This petition was submitted during the 2019 to 2024 Parliament
Closed petition Require all businesses and public services to accept cash payments
Closed on
All businesses (excepting internet-based ones) and public services in which monetary transactions take place should be required by law to accept cash as a method of payment
As many businesses and taxpayer-funded public services are increasingly insisting upon cashless payments, it is important that we safeguard against the potential dangers of this practice. It creates an enforced dependency on banks, even though they cannot always be trusted to act ethically, and is a threat to privacy as people cannot make anonymous payments. If we wish to uphold freedom of choice and the right to privacy, it is imperative that we protect the use of cash.
25,021 signatures
Petition progress
View all updates for this petition, with the most recent first.
-
Related activity
-
Parliament debated this petition
-
Petition closed
-
Related activity
-
Parliament will debate this petition on 20 March 2023
You’ll be able to watch online on the UK Parliament YouTube channel.
-
Government responded to this petition
The Government does not plan to mandate cash acceptance. It is right that organisations choose the forms of payment they accept. The Government has introduced legislation to support access to cash.
Read the response in full
The Government does not intend to mandate cash acceptance. The Government’s view is that as technology and consumer behaviour changes, it should remain the choice of individual organisations as to whether to accept or decline any form of payment, including cash or card based on their consideration of factors such as customer preference and cost.
However, the Government recognises that millions of people continue to transact in cash across the UK, particularly those in vulnerable groups, and engages closely with financial regulators to monitor and assess trends relating to cash. Research undertaken by the Financial Conduct Authority found that 98% of small businesses would never turn away a customer if they needed to pay by cash.
The Government has recently introduced legislation to protect access to cash as part of the Financial Services and Markets Bill. The Bill establishes the Financial Conduct Authority as the lead regulator for cash access and provides it with appropriate powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of withdrawal and deposit facilities. The Government considers that this legislation will support organisations, including local businesses, to continue accepting cash by ensuring they have reasonable access to deposit facilities.
Following the Government’s commitment to legislate, firms are working together through the Cash Action Group to develop new initiatives to provide shared services, such as bank hubs.
HM Treasury
-
Government will respond to this petition
This petition got more than 10,000 signatures meaning that government will respond to it.
-
Petition published
This petition can now be signed.
If this petition gets 10,000 signatures, government will respond to it.
If this petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.
This petition will stay open until 10 March 2023.