re: Legality of Banning Cash Payments

Too easy for employees to steal cash.

quote:

---

LEGAL TENDER FOR ALL DEBTS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE.

---

FYI this does not mean what I think you think it means.

When you make a new purchase, it is not a "debt".

quote:

---

I bring this up because I just scheduled a doctors appointment, and even while scheduling, they bring up that cash payments are not accepted.

I know why they are doing it (a cashless society destroyed anonymity and lets them know pretty much everything about you and is just another way of tracking you)

---

You think your local doctor is doing it because he wants to destroy your anonymity and allow you to be tracked?

It could be that it's far easier for him to have financial tracking without any manual inputs for cash payments and reduces the administrative function or cost burden of cash deposits.

I buy ammo, drugs and sex toys with cash.

quote:

---

A debt is an obligation. Not the narrow view as a legal contract to borrow and repay in the future.

---

Every Federal court that has considered the issue has ruled that private businesses do not have to accept US tender for current sales.

States can and have ruled that businesses have to accept cash at point of sale.

quote:

---

Holy tinfoil hat, batman!


I am all for going cashless. Tap to pay has been so much easier. Also, as someone who can use a credit card responsibly for the points, its even better.

---

Upvote. Somehow there was only one other.

OP sounds insane. Cash at the Doctor? Jesus.

From the Federal Reserve:

Is it legal for a business in the United States to refuse cash as a form of payment?

There is no federal statute mandating that a private business, a person, or an organization must accept currency or coins as payment for goods or services. Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether to accept cash unless there is a state law that says otherwise.

Section 31 U.S.C. 5103, entitled "Legal tender," states: "United States coins and currency [including Federal Reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal Reserve Banks and national banks] are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues." This statute means that all U.S. money as identified above is a valid and legal offer of payment for debts when tendered to a creditor.

***

Highlights of ChatGTP's long answer:

There are relatively few reported appellate decisions squarely addressing the question because, under federal law, the issue is generally considered straightforward: there is no federal requirement that a private business accept cash for a contemporaneous sale of goods or services.

The "debt" question:

The harder issue is whether a business must accept cash after a debt already exists—for example:

restaurant where you pay after eating,
repair shop after work is completed,
medical bill,
loan payment.

Here, there is more legal debate, but even then there is no broad federal appellate rule holding that every creditor must always accept cash. The legal tender statute makes cash a valid tender of payment, but the consequences of refusing that tender depend on contract law and state law. Some jurisdictions treat a proper tender of legal tender as stopping interest or certain penalties without extinguishing the underlying obligation.

State laws can be different:

Several states and municipalities have enacted statutes requiring many retail businesses to accept cash. For example, Massachusetts has long had such a law, and New Jersey, Rhode Island, and some cities (such as New York City and Philadelphia) have enacted similar requirements. Those laws are based on state or local legislation—not on the federal legal tender statute.

Bottom line:

As a matter of federal law, there is no reported Supreme Court decision or leading federal appellate case holding that a business must accept paper currency for an ordinary retail sale. The prevailing legal rule comes from the interpretation of 31 U.S.C. § 5103: a private business generally may refuse cash for a sale unless state or local law requires otherwise.

quote:

---

I really can’t help it but they are all wrong.

---

Delusion can be a comforting state to live in. Glad you found your happy place.

quote:

---

Yet more and more cash is essentially being banned. It's been the case at NFL stadiums and NHL arenas for awhile

---

This and like most places who went cashless is basically to prevent theft.
Ever see the people who work concessions at stadiums?

We should never go cashless, after Katrina, since card readers were down , businesses only took cash. People who demand a cashless society, have never lived through a natural disaster.

Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

Obligations where a settlement is required unless forgiven. Not what you owe the state.