News Archive 2025

HM Treasury says they are monitoring what is happening in other countries in relation to cash acceptance. In reality, Payment Choice Alliance - founded in 2014, three years before UK Finance - has been gathering international precedents for years and informing HM Treasury accordingly. New Zealand has now been added to the long list of countries where it has been recognised that the public requir....

HM Treasury doesn’t seem to know the extent of the “cashless” problem in the UK? Luckily, the Payment Choice Alliance does. Take the Royal Shakespeare Company. Chaired by Shriti Vadera - who used to Chair Santander UK - the Royal Shakespeare Company accepted over £17.5 Million of the British publics money last year in the form of Government funded grants, via the Arts Co....

Ron Delnevo talks to Paulette Edwards on BBC Radio Sheffield about the wonderful new banknotes the Bank of England are planning! Source: youtube.com/watch?v=V8lyZpukpC0

No wonder the Bank of England are prepared to invest in the design of banknotes - why wouldn’t they keep such a popular and relevant product fresh and interesting? In 2015, the Bank reported that there were £60 billion of banknotes in circulation. In 2025, this amount has jumped to £86 billion. Thats an increase of 43%, despite the slow down during the pandemic. Of course, if....

This was the headline on Saturday 12 July on the UK Treasury Committee website: “Bank of England commits to monitoring cash acceptance on an ongoing basis.” The Bank of Englands commitment to the “monitoring” of cash acceptance consists of, from 2025, expanding its data collection with a SINGLE new question seeking to understand the impact on an individual of a business re....

Cash ALWAYS works - IF accepted. Cineworld Cinemas go “cash only” in Ipswich, messaging their potential customers "Please do book your tickets at the tills as online booking are not going through currently.” Isn’t it lucky that we still have cash on which to rely. Cash, which NEVER crashes or necessitates the message: “Please do book your tickets online. Cash isn&rs....

Only 4.8% of businesses in the Netherlands refuse to accept cash - a much lower figure than in the UK - yet the Netherlands Government have passed legislation guaranteeing that the publics cash will be accepted. Why have the British Government, led by Keir Starmer, not given the British public a similar right? THEY NEED TO LEGISLATE NOW TO ADDRESS THIS OBVIOUS FAILURE. Also, isn’t it wond....

Excellent article by Dan Vevers, Chief Reporter of the Scottish Sunday Mail. Scottish banknotes are seen by many Scots as part of their national heritage and identity. Since the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320 - “It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours, that we are fighting, but for freedom – for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself” - Sco....

Of course, everyone should keep some cash at home, if they can afford to do so. Systems failures are INEVITABLE. Cash ALWAYS works, as a payment method, store of value and means of exchange. Most of the cash nominally in circulation in the UK is actually already used as a store of value - in fact, more than £50 Billion of the £80 Billion plus of banknotes issued by the Bank of England....

These research findings from the Payment Systems Regulator are more proof that there is continued strong use of cash for payments by the British public, across the board. Those who seek to pretend that these figures are anything but strong evidence of the enduring public use of cash are simply being disingenuous. 37% of adults between 18 and 35 reporting that they used cash once or more in the l....

Hardly surprising to read this in the Daily Express NatWest revealed recently that 6 million adults in the UK only use cash to run their lives and 19 million use cash to budget their finances. The Advertising Standards Authority should ban advertisements placed by Visa, Mastercard, Apple and other purveyors of cards and apps showing users smiling. Why would people be smiling as they sink furthe....

This move to safeguard cash accees in Ireland follows recommendations from Ireland's 2022 Retail Banking Review. Irelands Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said: "Cash remains a preferred form of payment and continues to play an important role in our economy. This bill will put in place a framework that will ensure sufficient and effective access to cash infrastructure is available in the....

Cash is Queen! One can well believe that Her Majesty used her own £ when having a flutter! And it might also be said - tongue in cheek - that the King would have been a right charlie not to follow in his mums regal footsteps at Royal Ascot last week! Anyway, good to see this positive story about cash in The Times. They quote NatWest as saying 8% of people solely use cash - that equates t....

The figures in this article show just how popular cash is WHEN THE PUBLIC ARE ALLOWED TO USE IT. Look at these figures: “A total of 650,934 transactions were made in the town’s car parks during 2024/25 – just over 100,000 [more] than the previous year. Cash payments was the preferred choice of payment, with 495,346. That was followed by app payments (105,442) and card payments ....

The lovely Fairy, working in a podiatrist in Edinburgh. Fairy tells us why she - along with many of her customers - prefer cash and how sad it is that youngsters in shops sometimes can’t count! Fairy certainly keeps the younger generation on their toes - and has it nailed down that being able to count is an important tool for living. Time to get arithmetic back on the school curriculum? ....

Staggering quote from Bank of England here: “Even in the UK, there will be times where networks are down and you can only be paying in cash.” Victoria Cleland of Bank of England said “that consumers want cash to be there but they’re not necessarily using it” “Not necessarily using it”? Keeping cash at home IS “using it”. Cash is “used....

