Several prominent companies, including restaurant chains, bakeries, and supermarket petrol stations, are abandoning cash transactions at numerous locations, sparking discontent among pro-cash advocates who criticise the move as 'entirely unacceptable'.
Zizzi's, the popular Italian eatery, has gone mostly cashless, only allowing card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay transactions, except for cash tips left by diners. Gail's Bakery, with its extensive network of more than 150 shops, has implemented an entirely card-only policy nationwide, while Asian-inspired Itsu has maintained a cashless system since 2019.
Large supermarkets have also jumped on the cashless bandwagon, introducing the policy in their cafes and petrol stations, reports the Daily Star.
Zizzi's website FAQs explains: "To provide the smoothest and fastest payment experience, and to keep our teams safe, we are cashless and we encourage card, Apple Pay or Google Pay transactions. You can pay up to £100 contactless on your card and unlimited when using Apple Pay and Google Pay in most of our restaurants."
Gail's Bakery justifies its decision by stating: "We only accept card payments. This practice has environmental benefits as it eliminates the need for cash collection and delivery, which used to be done by car several times per week across over a hundred locations."
Furthermore, the bakery claims that being cashless has positively impacted the security of its locations by reducing the risk of criminal activity. A spokesperson for Itsu said: "We trialled this earlier in the year at stores with the highest percentage of card transactions in order to assess customer feedback before rolling out to others," and further remarked, "We now have 12 and have plans to continue as the response so far has been largely positive."
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Tesco is also embracing the trend, having announced in August that it's phasing out cash at 40 of its UK cafe locations. Patrons at these cafes will need to use digital screens to place their orders and then pay using cards or mobile phones.
Asda is swiftly following suit, with almost 270 of its petrol stations transitioning to cashless operations. Drivers will be required to use cards at the pumps to purchase their petrol.
The retail giant explained the change by noting that an overwhelming 90 per cent of transactions at its petrol stations were already made through card or contactless methods. However, Asda reassures those who prefer traditional currency that cash is still welcome at all its other stores and supermarkets.
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Sainsbury's, on the other hand, is maintaining a more traditional approach, with the majority of its stores and petrol stations continuing to accept cash payments.
Ron Delnevo, Chairman of the Payment Choice Alliance, is vocally opposed to the shift towards cashless commerce. He has labelled the move as 'completely unacceptable' and is advocating for legislation that would require retailers to accept cash.
He's championing consumer choice, asserting: "The vast majority of the public want cash to be honoured as a payment. These businesses are letting down the public."
Full Fact has clarified that retailers are completely within their rights to reject cash payments.
A prevalent misunderstanding surrounds the term 'legal tender', which actually pertains solely to the settlement of debts. In England and Wales, it signifies that debtors are compelled to accept legal tender — coins and notes; in Scotland, just coins — if offered as repayment.
They said: "It's not illegal for shops or businesses to refuse to accept cash. They can also refuse to accept card payments. And while cash is 'legal tender', this has a narrow definition that doesn't mean businesses must accept it."
The Bank of England weighs in on the discussion as well, underscoring that shop owners have the liberty to decide on preferred payment methods.
According to the authority of the realm's money, "Legal tender has a narrow technical meaning which has no use in everyday life. It means that if you offer to fully pay off a debt to someone in legal tender, they can't sue you for failing to repay."
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