Why Businesses Don’t Accept Cash – And Why That’s a Problem

Not long ago, cash was the default way to pay. Fast forward to today, and an increasing number of businesses refuse it altogether. Many people assume this shift is about security, hygiene, or even customer preference. But the real reason is something else entirely: businesses want automation.

Brett Scott, financial activist and author, explains in an interview with Nathalie Nahai that businesses aren’t rejecting cash because it’s inconvenient for customers – they’re doing it because they want to remove human involvement from transactions entirely. By eliminating cash, businesses can centralise operations, track every sale digitally, and automate financial processes.

But while businesses may see this as an efficiency win, the consequences for customers—and society as a whole—are significant.

The Myth That Businesses Need Easier Access to Banking

Some argue that businesses don’t accept cash because bank branch closures have made it difficult to deposit takings. But this theory doesn’t hold up.

Campaign for Cash tested this idea by visiting the City of London, one of the few places where all major banks still have branches. It’s an area with easy access to deposit facilities, meaning there’s no logistical excuse for businesses to reject cash. Yet, we found that of 15 cafés visited, 80% didn’t accept cash. Among 11 pubs, roughly half were cashless.

If access to deposit facilities were really the issue, cash acceptance in the City would be far higher. Clearly, something else is driving this shift.

The Real Reason? Control and Automation

The truth is that businesses are actively working to remove cash because it gives them more control. Unlike cash, digital transactions:

• Feed directly into financial systems – every payment is trackable, allowing businesses to monitor staff and automate sales data.
• Reduce the need for human oversight – there’s no need to manually count takings, handle cash deposits, or worry about small discrepancies.
• Make administration easier – digital payments integrate seamlessly with accounting software, reducing paperwork.

For larger businesses, these factors make cash an inconvenience — not for customers, but for management. Card and mobile payments offer centralised oversight, allowing companies to automate finances, track employee performance, and cut costs on physical banking tasks.

Brett Scott argues that this shift isn’t just about business convenience, it’s about creating a system where every transaction is permission-based. Unlike cash, which allows people to transact freely, digital payments require approval from banks, payment processors, and tech companies. If these gatekeepers decide to block a transaction, there’s nothing a consumer can do.

The Hidden Risks of Cashless Business

A fully digital payment landscape hands enormous power to banks, payment processors, and tech companies, who can monitor, restrict, or even block transactions. If physical cash disappears, we move into a world where every financial interaction is permission-based.

And it’s not just individuals who lose out. Small businesses that accept cash can avoid transaction fees and have more flexibility in how they operate; however, as more businesses are pressured into going cashless, they are being forced into the digital financial system, even if they don’t want to be. They lose the ability to spend cash directly, instead having to rely on banks and payment processors, while also being forced to pay transaction fees they might otherwise have avoided.

A society that becomes too dependent on digital transactions also becomes more vulnerable to tech failures, cyber-attacks, and financial exclusion. Just this month, it has been reported by the BBC that “nine major banks and building societies operating in the UK accumulated at least 803 hours – the equivalent of 33 days – of tech outages in the past two years, figures published by a group of MPs show”.

What’s the Solution?

If businesses continue to reject cash, the only way to reverse the trend is through government action. Cash acceptance should be legally mandated to ensure that customers still have a choice.

This isn’t just about convenience; it’s about financial freedom. A fully digital system gives corporations and financial institutions total control over transactions, removing the autonomy that cash provides.

Once cash is gone, getting it back won’t be easy. And if we let businesses dictate the terms, we may soon find ourselves in a world where paying for something is no longer a right, but a privilege granted by the financial system.

Cash: It’s in your hands—for now!