Concern at people being blocked from using cash

MORE than a third of consumers have been blocked from paying with cash during the coronavirus crisis, according to Which?

Some 34% of people reported being unable to pay with cash at least once when trying to buy something since March 2020.

They were most likely to have been refused the option of paying in cash when shopping for groceries, which accounted for more than a quarter (28%) of incidents, the survey of more than 2,000 people in November found.

This was followed by leisure activities such as going to a pub or restaurant (24%) and buying cleaning products (21%).

Which? said a particularly concerning incident reported to it involved a diabetic man in urgent need of food because his blood sugar levels had dropped, who was unable to be served in two restaurants that had gone cashless because of coronavirus. The man, who had stopped off at a service station after getting stuck in traffic, was eventually able to pay in cash at KFC.

The consumer group said that one of the restaurants involved was a Nando’s.

Which? said when it contacted Nando’s it was told that it was taking payments through its app, in line with safety procedures, and it was “sorry to hear that a customer was unable to dine with us due to only having cash”.

Which? also heard from someone who had her foot in a brace who was on her way to see a GP but was unable to board a bus after trying to pay with a banknote.

One in 20 (5%) people surveyed for Which? said they rely on cash and one in seven (13%) said they would struggle without it. Two-fifths (40%) view cash as an essential backup.

Recent research from the Bank of England suggests the risks of catching coronavirus from banknotes is low.

Which? said given the low level of risk, combined with the significant number of people who still rely on cash, it is encouraging shops to continue to accept it.

The consumer group is working with retailers to develop an initiative to protect consumers who want or need to continue shopping with cash.

Jenny Ross of Which? said: “We have warned about the consequences coronavirus will have on an already fragile cash system, but nowhere near enough action has been taken by the Government or the regulator to understand the scale of this issue.”