Jonny5
Senior Member
I couldn't find a central thread for this yet, but I thought it would be something of interest. Toronto is increasingly going cashless. Business are demanding that only cards be used for payment, which in Canada is completely legal despite some lingering disbelief out there, but it's true that any business can reject cash for any reason, or for no reason, and they do not need any signage saying that in advance. It has always been that way despite many truly believing the contrary.
I first noticed this was something that started before the pandemic, down in the PATH foodcourts, but now it has significantly increased this year and many more businesses out there reject cash for purchases over a certain limit.
I thought to post this after reading an article about a new phenomenon which has arisen called reverse ATM's. And while the article is US-centric, it opens up with the Rogers Centre and the Blue Jays team shop which no longer accepts cash, but it does now have a "reverse ATM" where you can input cash and it will give you a gift card in return. The article dives into how this allows stores to flout City bylaws that insist retailers have a cash option to be available to patrons, thought the legality of such bylaws is dubious, but it could put customers in the position of having a leftover balance on the card they never use..
We appear ahead of the US and the UK on this, though behind much of the rest of Europe where cash has largely vanished.
I read somewhere I can't find now that in the Nordic countries over 99% of transactions are now done by cards and most physical bank branches remaining don't even deal with cash, they exist now only to process applications for accounts, loans, and mortgages only.
I first noticed this was something that started before the pandemic, down in the PATH foodcourts, but now it has significantly increased this year and many more businesses out there reject cash for purchases over a certain limit.
I thought to post this after reading an article about a new phenomenon which has arisen called reverse ATM's. And while the article is US-centric, it opens up with the Rogers Centre and the Blue Jays team shop which no longer accepts cash, but it does now have a "reverse ATM" where you can input cash and it will give you a gift card in return. The article dives into how this allows stores to flout City bylaws that insist retailers have a cash option to be available to patrons, thought the legality of such bylaws is dubious, but it could put customers in the position of having a leftover balance on the card they never use..
We appear ahead of the US and the UK on this, though behind much of the rest of Europe where cash has largely vanished.
I read somewhere I can't find now that in the Nordic countries over 99% of transactions are now done by cards and most physical bank branches remaining don't even deal with cash, they exist now only to process applications for accounts, loans, and mortgages only.
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