Alicia, aged 67, who lives in Devon, takes cash out every week to help her budget and although she has a smartphone, she refuses to download apps to make payments. Millions of pensioners and low-income families rely on cash like Alicia and object to the trend towards app-only and online-only payment systems. 

Alicia says, “Cash is so important to me as it is easy to budget using physical money, with digital payments it is easy to lose track of what you spend. It is also important for small businesses, solo traders and charities as they don’t have to pay each time a customer swipes their card or phone and cash is convenient to collect. (Alicia herself is an active supporter of Pancreatic Cancer UK). Security is a major concern for me too, if someone steals your cash they can’t get access to your bank account. And electronic systems fail so often, if you just have a card or smartphone, you are stuck!”

Millions of people like Alicia are worried that access to cash and physical banking facilities is becoming more difficult with thousands of recent bank branch closures. Even if you have the cash, so many more shops, businesses and public services are insisting on digital or app-only payments. This trend penalises all those who do not possess smartphones or do not wish to use apps for payments, like Alicia.  High Streets are suffering as car parking increasingly becomes app-only. 

Silver Voices, the only UK-wide representative organisation for older people, which is supporting this petition, is calling for a Government strategy to protect cash for future generations and for legislation to ensure that all businesses and public services are legally required to provide alternative non-digital means for payment. With increasing threats to internet security from criminal hackers and hostile foreign governments, it would be utter madness to have no healthy cash system to fall back on in times of crisis.