News Archive 2024

As you can see, the “Big Question Poll” in The Times - “Should all shops have to accept cash?” - came up with a very conclusive answer. Do you want to please 68% of the electorate, Keir Starmer? Now you know how…. bring legislative measures before Parliament in 2025 to guarantee the British publics right to use cash, when and where they choose.

A good survey by the LINK Scheme, the UK ATM network. Cash is a VERY popular gift. This will only be surprising to those who have succumbed to the PR machines of Mastercard and Visa, who since 2010 have together waged their “War on Cash”. They have lost that “war”. The Payment Choice Alliance will shortly be writing to Michael Miebach, CEO of Mastercard and Ryan McInern....

Ron Delnevo, the Payment Choice Alliance Chair, had a great chat with Stuart George on BBC Radio Stoke about the importance of cash and Payment Choice. Like most people, Stuart agrees that choice is a very reasonable thing for the British public to expect - and deserve! Source: youtube.com/watch?v=XoHDyOkHV78

Once again the Payment Choice Alliance making the news, this time on FUBAR Radio with Gabriel Nussbaum , the Money Man. Gabriel had a long conversation with the PCA Chair Ron Delnevo about cash and why it is so important to so many in the UK today. Source: youtube.com/watch?v=CH9GfIRbLu4

A quote:
“The Dutch Central Bank (DNB) has issued an unprecedented warning to the public to keep cash in their homes because of the increasing risk of cyberattacks, particularly from Russia.” Actually, this is not unprecedented. The Swedish government issued a similar warning to their own citizens in 2019. Since then, the threat has grown. Massively. Alistair Carns, ex UK Arm....

A great debate in The Times! Big “thank you” to Jessica Sharkey for organising it - and finding someone brave/foolish enough to argue that shops should NOT have to accept cash! Anyway, cash - and the public - WON! 71% of those Times readers responding had by last Friday voted “YES”, which is exactly the same percentage that responded “Yes” to the same questio....

Ron Delnevo discusses with the BBC’s Clare McDonnell why cash use is going up and why cash remains an important payment option for over 45 Million adults in the UK. Source: youtube.com/watch?v=6J5MoJCy2aM

This article urges communities to apply for a “Banking Hub”? Leaving aside that there is no specification approved by the Financial Conduct Authority as to what services a “Banking Hub” must provide - as highlighted by MP Harriett Baldwin at last weeks Treasury Committee Cash Acceptance Inquiry- why not use a simpler method? There are 1200 communities in the UK with popul....

PCA Chair Ron Delnevo was on the BBC again the other day, this time speaking to Phil Mercer on Radio Berkshire about how the county has lost so many cash access points, including ATMs and post offices. Windsor now has no bank branches, with the Nationwide Building Society - a Mutual - the only financial services branch footprint, in a town with over 30,000 residents and visited by millions of tou....

Research like this is really very silly. Until the invention of the “Charge Card” in 1950 - created because some American guy was embarrassed his wife had to pay for a meal - everybody paid by cash or cheque. Just 75 years ago, compared to the history of cash use, which goes back more than 2500 years. Everybody was paid in cash in those days. Employers weren’t trying to avoid ....

Wonderful news for all those who care about having the option to use cash! The highly influential Treasury Committee, Chaired by Labour MP Meg Hillier, has announced an Inquiry into the Acceptance of Cash in the UK. There are many serious issues with cash acceptance already - and the number is growing, The Payment Choice Alliance will be making a submission covering ALL the issues. Source: comm....

Payment Choice Alliance Chair Ron Delnevo spoke to Danny Pike on BBB Radio Sussex last week. Sussex cash access has fallen significantly in recent years. This has led to situations such as encountered by one person who spoke to the BBC, where they had to search for 20 minutes to find cash. Ron spoke to Danny about why this has happened and what needs to be done in 2025 to put matters right. Cas....

This is meant to be a trial of cash transfers in the UK, where recipients are given cash and decide how they spend it to best help themselves and their families. But here is a quote from the article: “They [Greater Change] do not make direct transfers to avoid benefits being stopped due to a cash influx.” So it’s not really a cash transfer at all… The reality is that t....

There is some good news here from Australia - but this quote reveals the current limitations of what is being proposed on cash acceptance: “In a move designed to taper the phase-out of cash and ensure those who rely on it can still use it for the near future, the federal government will require certain businesses to take cash payments. But others, including many small businesses, will be ex....

The government released a document last week regarding the National Payments Vision. The most important paragraph? 3.3. And specifically - with PCA capitalisation: “…the government recognises that there is a proportion of the population who either cannot or do not WANT to use digital payments”. The PCA applauds Tulip Siddiq at HM Treasury for the vital inclusion of the word ....

An illuminating quote about South Africa. “A striking 94% of adults withdraw cash each month, according to the recent FinScope study. This is shown in daily transaction behaviour at retailers on the ground. Statista writes that about 73% of point-of-sale transactions in this country are still conducted in cash.” South Africans are NOT using cash because they HAVE to do so. They WANT....

