Naming & Shaming Cashless UK Businesses
Pret A Manger In Disgrace: They Are Going “CASHLESS”!
It was all going so well for Pret A Manger.
When their latest results were published, they showed sales up 10% year-on-year and a total 498 shops in the UK, with 200 more overseas.
The business had doubled in size in the last 3 years.
In their H1 2024 update, CEO Pano Christou made a number of customer-centric statements:
“The foundation for all our success has been about doing what’s best for the customer.”
“ We are only as good as the service we give to our customers every day.”
“We also want to make our shops and the whole Pret experience as special as they can be for our customers and their families.”
Elsewhere in the update are the following statements:
“ This move follows the recent changes to Pret’s Board, reaffirming its mission to put the customer first.”
and
“The brand continues to be passionate about one of its core values, Doing the Right Thing.”
All great words…
AND ALL RENDERED COMPLETELY MEANINGLESS BECAUSE Pret A Manger ARE NOW PLANNING IMMINENTLY TO IMPOSE “CASHLESS” IN SOME OF THEIR UK STORES.
The cynicism of this move takes one’s breath away.
Pret A Manger are ignoring the clearly expressed wishes of the British public, 81% of whom told LINK Scheme Ltd earlier this year that they want to retain the option of using cash - and 71% of whom told YouGov last year that they want a law passed, to compel businesses to accept their cash.
Ironically, in this update Pret A Manger told the world that New York is their second strongest market after London - BUT they couldn’t introduce “cashless” in the Big Apple, because it is forbidden by law!
Equally, Pret A Manger France, Pret A Manger Spain and Pret A Manger Hong Kong cannot introduce “cashless”, because it is illegal to do so in those markets.
So this UK-founded company can’t export “cashless” but think they can impose it on the British public!
THINK AGAIN, Pret A Manger!
Your ill-conceived attempt to impose “cashless” on the British public will lead to Pret A Manger being “named and shamed” AND reported to the UK Treasury Committee, which is conducting an inquiry into cash acceptance in the UK.
When the UK public get the Payments Choice Act they have made clear they want, Pret A Manger will be compelled to accept cash again - but why would a company that has a mission “ to put the customer first” wait for a law to be passed to live up to their core value DOING THE RIGHT THING?
END THIS CASHLESS NONSENSE NOW, Pret A Manger!
UPDATE JUNE 2024
Naming & Shaming More “Cashless” Dictators!
Here are the latest businesses that have come to our attention for having the bare-faced cheek to impose the disgraceful “cashless” on their luckless customers:
- Albert’s Restaurants - 4 Restaurants in Manchester
- Ambassador Theatres - 40 Theatres around the UK.
- Boom Battle Bar - 29 bars around the UK.
- Cadwaladers Ice Cream - 6 Ice Cream shops, mainly in Wales
- Dylan’s bakers - 4 shops in North Wales.
- Landmark Theatres - 4 Theatres in Devon
- Marks & Spencer’s Cafes - 350 cafes around the UK.
- Merlin Entertainments - 100 + venues including, Madame Tussauds and the Blackpool Tower
- North Yorkshire Council - “cashless “ disgraces include The Pump Room and Tourist Information
- Revolution Bars Group - 48 bars around the UK
- Tortilla Mexican Grill - 59 sites around the UK
Several of these businesses have been around for more than a century. Others claim to be “family” businesses.
What they ALL have in common, however, is that they have lost their way, stopped giving their customers what they WANT and forgotten that CHOICE is something the British public have a RIGHT to expect, including Payment Choice.
These businesses should be ashamed of themselves.
They will all have to revert to accepting cash when a UK Payment Choice Act becomes law in 2025 - but why are they waiting for the British legal system to force them to provide decent customer service?
They can ALL rediscover the moral high ground NOW; by immediately ending their flirtation with the wholly discredited “cashless”!
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:
Ron Delnevo
Telephone: +44 (0) 7973 210154
Email: ron.delnevo@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
Initially launched in 2014 and relaunched in 2023, the Payment Choice Alliance 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, staffed by committed volunteers, is also focused on ensuring innovations are implemented to ensure 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.
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