Latest news with #PaymentChoiceAlliance
Daily Record
16-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
French firm behind Edinburgh Airport blasted for banning cash for parking
Campaigners said it was hypocritical for the airport to only accept card payments given it's illegal for firms to go cashless in France. The French firm which co-owns Edinburgh Airport has been blasted for banning cash payments for parking - despite it being illegal for businesses to go cashless in France. Campaigners said Scots are being treated like "second-class citizens" compared to European counterparts where many countries have passed laws protecting the right to use cash. Edinburgh is jointly owned by Vinci Airports which holds a 50.01 per cent stake in the firm alongside Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) which owns the remaining 49.99 per cent. Vinci owns 70 airports, including Gatwick and Belfast International and bought its majority stake in Edinburgh last year. Edinburgh Airport made parking charges cashless on July 1, following Glasgow and Aberdeen. But given Edinburgh Airport's French connection, Ron Delnevo, of the Payment Choice Alliance, said the move was hypocritical. He said: 'By law in France, cash must be accepted. "It's an absolute joke how we're being treated in Britain - we're being treated as second-class citizens. "All around Europe, the public has these rights but here we're being told to let businesses decide. "That's complete rubbish. Older people in particular are embarrassed if they go in somewhere and their cash is turned down.' Edinburgh Airport Limited, the company Vinci bought a majority stake in last year, remains a Scottish company. Edinburgh Airport said: "More than 90 per cent of transactions in our car parks are now cashless, and this trend informed our decision." It comes after we told how Scottish banknotes are being quietly phased out with many ATMs now issuing English cash. The Sunday Mail revealed earlier this month how Scotland's unique cash - a symbol of Scottish national identity and banking heritage - is being stripped out of circulation at four times the rate of English currency. Bank of England data shows the value of Scottish notes in circulation has slumped by nearly a fifth since 2020, the year the Covid-19 pandemic hit and saw an increase in contactless card payments. The total value of Scottish banknotes in circulation - including in people's wallets, shop tills and in the wider economy, as well as in ATMs and bank branches - had slipped below £5billion for the first time since November 2020. The value of Scottish notes held in ATMs and bank branches fell from half a billion pounds in 2017 to just £240million last year - a huge real-terms cut of 63 per cent. The Payment Choice Alliance campaigns on the right to access and use cash anywhere in the country. Some of the most vulnerable groups in the country rely on cash, including many people with disabilities - either because they do not have access to a debit card, or because someone else controls their money. People over-65s rely on cash too, as well as victims of domestic abuse who often need cash to escape controlling partners who track their debit or credit card activity. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Daily Mirror
12-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
UK households rush to 'hold physical cash' as warning issued to millions
Households are seeking a safety net in time of global volatility, according to the Bank of England's chief cashier UK households have been issued a warning to "hoard physical cash" as Brits scramble to respond amidst economic uncertainty and fear of shortages. According to the Bank of England's chief cashier, households are seeking a safety net during this period of global volatility. Victoria Cleland stated on Tuesday that UK households were creating a cash contingency fund, similar to their actions during the Covid and cost of living crises. She noted that the Bank had observed a significant rise in the number of banknotes in circulation in recent months. "At a time of uncertainty, at a time of crisis, people do move to cash. They want to make sure they have literally got something under the mattress," said Ms Cleland. "Even in the UK, there will be times where networks are down and you can only be paying in cash." Cleland mentioned that consumers want cash "to be there but they're not necessarily using it". Last year, Ron Delnevo, chair of the Payment Choice Alliance, which advocates for the long-term future of cash services, declared it was "completely unacceptable" that some shops were refusing cash. "The vast majority of the public want cash to be honoured as a payment," he stated. "These businesses are letting down the public." Kate Osborne, the Labour Party MP for Jarrow and Gateshead East, who has signed the early day motion, expressed: "It is a fundamental right that people should be able to use cash as a legal tender. "When you are trying to budget, particularly if you are on a low income, cash is a simple way of doing it. I understand that many people are not using cash much of the time, but there should be choice for all. "We are seeing more and more retailers offering card-only payments, and it causes problems in constituencies like mine where we've got a high number of people who are digitally excluded or may choose not to do electronic banking." The Bank of England has suggested that in the coming years, alternative digital payment methods will likely become increasingly accepted and utilised, reports Birmingham Live. In 2017, debit cards surpassed cash as the most frequently used payment method in the UK.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Digital powerhouse Uber now accepts cash for fares
Taxi app giant Uber is now allowing passengers across most of the UK to pay in cash. Following trials, the cash payment option was this week extended to all UK cities, except London, where it is being reviewed. But individual drivers can still opt out of accepting notes and coins, partly if they are worried about safety of carrying them in their vehicles. The move came as a major report suggested shops and services might need to be forced to accept cash in the future to protect those who rely on it. On Wednesday, the Treasury Committee of MPs stopped short of recommending mandated cash acceptance now, but said its report was "a wake-up call" to government on the issue. Uber has become a huge company and dominates the global ride-hailing market, as well as operating in a host of other transport sectors. Its rapid ascent has come with controversy and protests from other taxi providers. Its success has been based around new technology, but meant customers needed cashless payments to use its services. Following pilots in Birmingham, Stoke, Nottingham and Leicester, Uber said it has now extended the option of paying in cash to other UK cities, because some people preferred paying in cash or did not have a bank card. "We believe that movement should be accessible to everyone, so following successful pilots in some UK cities over the last 18 months, we have decided to give passengers outside of London the option to pay for trips with cash," a spokesman said. Passengers can select cash as their payment option on the app. Drivers can opt out in preferences on their own app. If they do not have enough change, that is given as a credit to the passenger by Uber. The cash option is being reviewed by authorities in London, and remains unavailable for Uber Eats or booking for other forms of transport via the Uber app. Cash campaigner Ron Delnevo from the Payment Choice Alliance said Uber's move "demonstrates that they now believe in the future of cash in the UK", and brought the company's operations in the UK in line with many other countries. He called on the government to introduce a law that would force all shops and services to accept cash. Ministers have said there are no plans to introduce such rules. However, the Treasury Committee's recent report did highlight various groups who relied on cash, including some people with learning disabilities and those who use cash to keep to a budget. Among those reliant on cash, and who gave evidence to the committee, were victim-survivors of domestic and economic abuse. Many face the dangers of being traced by their abuser via the payments they make. Buying a train ticket, for example, could only be done with cash in order to avoid an abusive partner becoming aware of their movements. "It really is a matter of life and death," said Sam Smethers, chief executive of the charity Surviving Economic Abuse. "Without it they find themselves monitored daily, with every transaction." Joint bank accounts and mortgages had also been used as a way to impose coercive control over somebody, she said. And cash could be used as an eventual escape route. "One victim-survivor said she hid pockets of cash around her house until she had enough to flee her abuser," she said. The charity would like to see cash acceptance backed by law, but Ms Smethers said she welcomed the focus the committee's report had put on the plight of those facing economic abuse. 'I'm trapped in a joint mortgage with my abuser' 'My cafe takes cash to help those on low incomes'