More than 5000 people responded to this Yahoo survey and 95% said they believed shops should obliged to accept cash. This supports findings in recent surveys conducted on behalf of LINK Scheme Ltd and the Payment Choice Alliance. So Keir Starmer Rt Hon Rachel Reeves & Tulip Siddiq - please get on with getting a Payment Choice Act passed in 2025! Source: uk.news.yahoo.com/cash-shops-card-onl....

The answer the question in the article headline? NO! And now a quote from one these experts found by J.P. Morgan: “Still, I would be surprised if we didn’t have a cashless society in the next 50 years. If that becomes the case, then it’s crucial that we ensure that the necessary safeguards are in place.” So we might have a “cashless” society by 2074? Arou....

Seahouses is a great little town! A local guide has this description: “Seahouses is big, lively, has lots of pubs and cafes, restaurants, a National Trust shop - and lots of fish and chip emporia. It's also the place to go for boat trips to the Farne islands and has lovely sand dunes.” The last bank in town closed in July 2023, having operated since 1876. It was a Martins Bank ....

UK Veterans Minister Alistair Carns has made clear that keeping cash circulating in the UK is a matter of “National Security”. The governments of Norway and Sweden share this belief. It is obvious that “cashless”, contrived by Visa and Mastercard, working with their collaborator banks, is NOT in the Public Interest in ANY country. The Payment Choice Alliance believes tha....

A report on Marks and Spencer from a Payment Choice Alliance supporter: “Last week, I went in to the Marks and Spencer store in Brentwood and ordered a pack of two shirts costing £40 and I paid in cash. My husband tried a shirt on at home and found that chest size was quite small, so we agreed that we would exchange the shirts. Today, I went back to the Brentwood Store but my husban....

The vast majority of people going on holiday carry some cash with them. Why? COMMON SENSE. ------ Source: standard.co.uk/business/business-news/cash-is-king-for-holidaymakers-survey-shows-b1188830.html

A Game Changing quote from this article: “If the U.K. adopts a digital currency, citizens shouldn’t expect cash and coins to disappear. That’s according to Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey, who said Saturday (Oct. 26) that the central bank will continue to provide paper money “for as long as people want.” “The evidence is they do want it, so we will con....

This review is worth reading. A potential customer absolutely slaughters Hall & Woodhouse Ltd for not accepting cash at one of their pubs. The reviewer also makes clear that they spent their £100 at a rival local business that DID accept their cash. The General Manager at the pub then informs the lost customer that they will soon be accepting cash again and asks that the person returns....

What the Senedd should be debating is what steps need to be taken to AVOID any chance of a “cashless” Wales emerging. LINK Scheme Ltd revealed recently that 81% of adults want to retain the option to pay using cash. YouGov found in 2023 that 71% of adults want a law passed guaranteeing they can use their cash, when and where they choose. These percentages INCLUDE “vulnerable ad....

Really top class article from Mia Wallis in the The Daily Telegraph. The GenZ people Mia quotes have their own and perfectly sensible reasons for continuing to want to use cash. Control of expenditure; personal safety; avoidance of fraud; inclusiveness for those with disabilities; a learning tool. Interesting also that the survey the Telegraph are conducting alongside the article reveals that o....

The Labour MP for Stroud, Dr Simon Opher MBE, tells Ron Delnevo how much his constituents need cash as a payment option

Tom Adams, Convener of Kingdom Bank in Scotland, talks to PCA chief Ron Delnevo about how important cash is to members of Credit Unions.

Naomi Pohl, General Secretary of the Musicians Union, tells PCA Chair Ron Delnevo just how important cash is for members of her Union

Becky Gittins, MP for Clwyd East, talks to Ron Delnevo about the need for cash and Payment Choice.

This link below takes you to how a bus fare can be paid for in New York. new.mta.info/guides/riding-the-bus Amongst the options listed: “With exact change in coins 1. Board via the front door. 2. Insert exact change into the farebox.” Now you might be thinking that this is a relatively new innovation, insisting on cash being paid in exact fares being a step in the direction of th....

This sign is in the window of a retailer in the small but bustling town of Callandar in Scotland. The retailer prefers cash - and makes clear the reasons why. The last bank branch in this town will close in November 2024 - and no “bank hub” is to be provided. Towards the end of the notice you will read that this retailer believes that if businesses take more cash and deposit it via ....

Payment Choice Alliance spokesperson Ron Delnevo speaks to Peter Levy on BBC Look North about why everyone in Yorkshire and the whole UK deserves Payment Choice. Source: [link]

Revolut is a phenomenal success story. The Big Five UK banks are losing a lot of business to Revolut - and that trend is likely to gather pace. A few weeks ago, Revolut confirmed that over 70% of their business customers made cash deposits. However, there are severe restrictions, imposed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as to the amount of cash that can be deposited. Here is how Revol....

Another crack appears in the “cashless” assault on the British public. Black Sheep Coffee has been “cashless” since they started operating in 2013. They have been named & shamed by the Payment Choice Alliance and severely criticised by customers - but they seemed not to be listening. But, finally, they have seen sense. Look carefully in the bottom right hand corner ....

