Naming & Shaming Cashless UK Businesses
UPDATE 19 APRIL 2024
More businesses are ignoring the rights of the British public and imposing the awful “cashless”!
First addition to this list of dishonourables?
KOKORO Korean-Japanese Restaurants.
There are over 50 of these sites around the UK, all imposing “cashless” on customers. No sushi for us until KOKORO see the errors of their ways and start accepting cash again. They will have to anyway when the UK Payment Choice Act becomes law!
Next up on the list of Dictators of “Cashless”?
David Lloyd Centres and Bannatyne Health Clubs. When will these businesses realise that “cashless” is NOT fit for purpose? Keeping fit should be a CHOICE for everyone, including those who WANT to use cash!
UPDATE 3 APRIL 2024:
BILL’S RESTAURANTS and THE HEARTWOOD COLLECTION (which includes Brasserie Blanc sites) ARE ADDED TO THE PAYMENT CHOICE ALLIANCE “NAME & SHAME” LIST FOR DISGRACEFULLY GOING “CASHLESS”!
With 90% of the British public continuing to use cash, it’s time to ‘name and shame’ the businesses turning them away.
London 7 November 2023 – The Payment Choice Alliance, the campaign to keep cash as a universally accepted method of payment in the UK, today publishes its ‘Cashless Roll of Shame’ – a list of the businesses, to be found on many High Streets, who refuse to accept cash, despite the public’s clear desire to have the choice of how they pay; Payment Choice.
In well over a thousand locations up and down the UK, these businesses will not let customers pay with their cash, despite the public’s stated preference to have the right to use it, should they choose to do so.
- Benugo
- Black Sheep Coffee
- Cote
- Gail's Bakery
- Itsu
- Las Iguanas, Bella Italia, Cafe Rouge, Amalfi and Banana Tree - all owned by The Big Table Group
- Pizza Hut
- Prezzo
The public are invited to report other businesses they know that will not accept cash to the Payment Choice Alliance, to be added to the “Roll of Shame" once checked out, at info@paymentchoicealliance.org
Ron Delnevo, Chair of the Payment Choice Alliance comments:
“It is quite disgraceful that these shameful businesses are refusing cash and turning customers away.
“Who do they think they are, telling the British public that their cash is unacceptable?”
“It is particularly deplorable that there are so many high profile businesses selfishly refusing to take cash when the banks’ own trade body, UK Finance, confirmed that cash use increased last year by 7%.”
“In an era when technology is supposed to be giving us more choices in life than ever before, it is deeply ironic and more than a little disturbing that it is being used to stifle choice and hand bigger profits and more control to big businesses, including overseas owned card schemes and the banks they work with co closely.”
“Political parties with an eye on the next General Election would be wise to wake up to this major public concern.”
“It’s odd that, with 80% of Conservative voters telling YouGov recently that they want a law passed giving them the right to use their cash, when and where they choose, Rishi Sunak hasn’t so far stepped up to make this a policy stance. For all political parties, supporting payment choice is a vote-winner – ‘cashless’ quite definitely is not.”
“As for those businesses the PCA has named and shamed, they can recover the moral high ground - and the respect of the British public – by accepting cash again, even before a Payment Choice Act comes into force.”
For further information and to arrange interviews with the Chair of the Payment Choice Alliance contact:
Louise O'Hara
Telephone: +44 (0) 7984 453840
Email: louise.ohara@paymentchoicealliance.org
Web: paymentchoicealliance.org
About the survey
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,101 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 5th - 6th June 2023. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).
About the Payment Choice Alliance
Launched in January 2023, The Payment Choice Alliance, which is an initiative of the UK Cash Supply Alliance, is a not-for-profit organisation that is campaigning to ensure the right of the British public to use cash is safeguarded by the passing of a UK Payments Choice Act. This act would oblige businesses to accept cash for in-person payments.
The Payment Choice Alliance, which is staffed by committed volunteers, is also focused on ensuring every community in the UK has convenient cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. The provision of such facilities, along with the legal obligation of businesses to accept cash, will ensure cash remains a viable Payment Choice for the British public for as long as they want to use it.
