USING cheques and paying by cash has always been the way to do business but things are changing, and as far as senior citizens are concerned, it isn’t for the better.
That technology will work isn’t a certainty.
Outages and poor WIFI coverage can hamper transactions made online.
Being forced to pay electronically with a credit or debit card, or mobile phone app hit headlines last month when Queensland MP Bob Katter forced federal parliament’s cashless café to accept cash.
“If you have a cashless society the banks control your life,” he said.
It is not illegal for Australian businesses to refuse cash payments.
Businesses can choose which payments they accept.
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission businesses are legally able to ‘specify the terms and conditions that they will supply goods and services’.
This includes whether they accept cash payments however consumers must be made aware of these terms and conditions before they make a purchase.
While banknotes are legal tender National Seniors is urging Australians to make it known that they want banknotes and coins to remain in circulation.
The trend towards a preference of digital over cash accelerated during the pandemic when shopping online became more prevalent.
People were also reluctant to handle cash for fear of transmitting COVID-19.
Alongside this came the closure of bank branches, National Seniors reports more than 400 closures in the year from June 2022 to June 2023.
Many automatic teller machines were also removed, 700 in the same period.
Banks are already phasing out personal chequing accounts, these are expected to be gone by 2030.
“Seniors have been experiencing this issue for a number of years now,” National Seniors Australia chief executive officer Chris Grice said.
“There are many seniors and others who would be greatly inconvenienced and experience hardship if cash was difficult to access or use.”
He said some people were unable to afford mobile phones and others are not tech-savvy or were concerned about scams associated with electronic transactions.
“Card payments often attract additional fees, so purchases are more expensive than with cash,” he said.
“Another concern is power and internet outages which could render cashless systems inoperable.”
Academics believe the transition to a cashless society is already underway and could be complete by the end of the decade.
