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Classic bad bank behaviour, this time in New Zealand. After 70 years of getting his cash over the counter at his branch, a customer is told the bank no longer offers the service. Here’s a quote from the article. “A spokesperson for SBS bank confirmed that the bank ceased offering branch cash services on Friday, August 28, after earlier communications with members. These communicati....

“The Department for Education said the legislation did not cover phone use during travel to school and that app-only fare discounts were a matter for individual bus operators”. The Tyranny of the Apps. In almost NO other country in Europe would bus operators get away with something so obviously WRONG. This effectively copies the HM Treasury script on “cashless”, where th....

A quote, regarding findings from European Central Bank market research. “In 2026, 92% of of Euro-area companies that sell their goods and services in physical locations reported that they accept cash. The corresponding share in 2024 was 90%. Companies covered by the survey have a higher regard for cash than digital payments in terms of privacy and reliability. A high share of companies als....

This article in The Daily Telegraph states that Sweden was due to become “cashless” in 2030. That is NOT correct. The renowned US Wharton School actually forecast Sweden would be “cashless” by March 2023. How badly wrong was THAT prediction!  It is absolutely brilliant that the Swedish Government and Central Bank - the Sveriges riksbank - have realised the folly of....

Once again, great coverage of cash issues by The Herald Scotland. It is harder than ever before for the Scottish public to conveniently access cash. Many Scots continue to WANT to use cash BUT now often have to make a special journey to get it. And even when cash can be found, it is now getting harder to use it, with more businesses disgracefully trying to impose “cashless” on the l....

Three weeks a year handling cash?! Wow! What a horrifying headline! Luckily, the reality is a little less daunting. According to the research, those running small businesses spend about a half hour a day cash handling, including actually counting takings. They then spend around one hour a week taking their on average £1738 to the bank. Hardly surprising, considering how few truly local ....

It is, of course, good that the Post Office has a “Cash Tracker”. The only problem? It does not give anything approaching the complete picture of the cash the UK public - us - use as we go about our daily lives. That is in keeping with all the other data sets about cash produced by UK Finance, LINK Scheme Ltd, the Big Five UK Banks, the Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authorit....

As usual, far too little, far too late. Hawick lost two bank branches - and their 24/7 ATMs - in 2025. The last bank branch in town, a Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland branch, will close - and have its 24/7 ATM removed - next month. This will leave Hawick High Street with no bank branch and no 24/7 ATM. And all the town is getting is a “temporary” Banking Hub until a permanent....

“Future of cash in UK explained…” by UK Finance? This isn’t an explanation. It’s a wish list, prepared by an organisation that counts amongst its most important members - and funders - the same banks that have determinedly been making cash much less conveniently accessible for more than a decade, as well as “encouraging” businesses not to accept cash. ....

This is an article from the Daily Record in 2018. A quote. “Customer numbers at closure-threatened RBS branches are up to 20 times higher than those suggested by official bank figures, a Sunday Mail investigation has found.” The story is absolutely 100% CORRECT. The Payment Choice Alliance has visited communities up and down the UK and have discovered the same “incompetence&r....

This is an excellent piece of research by Post Office Ltd. The Payment Choice Alliance research, carried out by YouGov, largely supports the Post Office figures. For example, 68% of respondents told the Post Office that they wanted in-person banking services to be available close to home. The figure from the YouGov research for the Payment Choice Alliance was 76%. It is absolutely clear what....

This “cash consultation” in New Zealand is notable for several reasons. Firstly, that it has happened at all. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has shown great respect for both Democracy and the Public Interest by conducting such a consultation. Unsurprisingly, there have been thousands of responses. Pro rata to population levels, based on the number of public responses received in Ne....

When the Payment Choice Alliance surveyed the UK public earlier this year, 85% of adults said they didn’t want to lose their free-to-use 24/7 ATMs. 85% equates to over 49 Million adults. There are now less than 30,000 free-to-use 24/7 ATMs in the UK, with around 20,000 lost since LINK ATM Scheme - effectively controlled by the big UK banks - was allowed to take the unilateral decision to s....

This is a post about innovation at one of the remaining Lloyds Bank branches in Birmingham. And “the remaining” is the crux of the issue. There has been no shortage of innovations - including in relation to cash and ATMs - the “Big Five” UK banks COULD have introduced when they had networks of branches properly covering the country and serving the British public. BUT the....

A terrible decision by Cornwall Council, which, according to AI, makes £ millions every year from car parking. The Council claims it costs them £100,000 a year to process the cash from 138 car parks. Thats only £750 per car park per year - or around £2 per day. So Cornwall Council are prepared to exclude cash users - who the Council says make up at least 10% of total use....

Very strange headline from the Swedish Herald. In fact, of the 800 stores operated by Coop Sweden, 799 now ACCEPT cash! This is thanks to a law that came into force on 1 July 2026 that compels grocery stores and pharmacies in Sweden to accept cash. The law is a HUGE step in Sweden, which was supposed to be “cashless” by now. Well done to the Swedish Central Bank - Sveriges riksbank -....

More brilliant in depth reporting in The Herald Scotland from Martin Williams. Most Scots want “cashless” almost as much as they want England to win the FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States ! But it’s seemingly not about what the Scottish public WANT and NEED - it’s about what the big banks, now controlled from London, can be bothered to provi....

Ron Delnevo talks to James Cameron on BBC Radio Surrey about disgraceful bank branch closures - and tells James what the British public can do about it! Source: youtube.com/watch?v=zFb0FUIKG2U

The pressure builds on Scotlands two dismal banks - Royal Bank of Scotland and Bank of Scotland - and on LINK Scheme Ltd, whose attempts to defend the indefensible are, quite frankly, pathetic. This is a brilliant in depth report by Martin Williams - Scotlands Financial/Business Journalist of the Year - in the The Herald Scotland, with invaluable insights from Adam Stachura at Age Scotland. The ....

An excellent article by Zoe Wood in the The Guardian. As the Payment Choice Alliance has highlighted before, Lloyds Bank has been particularly active in destroying genuine face-to-face customer service by closing their branches. Surrey outside the M25 has lost at least 11 Lloyds Bank in recent years, with only three remaining - and the branch in Camberley has probably only been kept because it al....