The lovely village of Shaldon in Devon, at its heart demonstrates how cash should be treated by British businesses - with the utmost respect. The photograph shows a sign in the excellent London Inn, located opposite the bowling green and close to the beach in this quaint estuary community. “Please pay cash when you can” is all the Landlord asks, later thanking those who do so for &ld....

Interesting article, revealing that Gen Z are returning to cash to get control of their finances. This backs up insights from NatWest Bank research, which revealed last week that there has been a recent increase in cash use by 25 to 35 year olds, perhaps connected to the various IT meltdowns, data breaches and other technological failures that have been experienced in the UK and elsewhere in the ....

A quote from this awful story: “Cashless stores will be a key focus area at the 2025 Retail Technology Innovation Hub Innovation Awards.” Winning awards in 2025; illegal by 2026. East of England Co-op should be ashamed of themselves for imposing “cashless” on their customers - and at a Railway Station, which is subsidised by the British public? Did they ask their 177,00....

The UK Government announces a “Defence Review” and the creation of at least six more armament factories. However, it is not just shells and missiles needed to protect the British public. Nordic Governments - and, more recently still, the Netherlands Authorities - have moved quickly to advise the public to keep cash at home as a defence against cyber attacks and other systemic threats....

The existing process Banking Hub location selection process, which has failed to provide Banking Hubs in Barrhead and Neilson, is not working to best serve the Public Interest. As the Payment Choice Alliance has made clear for sometime, there should be an automatic provision of a Banking Hub, with a 24/7 ATM, automated cash deposit facilities and other in-person financial services, in every UK com....

Ron Delnevo tells Julia Hartley-Brewer on Talk that the UK Government MUST stop treating the British public as Second Class Citizens. Source: youtube.com/watch?v=J_NwfiNq7M0

Exciting April 2025 cash numbers from Post Office Ltd, especially in relation to counter services. And we can provide a more detailed analysis, demonstrating just how important a role Post Offices play in UK cash circulation. Let’s look at cash deposits first. The year-on-year increase in cash deposit numbers was an impressive 5.3%. The average value of cash deposits, personal and busine....

Lilian Greenwood, the Minister for the future of roads, is the only MP actually mentioned as backing this “Universal Parking App”. Lilian is quoted as saying that this app will be introduced at “no cost to the tax payer”. BUT what the Minister does NOT say is at “no cost to motorists”. Why? Because, as the AA rightly makes clear, “those opting to pay by....

The Financial Conduct Authority reveal that: * 25% of adults have low financial resilience. * 21% of adults have less than £1000 in savings on which to fall back. These figures equate to 14 million and 12 million respectively. It has been reported elsewhere that 16 million adults in the UK use cash to budget their finances as best they can. In commenting on these figures the Financial C....

This needs to be thoroughly investigated by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Claimants should not be facing particular questions about cash use. Millions of people, claimants and many others, prefer to use cash since it helps them to budget more carefully. The implication is that if you use a card or digital for 100% of your purchases, that’s ok with the DWP As one claimant ma....

A classic quote from a councillor at St Albans City & District Council. “It was always our intention to find a way for people to pay by cash although modern parking machines do not allow this.” The truth? Many councils ARE installing “modern parking machines” which DO accept cash payments. St Albans City & District Council clearly simply did not want to buy this....

Without cash, there can be no “cash only” to fall back on, to save the day for the British public. No cash = no ability to buy the basics of life - food; medicines; travel. When will the HM Treasury, Financial Conduct Authority and Bank of England recognise this easy-to-understand reality? To speak of one day every member of the British public being “digitally included” ....

Great support from Jeff Prestridge at This Is Money for cash and payment choice. And a brilliant quote from Jeff: “Two years ago, 71 per cent of British adults surveyed by Payment Choice Alliance said they would like to see a law passed guaranteeing that they could use their cash when and where they choose. If I had been asked to participate, I would have given the same answer. Two years ....

This is GREAT news from Uber! They have recognised the will of the British public - and given them the choice to use cash for the first time. It has only taken them 13 years - but at least it demonstrates that they now believe in the future of cash in the UK. Since they already offer cash acceptance in over 50 countries, this is Uber recognising that the British public are NOT second class citi....

Payment Choice Alliance Chair Ron Delnevo tells Laura Maxwell and Gary Robertson on BBC Radio Scotland this morning that the Treasury Committee has let down the British public - 40 million of them - by kicking cash acceptance laws into the long grass, instead of recommending immediate action.

A weekend - and no Free-to-Use ATM available to provide access to cash for the 15,000 residents of Wellington in Somerset. Why not? Because the Banking Hub provided by Cash Access UK in the town doesn’t have a 24/7 ATM. When you ask the "Authorities" why this has been allowed to happen, it's always someone else's responsibility. One word to describe this response? PATHETIC. G....

Does anyone REALLY believe these cyberattacks can be stopped? Yes. The same type of people who tell us that “World Poverty” can be ended. Sloganisers, one and all. The truth is that if the British public had realised the problems they would face through online fraud and hacking, they would never have adopted the new technology. Marks and Spencer continued to struggle for days last....

Ron Delnevo tells Anna Cookson on the BBC Radio Kent Wake Up Call show that “cashless” MUST be banned on Stagecoach buses!

