“Amazon will accept cash at Amazon Go stores in the future, according to CNBC . The plan is part of an effort to address concerns that the checkout-free automated stores could discriminate against shoppers who lack bank accounts or credit cards. The effort would allow Amazon Go stores to open in states and cities that have banned cashless stores , including Massachusetts, New Jersey and Philadelphia, and prevent potential problems in places that are considering similar regulations, including New York, San Francisco and Chicago. The retail giant had earlier threatened to scrap plans for a Philadelphia Amazon Go store in response to the city’s law.”

“The shift toward a cashless society is well under way in Canada, as credit and debit cards, online transactions and digital wallets increasingly replace cash as the preferred modes of payment. Cash now accounts for just 12 per cent of point-of-sale transactions, according to Payments Canada’s most recent report. And payment processor Moneris forecasts that, by 2030, just 10 per cent of all commercial transactions in Canada will be settled with cash.”

“Amazon opened two of its cashier-free stores in San Francisco in 2018 and has plans for a third on Market Street . But thanks to District Five Supervisor Vallie Brown, the Seattle-based online-shopping titan may have to check out of the entire idea. In February, Brown introduced a measure that would bar most brick-and-mortar retail locations in San Francisco that do not accept cash.”

“Japan will run a campaign across the 10 days called The Cashless Week, run jointly by the industry ministry and the Payments Japan Association, which consists of companies and municipalities. The initiative, announced on Wednesday 13 March by the industry ministry, will involve businesses offering reward points and coupons to those who choose cashless payment methods such as cards or payment apps.”

“Companies which circulate, sort and distribute coins and notes say the rapid trend towards digital payments will soon render their businesses unprofitable, sources told the Daily Telegraph. At present just over a third of payments made in the UK are cash but this is set to plunge in the coming years. It is understood that most businesses involved in the cash system have given it between two and five years before it will become commercially unviable in its current form.”

“Starting in July, Philadelphia’s new law will require most retail stores to accept cash. A New York City councilman is pushing similar legislation there, and New Jersey’s legislature recently passed a bill banning cashless stores statewide. A spokesman for New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, declined to comment on whether he would sign it. Massachusetts has gone the farthest on the issue and is the only state that requires retailers to accept cash.”

“Japan, usually a high-tech model for China, is learning from its neighbor how people can pay without cash. Old-time paper money has reigned supreme in Japan, but that is beginning to change, thanks to a flood of Chinese tourists who expect to pay with a phone like they do back home. To spur adoption, Japanese internet companies are tying up with the companies that dominate China’s digital payments system, including Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.-affiliated Ant Financial and Tencent Holdings Ltd.

“Americans are becoming less reliant on physical currency. Roughly three-in-ten U.S. adults (29%) say they make no purchases using cash during a typical week, up slightly from 24% in 2015. And the share who say that all or almost all of their weekly purchases are made using cash has modestly decreased, from 24% in 2015 to 18% today, according to a new Pew Research Center survey that comes as some businesses experiment with becoming cashless establishments.”

“Moving away from cash doesn’t necessarily speed up commerce, since Japanese retailers are crazy good at counting change. “We trust our shopkeepers to give us accurate change,” Sayurai said. (Sayurai went to graduate school in the US, and she made it clear to me that she doesn’t think much of American shopkeepers’ cash-counting abilities.) “It’s much faster to pay with cash than wait for a card transaction,” International University of Japan professor Soichiro Takagi told me.”

“Still, cashless is catching on. A second Amazon Go location in the Financial District, a few blocks west, opened this week. Walmart and Tesco are exploring similar cashless stores. The popular fast-casual restaurant Sweetgreen, the men’s retailer Bonobos, and the Drybar hair salon have all sworn off paper bills, advising employees to simply turn people away if they can’t pay digitally.”

“A funny thing happened on the way to a world of cryptocurrencies and mobile payments. Cash became more popular than ever. The main reason? The one hundred dollar bill. In 2017, for the first time ever, the one hundred dollar bill became the most popular US bill in circulation, beating out the one dollar bill. It is quite the turn of events for Benjamin Franklin-faced banknote. Just 10 years ago, it was less common than both the $20 and the $1.”

“A traditional pub in the Britain has stopped taking cash payments and is the first in the UK to do so, its landlord has claimed. The Boot in Freston, near Ipswich, no longer has tills and customers have to either pay by card or through their phone. Having been derelict for nine years, the 1530s pub was refurbished by landlord Mike Keen, who has now opted to go cashless. Mr Keen said there were many benefits, most notably lower insurance premiums as cash is no longer kept at the premises.”

“Bank of England economists believe that removal of 1p and 2p coins from circulation would have a limited impact on pricing at the checkout, re-igniting a debate over the future of small value copper change.”