AIBU to put up a sign encouraging customers to pay in cash?

Don’t you pay to deposit cash? I do the books for a small business who have a business account with Lloyds and they charge 1.5% to bank cash!! Which is a) daylight robbery and b) higher than the card fees!!

There's way too many exclamation marks in the message. Very off putting and the message is lost when I see that.

Except you would just have to increase your prices generally as I believe it’s illegal in the UK to charge more for card payments

Oh really? Why?
If that's the case I would add the transaction fee too all prices to cover it. If your services are good enough, I'm sure most will not mind.
Your business, your prices

If it’s wellness / beauty I can’t imagine any offerings under £50 which I’d never have the cash for. There’s no way I’d be going to a cash machine to take it out pre-appointment. People just won’t do it, and the sign really might put people off.

My BIAB nail girl asks us to BACs her the payments so it goes directly to her account and bypasses fees.

How is it a " tax didge" It's keeping the money rather than paying card fees on it. Nothing to do with tax

It's not illegal to offer a discount for cash. It's illegal to add money on to cover card fees though

You know you can pay an electric bill over the shop counter with pay point don't you ?

Are businesses aware that it costs many of us bank charges to draw cash out at ATMs?

Surely this consideration should go both ways?

they can’t do that, legally.

Cash preferred
Card/mobile transactions will be charged the transaction fee

It's only reasonable if the transactions are low value (like a newsagents). As you have said it's a beauty business and transactions will be much higher than that I'm afraid I'd think you were looking to dodge tax/pay employees cash in hand (avoiding associated costs and regulations) or have failed to cost things correctly as cash has a banking charge too.

For the type of business you run I'm afraid it would put me off using the services again.

I hardly ever have cash on me so would just make me feel a bit awkward to be honest

Lots of small shops around here have signs saying cash only or cash preferred.

It’s fine. Don’t over think it.

Which is illegal.

Not reading the full thread. But my nail bar offers 15pc discount for cash. Most people hoose this. Just up your prices so you are getting what you want

I always pay small buisness in cash as I run one myself, but think some people are genuinely not aware of bank charges etc. I would put the sign up ☺️

I rarely, if ever pay using cash. I have a smart card that charges me 24 hours after travel for my train journey. I pre-buy QR coded bus tickets (day tickets) online, so I don't get that much change given to me.

But if there is an establishment that lets me know they prefer cash, I will accommodate that - indeed, this is the case with my hairdresser. I'm not going to be judgemental or accuse them of dodging tax - they operate in a very competitive environment and are definitely not living high on the hog.

Just let me know in advance and I will make the decision based on whether I have any money with me, and/or if there is an ATM nearby if not. What I hate hate hate is going to places that ASSUME you will pay cash and only tell you when coming to pay. And I have - before now - been somewhere where there was no nearby ATM and no prewarning - and offered to pay by bank transfer, which was refused. That's suspicious.

So long as someone doesn't post that utterly pathetic FB/social media post about "paying your hairdresser £50 cash and them using that to buy supplies etc etc".

This obviously involves mythical free business bank accounts that allow people to pay cash in for nothing, and probably them avoiding tax.

Don't. Please, just don't.

Maybe interesting but irrelevant as posters upthread have said, that's illegal in the UK!

As an expat living in America most of the small businesses in my area either have a sign saying card payments will have a 3% fee added, or they’ve upped their prices and offer a discount for cash.

And I’m autistic so would feel very awkward about paying by card after reading that sign, wouldn’t say anything, I would just go elsewhere

I would feel like I was unable to pay with card (even though it says that you can, but it sounds a bit awkward). If I can get the same goods or services (even if more expensive) from someone who gladly accepts cards, I will do that.

I used to make and sell stuff at fairs and whilst I preferred to have cash and not pay the fees, I wouldn’t dream of pointing that out to the customer.

We have places like that locally and unfortunately I no longer buy anything from them. So few people carry cash, in fact if I do have some, I pay it into my current account as soon as I can. I often don’t have a purse or cards with me, so if I can’t pay with my phone then I don’t bother.

Local butcher gives 5% discount for cash payment. Discreet sign on counter. Local hairdresser will take only cash or a bank transfer. Both small businesses, unlikely to be tax dodging, just trying to avoid bank card charges.

I agree with the proofreading comment, the letter e being missing from the.

Whenever I see ‘cash only’ or ‘cash is king’ I assume either the business isn’t financially solid or it’s run by Reform voters.