Mail Online

Payment chaos is so unwelcome

Taking advantage of the recent easing of lockdown, I decided to take a short break in Cornwall.

When I got there, I was amazed at the different procedures in place in various hospitality outlets when it came to payment.

Some were cash-only, others card-only. Some were cash or card – then, surprisingly, some were neither cash nor card. The only way to pay was by downloading the venue’s app.

Although I do have debit and credit cards, I am not used to being forced to use them to purchase small items such as a newspaper.

As for paying by app, unless you have a smartphone and are confident in using it, this isn’t an option.

It’s only a few years since businesses didn’t want payment by card due to ‘bank charges’, and if they did accept cards, there was often a surcharge.

As restrictions ease and the hospitality industry starts to welcome back the public, it needs to concentrate on the key word – ‘welcome’ – and let people pay by any means they wish, whether it be cash, card, or indeed their app.

Antony Stansfield, Brighouse, West Yorkshire

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2021-07-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-07-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

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