It’s a huge change in many stores
A warning has been issued to shoppers as Sainsbury’s, Asda and Tesco stop accepting cash in many stores.
This comes as these three supermarkets have launched outlet that accept card payment only.
In august, Tesco announced that it would be going cashless in 40 of its UK café sites where customers order food through digital screens and then must pay by card or contactless payment.
Meanwhile, Asda have removed cash payment in almost 270 of its petrol stations with payment being made only at the pumps.
Sainsbury’s says that most its stores and petrol stations still accept cash although the number of how many is unknown.
However, all of Sainsbury’s, Asda and Tesco’s supermarkets still accept cash in store as well as at the rest of their outlets.
Despite this, according to Full Fact, it is legal for any shop to refuse to accept cash, meaning this trend is likely to continue.
The idea that retailers must accept cash because it is ‘legal tender’ is a myth that likely stems from the law which states debt cannot be refused when it is paid in cash, meaning you really can pay off that overdraft in millions of pennies.
In England and Wales coins and notes must be accepted, while in Scotland debt in cash can only be paid in coins.
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This also means that shop owners do not have to accept any cash, including Scottish bank notes.
Full Fact 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.
“According to the Bank of England, shop owners can choose what kind of payment they take.”
The Bank of England said: “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.”