Thanks to Callum Mason at iNews for highlighting this very important issue. Domestic abuse is a huge and growing problem. There is absolutely no doubt that cash can provide an escape route for victims of abuse, including by not allowing abusers to track their victims. Charities such as Refuge are doing wonderful work, supporting victims of domestic violence, as are Relationship Coaches like Mari....

Great to see Pooja Shrivastava at Asian Trader getting this important story out so quickly. 81% of British adults believe the option to use cash is important. Cash is NOT a fringe issue! Well done to LINK Scheme Ltd for producing this crucial research, highlighting that that vast majority of the British public WANT to be able to use cash. This contrasts with the rather smaller number of people ....

Poor cash access and unreliable internet services are killing trade for small businesses in THOUSANDS of communities around the UK. Sandbach in Cheshire is just one sad example. However, when the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) say that all of this must be put right “ to enable small firms to continue to accept cash if they wish to “, they are placing the wishes of their members....

It’s good to see the BBC News highlighting such stories of “cashless” folly. What do Middlesbrough Council think they are up to? A “significant reduction in demand” led them to close their cash office? The reality? Some officious Bean Counter in the Council, who probably uses an app to advise on underwear changes, thinks that “progress” is imposing &ldqu....

Teignmouth has a population of 15,000 - and is yet another town left without any bank branches. Cash Access UK say that they have put a temporary “Bank Hub” in the Post Office, a Post Office that is open only half day Saturday and is closed on Sundays. There is now only one free-to-use ATM in Teignmouth Town Centre - and the permanent “Bank Hub”, when it finally opens, is....

On 12 August, the change to “cashless” Railway Station Car Parking in Kent - this “progress” - was inevitably going to be imposed by Southeastern Railway on 19 August. Then it was stopped. One strong letter to a Government Minister from the Payment Choice Alliance meant that “cashless” hit the buffers! Those - the Majority of us - who refuse to accept the impo....

Wendy Chamberlain, the Liberal Democrat MP for North East Fife, is absolutely correct. On 18 September, more than six years after Natalie Ceeney and her team started work on their “Access to Cash Review”, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules come into force regarding banks assessing the impact of future branch closures BEFORE closing the branches - and, potentially, keeping branche....

Interesting figures from Post Office Ltd Only £900 million of the £3.7 billion of British post office cash activity in July 2024 was cash withdrawals. The rest was business and personal cash deposits. Underlines the lack of deposit alternatives for the British public and businesses. That said, with the value of ATM transactions resilient, despite the continuing reduction in the UK A....

Our Chair, Ron Delnevo, was on Radio Kent at 7.20AM on 12 August, talking to Anna Cookson about the disgraceful decision of Southeastern Railway to impose “cashless” parking on Railway Stations in Kent. Let’s hope Steve White, MD of Southeastern Railway, got the wake up call! Steve takes over £1 million EVERY day in taxpayers subsidy and then goes completely off the rails ....

A classic situation. Towns in Oxfordshire starved of cash access and also some businesses refusing to accept cash. Witney still has bank branches but, with a population of only 30,000, is unlikely to keep them. The cash access measures outlined recently by the Financial Conduct Authority are clearly inadequate. Equally, the fact that no measures have so far been taken to guarantee cash acceptan....

"Many older people, those who live and work in rural areas, and thousands of small businesses rely and still feel comfortable using cash and that is why it is not going to be going anywhere soon.” Here we go again. This time it’s a former Conservative Peer Lord Kulveer Ranger trying to convince us that cash is only of marginal interest and that we are all on a journey towards an inev....

It is not just churches suffering; many venues lose out if there are no cash donations. We saw recently at the Roman Baths in Bath; the “cashless” Wishing Well lost 90% of the previous donations. People should STOP making the excuse “I don’t carry cash” for not making donations to good causes. Such people are simply being THOUGHTLESS and MEAN - and that’s thei....

Three interesting aspects to this article. Firstly, this quote “UK Finance says 22million adults are 'primarily cashless.'” Next week, the Payment Choice Alliance will be writing to Chancellor Rachel Reeves to ask her to intervene to stop UK Finance from making such statements. “Primarily Cashless” is a contradiction in terms. A person is either “cashless&....

A busy week for Payment Choice Alliance Chair Ron Delnevo. Ron was on Ian Collins TalkTV show, talking about all things cash, including why the British public will not accept “cashless” being imposed on them. Ron was also on a Phone In on BBC Radio Scotland, on John Beattie’s “Mornings” Show. The vast majority of those who phoned in were strong supporters of cash as....

Revolut, when it surveyed its sophisticated digitally- skilled UK customers, found that 71% had deposited cash with a bank or other financial institution in the last year, as well as 34% wanted a feature to be able to deposit cash monthly. These figures are STAGGERING. Remember, this is in the UK, which, so the story goes, is almost ready to go “cashless”. Within 24 hours of Revolut ....