I picked the 'universal basic services' model over UBI in a debate last night and got totally shut down.
I argued that free public transit, healthcare, and internet access would build a stronger social fabric than just giving everyone $1000 a month, but my friend from Seattle just kept saying 'cash is freedom' and I couldn't find a good comeback.
Your friend's cash argument ignores how markets react. If everyone gets $1000, landlords and corps just raise prices, like @jessej23 said about bills. Universal services create real things we all share, which stops that inflation. It's about building stuff we own together, not just moving money around.