Refusal to take cash for health reasons is bogus, says lobby group

The CSA, a cash industry organisation, is urging retailers to accept cash payments at least to the same level as the new £100 contactless limit.

The organisation is also encouraging frustrated customers to press their case with “refusenik retailers”.

The CSA says that at the height of the pandemic one in three retailers was refusing to take cash, despite Bank of England research concluding that the risk of catching Covid from handling cash was low.

It added that the biggest Covid transmission risks were from shopping baskets and trolleys, and products on open shelves.

Nigel Constable, chair of the CSA, which launched last month, said: “We are frustrated by ongoing reports of refusenik retailers not accepting cash simply due to ‘hygiene issues’ when the Bank of England’s own research concluded this was simply not true and that there was actually a greater risk from other ‘high touch’ objects.

“While some retailers such as Aldi, Co-op, Lloyds Pharmacy and Waitrose are publicly supporting cash, too many are refusing this legal tender based on bogus health reasons, rather than accepting they’re offering poor customer service to the 40 million adults in the UK who still regularly use cash.”

The CSA added that it is looking forward to the forthcoming report, Community Access to Cash, which is looking into the whole issue.