A cashless calamity

AT THE end of last year, we warned that Britain was sleepwalking into a cashless crisis.

Now, a report published today claims we could end up in a position where we have to order our cash through the post or pick it up from secure lockers.

These are truly bizarre proposals and will no doubt worry many readers already struggling to access cash amid closing bank branches and ATMs.

But we shouldn’t despair — there is still time to turn it around.

In Sweden, which has the world’s most cashless society, it took hospitals to suggest the idea of no longer accepting cash for ministers to realise they were facing a serious problem. Now, experts predict that half of its retailers won’t take cash by 2025.

You may think it could never happen here. But we are on an almost identical path to Sweden; just a few years behind.

So far, only a handful of pubs, cafes and shops across Britain have gone cashless. But if bank branches keep shutting and fees for depositing cash continue to rise, more retailers will be forced to follow suit.

This risks alienating millions of cash shoppers who will suddenly find they have far less choice in the High Street.

When consumer experts from the UK visited our Scandinavian friends, they were warned repeatedly to start making a plan now. It is far, far easier to save an existing cash infrastructure than to try to reinstate one from scratch, they told us. So let’s learn from Sweden’s mistakes.

Today, Money Mail is calling on Chancellor Philip Hammond to pledge to protect cash in his Spring Statement next Wednesday. It would send a clear message that this government understands the consequences of going cashless too quickly and will not let it happen.

Paper cut

WHAT a dirty little trick by Vodafone. last week, we revealed how profit-hungry telecoms giants are charging customers up to £36 a year extra to receive their bills in the post. Now it has emerged that Vodafone has tried to quietly scrap paper bills altogether.

Even worse, the firm initially denied it to Money Mail, claiming it had no plans to axe its paper billing service. It then eventually admitted it had been switching customers who receive paper statements to digital billing as part of a ‘trial’. But it assured us customers would continue to have a choice and had only to call to switch back.

Yet, when our correspondent asked a staff member if paper bills had been withdrawn, she was told: ‘We no longer send paper bills.’

A contrite Vodafone has now promised to retrain staff and contact customers to explain clearly how they can keep their paper billing service — but it’s disappointing we even got to this point.

Rip-off bills

WHIlE we are on the subject of the paper bill rip- off, it seems insurers are at it, too.

Money Mail reader Elaine Ellis, from Sheffield, says: ‘ My car insurer said that from next year, it is going to charge £6 for paper statements. That equates to £18 a year, as both my husband and I have a vehicle, and we have home insurance. This is discrimination against those of us who prefer to have a hard copy to refer to.’

Is your insurer charging for paper policies? Email us at moneymail@

dailymail.co.uk, or write to Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, london W8 5TT.

Help us help you

FINAllY, a quick reminder from our letters’ editor Tony Hazell.

In order to help with your disputes, we need a note giving the company in question permission to speak to us on your behalf. This is vital — without it, they won’t tell us a thing. You can download a form at

thisismoney.co.uk/permission. We also need your full name, address, telephone number and customer reference number if possible.

If you include all this, there’s a much better chance that your letter will find its way to the top of our mailbag.