- Can a merchant refuse a cash payment, citing the health situation? Internet users report such refusals.
- This practice is illegal, says the Defender of Rights.
- The risk of being contaminated with cash is "very low," according to the Ministry of Health.
When you hand him a five-euro bill to pay for your baguette and croissants, your baker demands that you pay for your purchases by card. Does he have the right to refuse your cash because of the Covid-19 epidemic? The question was raised on Facebook by a surfer, who told of her misadventures at certain merchants.
"Second time a store has refused my cash settlement, including one who told us bluntly that if we were not happy, we only had to go home, when the law is very clear on this subject ", She said in the group La France anger - Map of rallies. Other netizens share similar misadventures on Twitter.
FAKE OFF
Refusing a cash payment "is not allowed", details the Servicepublic.fr website. "Cash payment is the only means of payment that the merchant is obliged to accept", specifies the site. In the event of refusal, the merchant is liable to a fine of 150 euros.
In early April, the Defender of Rights recalled that "the refusal to accept cash is prohibited by law and therefore illegal". It highlighted the situation of vulnerable people (protected adults, elderly people or beneficiaries of social minima), who do not have a bank card to pay their expenses. "The refusal to pay in cash has the effect of depriving these people of access to basic necessities", he underlines.
In certain situations, detailed by the Ministry of the Interior, the merchant has the right to refuse cash: if he does not have enough coins to make change, if the coin or the banknote is suspected of being a false or for concerns of public order (for parking meters or shops open during night hours).
In order to limit cash handling, many sellers now offer contactless payment to their customers. The ceiling has just been raised to 50 euros.
The risk of being contaminated by the Covid-19 by handling currency "is very low", explained the ministry of Health to 20 Minutes in March. The Banque de France also ruled out this possibility: "to date there is no evidence confirming the hypothesis of a transmission of viruses such as the coronavirus by banknotes". Before recalling the importance of barrier gestures, such as hand washing, essential during this period.
Do you want the Fake off team to verify an info, photo or video? Fill out the form above or write to us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/20minFakeOff
Economy
Coronavirus: The French government will present within 15 days a car support plan
Economy
Coronavirus: Contactless payment as a barrier gesture
- Fake Off
- Society
- Covid 19
- Payment
- Economy
- Coronavirus
- Deconfinement
- Fact checking
- Contactless payment