You do have to laugh at some of this “wisdom”… "If you have a significant amount of physical bills on hand, you may be more tempted to spend on 'extras' that you otherwise would avoid." Isn’t it hilarious that reality is turned on its head to suit the self-serving script of the anti-cash brigade? Cash kept at home for “emergencies” is NOT subject t....

Interesting report from the Banque de France. A quote: “The vast majority of French people continue to value cash and recognise its many advantages. Lastly, they also consider cash accessibility and acceptance to be very satisfactory.” If the Bank of England ever did a similar survey of the British public the results would be very similar - EXCEPT it is highly unlikely UK residents ....

Great article by Ruth Comerford at BBC News! A mere 58 years after the planets first ATM was installed in the UK, some are finally installed on Tuvalu. The Moon has been visited and Concorde has come - and gone - whilst the public in Tuvalu have waited to see an ATM. Those living on the nine islands that make up this nation are joyously celebrating- but the rest of us should be ashamed of the t....

Ron Delnevo and the BBC’s James Cannon Discuss Why The Public In Surrey - And EVERYWHERE else - Deserve Payment Choice. Source: youtu.be/7x6oWg_K_Wg?si=QSxEaWVZkacFXOUV

It is pointless to have a debate about whether cash is king, even though around the planet it overall remains the most used payment method. The crucial issue is ensuring using cash remains available as a CHOICE - an option - FOREVER. Why is that important? Let’s not bother with a long list of reasons today. We can simply covet it with the observation that usually, when you hear the words....

A quote: “On April 7, Abdullahi Musa Huseini, a make-up artist also known as Amuscap, was sentenced to six months in prison for throwing 100,000 naira, worth £50, at his wedding.” Such “cash throwing” was long a tradition at Scottish weddings, in a country whose residents are famed for their generosity… This action by the Nigerian government is part of a lon....

In Slovakia, businesses are urging customers to use cash to avoid new bank charges. Isn’t it wonderful that this option exists? Without cash being available as an option, banks and card schemes can basically charge what they like. Which is no doubt why, in July 2023, the Slovakian Government took the step of strengthening the constitution to guarantee that the public would have their cash ....

A quote from this article about the award-winning Imperial Garden Chinese Restaurant in Plymouth in Devon: “The decision to only accept cash payments came after the restaurant was twice stung by fraudsters who ran up huge bills and paid via a fraudulent online account. The restaurant ended up unable to collect the money.” The restaurant has no problems with its customers - there are ....

What is shocking about this article is that it has taken so long for The London Standard to notice the rip-off inflicted on cash users who use the London Underground! Overcharging those using cash to buy tube tickets has been going on for many YEARS- now they charge around times the card price to travel one stop using cash. Transport for London has got away with this type of rip-off for two deca....

There’s been a lot of brilliant PR in recent weeks about Banking Hubs. The fact is, however, that the promise to deliver only 350 Banking Hubs by 2029 remains unchanged. Let’s be crystal clear.. Those 350 promised Banking Hubs CANNOT fill the gaps created in community financial services provision by the disappearance of around 8000 bank branches. It was quite wrong for a Government ....

So MORE drivers prefer using cash for their parking than any other payment method BUT councils are still switching car parks to “cashless”? Many people who contact the Payment Choice Alliance to are sick and tired of the preferences - the wishes - of the public being totally ignored. It’s all very well for AA members to suggest drivers boycott “cashless” car parks -....

Kate Osborne is a great supporter of cash, Payment Choice - and Banking Hubs. None of this is surprising. Kates constituency has over 70,000 registered voters, many of whom need or want to use cash. They are part of the huge group of over 40 million voters who are demanding that a UK law is put in place in 2025, to guarantee their right to use their cash, when and where they choose. When it come....

Very interesting study, commissioned by the Deutsche Bundesbank. A quote: “The findings indicate that from the consumer perspective in Germany, the costs of cash and that of the most cost-effective cashless alternative are similar. This means people in Germany can choose between paying in cash or by card depending on their preferences.” Sadly, the final sentence is NOT correct, UNLE....

A quote from this Daily Mirror article: “However, Full Fact clarifies that legally, shops have the right to refuse cash payments, if they choose to do so.” Correct. Which is why, as also reported in the article, the Payment Choice Alliance is calling for new UK legislation obliging shops and other businesses to accept the publics cash. This would give the British public the same gu....

A lady in Selkirk in the Scottish Borders saying she had to travel 10 miles to get cash -a twenty mile round trip. A shopkeeper determined not to be forced to accept cards, even though his customers are struggling to access cash. Only one 24/7 ATM servicing the needs of the town - and, hardly surprisingly, it often runs out of cash. All the towns bank branches and main post office have been clo....

Thanks to Jon Ungoed-Thomas at the Observer for this excellent coverage of the issues - and to Kate Osborne MP for highlighting the impact on her constituents and many others. When PM Keir Starmer is pulling together meetings with his fellow European leaders, as he needs to do frequently in these troubled times, he might reflect on the fact that so many of them have taken steps to compel business....