Can shops refuse cash and insist on card payments only?

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A local deli moved to card only during lockdown and has continued to do so. There's a sign up saying card only and I wonder if there's a move towards a cashless society now. I get paid in cash and a take away drink and maybe a cake would be a weekly thing at most and I'd have cash on me but not necessarily any money in the bank. It's a first world problem I know but are shops allowed to say no to cash?

Some bars do. It’s really frustrating.
I suppose if they are a ltd business they can refuse anyway.

Yes they are. I agree it's a pain, especially for children or the elderly who may not have bank cards.

Short answer is yes they can refuse cash.

People often talk about not being able to refuse legal tender.

Legal tender is only applicable if there is a debt. Purchasing from a shop or a deli is an offer to purchase, no debt has accrued.

Unless it's for goods and services already provided (e.g. settling up in a restaurant or paying for a custom item which has been completed) there are no restrictions on a business insisting on card payment.

I think the former restrictions only apply in England and Wales too.

Of course it's allowed, just like shops are allowed to only accept cash.

Why do you think it's not allowed?

Yes they can. Since the last bank closed in my town last summer, most independent businesses went card only because they cannot easily bank their takings (post office is unreliable at opening too)

Yes they are allowed

Dd is going on a school trip to a theme park and the letter from school says it doesn't accept cash at all. How many 12 and 13 year olds have debit cards? I need to get her one it seems.

My daughter works at a theatre and they do not take cash, she has been on the receiving end of the wrath of school parties.

Slightly off topic but receipts ... was in River Island yesterday and treated myself to a sale skirt. At till was asked for my email address for the receipt to be sent to and politely refused, paper one will be fine, thank you I'm not giving you that so you can spam me and sell my data on.

To which the patronising reply was "Ok but just to let you know we're going paperless soon" with smug smile.

How would this work if you didn't want to give an email address? You won't have proof of purchase?

I don't know. My mum doesn't even have a personal email address.

This is being discussed here: www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4578907-food-places-and-cafes-not-accepting-cash?page=2

I thought most parents got kids a debit card when they turned 11. How else can they pay for stuff? Even swimming at the leisure centre is card only

You must know that since Covid loads of places have gone card only, did you think they're all breaking the law?

I agree that it's hard for school trips if theme parks are card only but I can see why it doesn't make ecomonic sense to deal with cash for a relatively small number of trasactions.

How many 12 and 13 year olds have debit cards?

Most around here, either actual debit bank cards or preload ones like hyperjar goHenry.

Yes it's all to tie in with the digital identity and social credit system.

I don't go out much and was shielded during the pandemic so I didn't notice a switch to card only with everything being online for me at that time. I was just surprised that the deli are still sticking to it. I'm more annoyed that they've stopped selling fantastic ones e cream cones and now only sell in big tubs. The shop next door has queues out of the door for ice cream now. The deli is more in the business of fancy hampers these days and don't need the school run ice cream on a hot day crowd (with parents/grandparents buying as all primary schools). There's 4 schools nearby too.

I'm annoyed as i never have cash, and the fish and chip shop does cash only.

Dont all 12 year olds have a debit card? Pretty poor parenting to not have a bank account set up for them.

My kids and 9 and 10. They have gohenry cards for now.

Shops dont need to accept cash. It's just something you need to get used to.

It's up to the shop if they are happy to lose business. I usually pay by cash because I need smaller denomination notes and £1 coins for various reasons and I'm not near a bank.

I'm not stuck with just one shop so the cashless one can do without my custom.

My 12 year old doesn't even have a bank account- well a current account. He has a savings one. He still has a money box with his cash in it!

None of his friends have debit cards either- We're up North, if that makes any difference

You can easily get a pre-paid card with one of those online back accounts like RoosterMoney or similar

Re children there's a GO HENRY card now from six years upwards, my grandkids have them which amuses me

In the type of society we live in now, it is irresponsible to not have started teaching them about banking and cards by this age.

I live in a very very small town in Scotland. Both my kids went on their end of year school trip. I went as a parent helper and only about 5 kids out of 50 didnt have cards and the place was card only.