Martin Lewis Warns Shoppers Who Pay With Cash Of A Huge Mistake They Might Not Know About

Still using cash and coins for a lot of your purchases? Well, listen up, as Martin Lewis has a warning for you.

According to the Money Saving Expert, shops are actually within their legal rights to refuse cash payments for items.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has seen many retailers requesting the customers now pay by card in order to reduce physical contact, as handling notes and coins which may contain traces of Covid-19 could see the potentially deadly virus spread.

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But while there have been reports of some people, who still rely on cash to buy a lot of their goods, struggling to buy essentials, Martin has now explained that shops aren't breaking any laws by turning down cash - even if it is legal tender.

"They aren't breaking any rules," he said on The Martin Lewis Money Show. "You are allowed to take card only as long as it's not discriminatory for race or disability or something."

Martin then delved into what legal tender actually means.

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"Legal tender has a strict definition," he said. "It means if you have a court awarded debt against you, if someone tries to settle and they're paying in legal tender you cannot refuse it.

"And that's all it means."

He pointed out that in some parts of the country, only coins, and not notes, count as legal tender.

"In Scotland, no notes - neither Bank of Scotland nor Bank of England, are legal tender," he said, which means they have the legal right to turn down payment for purchases in notes.

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However, it's easy to see how confusing it can get, as notes are still considered legal currency.

With more and more shops urging for people to pay by card, and cash an increasingly frowned upon method of payment during a pandemic, some people have asked why we don't just do away with cash altogether and become a cashless society.

But Martin has pointed out that cash is still essential for some in order to pay for goods and services.

"I don't want [a cashless society], because there are many vulnerable people who need cash," he said.

Topics: Life News, Martin Lewis, Money, Life

Kimberley Bond

Kim is a journalist at Tyla, and has previously worked at the Evening Standard, Radio Times as well as several national newspapers. A showbiz obsessive and a television fanatic, Kim is particularly interested in celebrity gossip, A-list events and the latest releases on either the big or small screen. Contact her at [email protected]

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