Have you ever been refused cash and been asked to pay by credit card at an establishment? Depending on the regulations of the U.S. state in which you are located, the company could be incurring in an illegality. For example, the State of Florida does not have any regulation that requires or exempts the company to demand or refuse cash, while in Miami-Dade there are specific regulations. According to the U.S. Federal Reserve website, “Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether to accept cash unless there is a state law to the contrary.”
According to the Pew Research Center, wealthy citizens rely less on cash than those with lower incomes, and obtaining credit cards or electronic payment methods is not affordable for everyone. For reasons such as this, the Miami-Dade County Commission has posted on its website regulations prohibiting retail businesses from refusing cash as a form of payment. Commissioner Rene Garcia, the ordinance’s sponsor, aims to ensure that all citizens have access to the same products. The same thing happened in Broward County, where Senator Shevrin Jones sponsored a bill requiring some businesses to accept cash payments. Jones told the Tampa Bay Times that not everyone could use the Cash App, so those limitations had to be taken into account.
Payment regulations in the US
According to the U.S. Federal Reserve, cash is considered “legal tender,” but neither federal law nor regulation in many states requires businesses to accept or refuse cash. As can be read on the Federal Reserve’s website, “Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether to accept cash unless there is a state law to the contrary.” In addition, according to the Pew Research Center’s 2022 report, getting a credit or debit card is not available to all citizens, as not everyone can provide their address, personal information and other requirements.
Miami-Dade regulations
In the absence of any federal regulation, each state is responsible for regulating this area. In the case of Miami-Dade, there is a law that requires businesses to accept cash. The following statement can be read on the county’s website: “Miami-Dade County prohibits businesses or entities offering retail goods and services from refusing cash as a form of payment for sales”. This measure was sponsored by Commissioner Rene Garcia, who said he wanted to ensure that all citizens have access to the same products, regardless of the method of payment.
“It also ensures that everyone – elderly, low-income, disabled – continues to have access to events and parks.” In fact, if any consumer is refused payment because it is cash, they can go to the County’s Consumer Protection Division and make a formal complaint. Not only will establishments be warned, but they can be fined up to $1,000 for not accepting cash payments of $20 or less.
Florida regulations
Subsequent to the pandemic, many Florida businesses opted to maintain payment through electronic money, even leading to events in which they refused to accept cash for a latte. After observing this trend, in 2023, Senator Shevrin Jones initiated a bill that would force establishments to accept cash in their transactions.
Like Garcia, Jones noted that the vast majority of payments were being made through apps like Cash App, which left a percentage of the population unable to pay and at a total disadvantage. He told the Tampa Bay Times “We have to understand that there are also people who cannot participate in the economy if we say now that cash is not accepted.” However, his initiative was shot down in 2024 during the legislative session.
