A big thing discouraging me from using cash is how suspicious people are of you when you pay in cash. I've definitely gotten weird looks from cashiers when doing so, especially when you pay in larger bills (like $100).

But with increased transaction prices, the only way I can think of is by legislation, but we know that legislation is typically reactive and not proactive. So if the CC companies go slow enough, it's like boiling a frog. And no, cryptocurrency isn't a solution to this as (the vast majority of) transactions aren't private nor anonymous.