One thing to consider is that a $100 bill has a different impact than 5 $20 bills. Small bills are what you want to have for most things, but if you have over $500 or so, you definitely want some of it to be in $100 bills.

I always have at least $600 or so hidden in my wallet. Sadly, most of it is in $100's. In the safe in the home on wheels we keep another $500 or so, most of that in smaller bills...

I have never viewed cash as a long term survival need. Only short term. So I only keep $100 emergency funds in a small metal vial attached to my keychain. Of course, the last "emergency" we had was the non-credit-card purchase of a wool sweater up at the Llama Festival in Estes Park (don't laugh - I went along like a good husband!)

If I need lots of cash long term, that means the banking system has failed and so have my communications with relatives scattered across the country. Chances are, in such a widespread event, cash wouldn't be worth all that much anyway. Trading goods would be better. And I don't think gold would be all that great for trading myself. What would one do with a chunk of gold (except hide it and horde it) if what you really needed was food or a rifle? I certainly wouldn't trade my rifle for your chunk of gold (unless I had an endless supply of rifles!)

Most of the banks I've done work for use Oracle on Unix.

I have cash in three places, a folded up stash in my wallet, another stash in my PSK and an old wallet in my BOB. Its split evenly between the three. That way if I loose one I still have the others.

I also organize my ready cash especially when I travel, not in shrink wrap but in snack sized ziplock bags - they fit bundles of US cash perfectly.

I always have a small bison capsule on my keyring with a folded and rolled up $20.00 (VERY tightly rolled up) and a small piece of paper with important family and friends phone numbers, the "800" number and account numbers for a pre-paid calling card with 400 non-expiring minutes on it, and a spare key to my car.

I call it my urban (cash and call for help/or at least drive home) capsule, in case I should lose/be robbed of everything but what's in my pocket.

I keep $40 in singles in my vehicle BOB, and about $800 in cash and silver coins stashed away at home.

I'm not trying to dump on an idea, but you'd probably be better off keeping the extra $150 in cash. In the last year, a good many folks have been left holding now worthless gift cards. I've seen cards demagnetized, the strip scratched beyond use, and companies go out of business. Additonally, being tied to said stores pretty much limits options when you're operating on the fly, late at night, or on a day they aren't open. ...and that is all IF a store doesn't change their card policy (which they CAN and may do).