Better off cashless

SIR – Michael R D Evans (Letters, July 15) is wrong about charges made by banks to retailers. Both Visa and Mastercard only allow banks to charge a maximum of 0.3 per cent for credit cards and 0.2 per cent for debit cards.

In reply to Judith Milner (Letters, July 14), the NSPCC, Royal British Legion and Oxfam recently trialled contactless collections, resulting in average donations being treble the amount collected in cash. Charities would therefore benefit hugely from new payment technology.

Cash is the currency of crime and the currency of tax cheats – for which all honest, hard-working people pay. We now have many different, secure payment systems to suit everyone – businesses, charities, children, elderly and disadvantaged people.

The sheer scale of income tax and VAT fraud that occurs through the illicit use of cash means that, in a cashless society with many more people contributing their fair share of tax, there would be much more funding available for public services.

Ideally, there would be a choice, but unfortunately far too many people use cash for illegal purposes. A cashless Britain will be a better, fairer society. Jon Levenson

Campaign Director, Go Cashless Chester

SIR – Tricia Camm (Letters, July 17) wonders what we will put in the church collection plate if we have no more cash.

These days, many churches encourage parishioners to pay by direct debit, which makes claiming gift aid far easier.

However, the sting in the tail for those who pay by this method is the looks they get from fellow parishioners when they pass the collection plate by. Direct debit payments are anonymous; a tenner in the plate is not.

Chellaston, Derbyshire