internet coverage and access to cash from ATMs across the Iberian Peninsula.<\/p>\n

It was the second serious European power outage in less than six weeks after a March 20 fire shut down Heathrow Airport in the UK, and it came as authorities across Europe guard against sabotage backed by Russia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The warning comes after a widespread power outage crippled Spain, Portugal and much of France earlier this weekBrits…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":74292,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5174],"tags":[2000,299,5187,2406,8879],"class_list":{"0":"post-74291","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-eu","8":"tag-eu","9":"tag-europe","10":"tag-european","11":"tag-holidays","12":"tag-spain-travel"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114450554284216890","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74291"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74291\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}