I visited the UK back in 2022 and I was pretty baffled at how you can universally "tap to pay". We visited a pub on the coast of Dorset where they wouldn't even accept cash as a mean of payment. All in all it was nice, because it meant not having to deal with a foreign currency at all, we spent 10 days just using electronic payment, so as a tourist I think it was a good experience.

In Germany, where I live, you're basically getting nowhere without cash, it's still very difficult to eat out or buy small food items like bread or a sandwich. There's also a culture of paying cash for many things, including pricier items like a second hand car! Shop cashiers usually don't even blink if you try to pay with a 100€ bill (except if you're coming super early and they don't have change available yet). It's not unusual for me to end up drawing a quarter to half my monthly salary in cash.

I first disliked it when I moved from France, but now I think it's actually good for the society. You always have some change to tip a waiter or give to a beggar, a coin for the cart at the supermarket, get something from a vending machine... Also I live in a very quiet area so getting mugged is very unlikely, making it not so scary to carry cash around.