'Jersey must be stopped from sleepwalking into cashless economy'

Wednesday, 18 February 2026 11:05

A St Brelade deputy is bringing a States vote to force in-person businesses in Jersey to accept cash.

Deputy Montfort Tadier wants to protect the option to use notes and coins, ensuring islanders have a choice about how to spend in the economy.

He is proposing that, by January 2028, the government ensures all businesses with a physical presence offering goods and services in Jersey must accept cash payments.

The deputy also wants Ministers to draw up a policy on the long-term access to cash that he says should examine the fees banks charge for cash deposits and withdrawals.

Deputy Tadier said the proposal is not anti-digital, but about promoting choice:

"It's about financial inclusion, this is about people wanting to give businesses their money, and sometimes they want to do that by paying by card or phone, other times it will be by using the notes that are in their wallet.

"It's also about security; if digital systems can be subject to hacking, cash can be seen as part of the resilience to that."

He added:

"If there's only one shop, cafe or restaurant at the airport or the harbour, people should be able to use cash there.

"We've got people possibly leaving the island with Jersey money in their pocket and not being able to spend it. I think that's a completely mad situation."

Recent scrutiny work has shown that 44% of islanders who prefer to use cash have been unable to do so because businesses refused it, and 77% of respondents to the Jersey Opinions and Lifestyle Survey agreed that businesses should be required to accept cash.