Released: May 07, 2020
Coalition formed to protect right to pay with cash
Many U.S. consumers lack access to digital payment mechanisms
Contact: See end of press release for media contacts.
WASHINGTON, D.C.–Consumer representatives and businesses committed to preserving the right of consumers to pay with cash announce the new Consumer Choice in Payment Coalition (CCPC). The group will advocate for the continued availability of cash as a payment option for consumers throughout the U.S.
“We believe it is critical to ensure cash remains a universally available payment option for consumers throughout the nation,” said Linda Sherry of Consumer Action, a CCPC member. According to Consumer Action, as well as the Consumer Federation of America and other noted payment-choice advocates, cashless enterprises lock out many millions of unbanked and underbanked Americans, while eroding the fundamental consumer freedom to rely upon cash for payment.
Organizations and businesses that have already signed on as members of the coalition include Consumer Federation of America and Consumer Action; manufacturers of cash-handling and processing hardware Hyosung USA, Genmega, Triton Systems and Diebold Nixdorf; and national trade associations The National ATM Council, Inc. (NAC), the National Armored Car Association (NACA), the Independent Armored Car Operators Association (IACOA), the Secure Cash & Transport Association (SCTA), The Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) and Financial Service Centers of America (FISCA).
Among the coalition’s top national legislative priorities is supporting passage of the Payment Choice Act of 2019 (HR 2650). The bipartisan bill, introduced in Congress last year by Rep. Donald M. Payne Jr. (D-NJ), has 38 co-sponsors, both Republicans and Democrats, and is poised to move forward through the legislative process once things return to the new normal on Capitol Hill. Upon enactment, the law would maintain nationwide acceptance of cash payments for consumer purchases of goods and services at brick-and-mortar retail outlets.
“We’re most encouraged to see such widespread bipartisan support for the Payne bill,” said Bruce Renard, executive director of coalition member The National ATM Council, Inc. “This law will establish sound and consistent guidelines to help preserve a nationwide option for consumers to pay with cash," said Renard. "Protecting the cash payment option has already generated widespread public support across the country. Within the past two years, the state of New Jersey and major cities including New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco, have all enacted laws requiring retail providers of goods and services to maintain a cash payment option for consumers.
The CCPC recently issued a statement regarding cash safety during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The statement pointed to information available in current scientific literature showing cash is as safe to use as other available payment methods, such as plastic cards or mobile phones–so long as standard public health recommendations about hand washing and not touching one’s face are followed.
Availability of cash payments remains extremely important during times of natural disasters and other emergencies. It has proven essential during network system outages, when electronic payments may be inoperable. Many people also appreciate the privacy and personal freedoms and protections cash affords for their individual spending and to avoid data collection about their transactions. These concerns have grown as data-driven marketing becomes ever more intrusive and pervasive, compounding the risks of identity theft and data breaches that expose personal information.
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About the Consumer Choice in Payment Coalition: The CCPC is a diverse coalition of consumer and business organizations that share a unified interest in preserving consumer choice and freedom to pay with cash at retail businesses throughout the United States. The CCPC is committed to the safe and secure delivery, transport, and use of U.S. currency by all consumers in America. For more information about the CCPC, its members, and the fight to maintain consumer payment choices in the United States, click here.
Media Contacts
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Bruce Wayne Renard, Executive Director The National ATM Council, Inc. 904-683-6533
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Linda Sherry, Director, National Priorities Consumer Action 202-544-3088 linda.sherry AT consumer-action.org Facebook: consumeraction Twitter: @consumeraction
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