More and more companies by me are asking people to use cash and offering a discount for doing so.

Credit card fees are a big expense for small businesses.

yes and fuck usian card operators for taxing our transactions.

For example: in Canada, the bank accounts of those who protested were literally frozen (for simply speaking out or being critical)

Yeah... try using that lie on people who live in Ottawa, see how it goes.

whilst considering on abolishing cash altogether

No personal exp with this, but I have a vague idea that the Nordic countries, or maybe Singapore etc are further down the cashless road than we North American peeps are. Though they may also have better protections in some ways.

I do want to preserve cash as an option. I try to use it for everything I can, just to safeguard the option. I try to get my friends to do it, but they find contactless too convenient.

I haven't tried it yet, but I'm wondering if it would be possible to buy a Google Pay compatible virtual debit prepaid card with monero, like $50-$100 and use a card writer to put it on a plastic card to use in store. Then just buy another one after its depleted and rewrite the card with new details, rinse and repeat. That seems like the closest thing to digital cash you can get without xmr being accepted by merchants.

I'm happy with the opinions and reasons for it here.
Unfortunately IRL people and especially the youth who have grown up with it are totally pro-digital.
They look at you as if you're a flat earther when you mention the possible consequences.

Yes, but it won't. Knowing everything about us is too important.

Monero works for me, come to think of it idk when the last time i used cash for a "private" transaction, but all my webhosting and domains and whatnot get paid with XMR.

Silver and copper still exist. https://ebay.us/m/Gcn2gM

Use cash for now, but start transitioning to other privacy currencies, especially those that don't depend on technology, such as precious metals and local currencies like Ithaca hours. Edit: I say transition away from cash (as in government-produced cash) because that they have serial numbers that enable tracking and they can decide to declare them invalid or inflate away their value through printing if people continue to use them anyway.