# Airlines not taking cash **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 11, 2012, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512 "2012-02-11T09:36:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512/1 "2012-02-11T09:36:34Z")
This isn’t about tickets, but about in-flight services, such as buying meals or drinks. There are times that I’ve wanted to get some overpriced airplane food on a long flight, but I’m not willing to pull out my credit card to do so. Is it, strictly speaking, LEGAL to refuse to accept cash for payment? Isn’t the whole point of cash that it is, as it says on the notes, ‘legal tender for all debts, public and private’? If enough people wanted to raise a stink about this in the courts (and pay a lawyer lots of cash for pushing the case) could the airlines be forced to accept cash again? I realize that this is about the airline’s convenience (not wanting to have lots of cash on hand for each flight) over the passenger’s convenience (there’s a shocker). ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512/2 "2012-02-11T09:57:59Z")
I guess you are talking about a domestic flight. On an international flight, what currency would be valid? ---
**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512/3 "2012-02-11T10:32:52Z")
In the USA you can refuse to accept cash, or anything you want for payment. The thing is there is no debt created BEFORE you buy something. So if I want a drink on an airline, the flight attendant doesn’t give you the drink till he/she gets payment. So there is no debt created. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512/4 "2012-02-11T12:12:20Z")
> [@lawoot](#): > > Isn’t the whole point of cash that it is, as it says on the notes, ‘legal tender for all debts, public and private’? “Wanting to buy something” isn’t the same thing as a “debt”. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512/5 "2012-02-11T14:42:40Z")
> [@lawoot](#): > > I realize that this is about the airline’s convenience (not wanting to have lots of cash on hand for each flight) over the passenger’s convenience (there’s a shocker). It’s definitely in the airline’s interest to sell drinks at a 300% markup to as many interested customers as possible. But it appears there’s a significant problem with employee theft: flight attendant brings on board several of the popular drink miniatures, substitutes these for stock that was sold from the rolling cart and pockets the matching amount of cash. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512/6 "2012-02-11T17:51:10Z")
There was also the occasional problem of passengers flashing $50 and $100 bills and insisting they had nothing smaller, then raising a stink when the cabin attendents couldn’t make change. Cash can be a problem for everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512/7 "2012-02-11T19:10:43Z")
The golf course where we play doesn’t take cash. Which is totally unheard of, but apparently some employees were dipping in the till. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512/8 "2012-02-11T19:36:19Z")
We ended up VERY hungry after discovering that our domestic flight only took cards, after we’d been delayed for five hours after all the food places at the airport had closed. New York to LA is almost a six hour flight, too. I’d never flown domestically before and wasn’t expecting this. The flight attendant ended up giving us meals (pre-booked meals that other passengers hadn’t bothered eating) for free, and some bottled water. If he hadn’t, we’d have gone without food for over 11 hours and without liquids for 6 hours - you’re not allowed to take your own drinks on board, after all. > [@Cicero](#): > > I guess you are talking about a domestic flight. > > On an international flight, what currency would be valid? IME, they accept the currencies of the countries they’re flying to and from, and US dollars. They might well accept Euros or other currencies too, but they never seemed to have a problem deciding which currency to accept just because they were in the air. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512/9 "2012-02-11T19:41:57Z")
I guess the other question the airlines asked themselves is “really, how many people today do NOT have a credit card, especially if they can afford an airline ticket?” The ones who bought the airline ticket with cash are not on board, they are delayed in the holding room beside the TSA inspection station… ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512/10 "2012-02-11T21:20:44Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > you’re not allowed to take your own drinks on board, after all. Actually, you are allowed to take your own drinks on board (at least non-alcoholic ones). You just can’t take them through the TSA checkpoint. If you buy a bottle of water or soda in one of the airport shops past the checkpoint, you can take it on board the plane. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512/11 "2012-02-11T21:31:02Z")
> [@FatBaldGuy](#): > > Actually, you are allowed to take your own drinks on board (at least non-alcoholic ones). You just can’t take them through the TSA checkpoint. If you buy a bottle of water or soda in one of the airport shops past the checkpoint, you can take it on board the plane. The shops were all shut, as I said, and I couldn’t find any vending machines, both of which surprised me. There was a water fountain that we used while waiting but nothing we could take onto the plane. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512/12 "2012-02-11T21:54:02Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > The shops were all shut, as I said, and I couldn’t find any vending machines, both of which surprised me. There was a water fountain that we used while waiting but nothing we could take onto the plane. I always bring an empty bottle through the check, then fill it from the drinking fountain. Why yes, I am a cheapskate, why do you ask? 😃 I don’t think I’ve ever arrived in an airport with everything closed though… most annoying equivalent was Riga, in Latvia, where all the shops would accept euros, but only gave change in local currency… and nowhere would let you change such small amounts back. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512/13 "2012-02-11T22:07:44Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > I always bring an empty bottle through the check, then fill it from the drinking fountain. > > Why yes, I am a cheapskate, why do you ask? 😃 > > I don’t think I’ve ever arrived in an airport with everything closed though… most annoying equivalent was Riga, in Latvia, where all the shops would accept euros, but only gave change in local currency… and nowhere would let you change such small amounts back. I was amazed at how early everything closed in both Newark and Toronto airports, but it was the delay that really made it difficult; the shops were just closing when we arrived, but we had another five hours after that. Can’t you only take 100ml bottles through check-in? I’ve had larger containers taken off me due to the container size, not the contents. That’s not a lot of water. Actually, if I’d know that they only accepted cards on board it would have been OK, but not knowing that I ended up with not enough on my card because I thought cash would be more useful and (weirdly) stolen cash was covered by my insurance whereas stolen cards weren’t. The international flights I’ve been on have all been really short or have included more food and drink than you could manage. People who regularly travel on domestic flights are probably fine. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512/14 "2012-02-11T22:22:52Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > I was amazed at how early everything closed in both Newark and Toronto airports, but it was the delay that really made it difficult; the shops were just closing when we arrived, but we had another five hours after that. > > Can’t you only take 100ml bottles through check-in? I’ve had larger containers taken off me due to the container size, not the contents. That’s not a lot of water. > > Actually, if I’d know that they only accepted cards on board it would have been OK, but not knowing that I ended up with not enough on my card because I thought cash would be more useful and (weirdly) stolen cash was covered by my insurance whereas stolen cards weren’t. The international flights I’ve been on have all been really short or have included more food and drink than you could manage. People who regularly travel on domestic flights are probably fine. I’ve stood just before the security check, gulping down a litre of water because I wanted to take the bottle with me but they wouldn’t let me bring the water through and there was nowhere nearby to just dump it out (this was between flights, I filled my bottle before the first flight and still had most when we got off and had to change planes in Toronto to go on to Florida). So IME no, as long as the bottle is empty you can bring it through. We always try to bring snacks through when flying, so far they’ve not confiscated our snacks, but I don’t fly much so YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512/15 "2012-02-11T22:29:15Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > We ended up VERY hungry after discovering that our domestic flight only took cards, after we’d been delayed for five hours after all the food places at the airport had closed. New York to LA is almost a six hour flight, too. I’d never flown domestically before and wasn’t expecting this. The flight attendant ended up giving us meals (pre-booked meals that other passengers hadn’t bothered eating) for free, and some bottled water. If he hadn’t, we’d have gone without food for over 11 hours and without liquids for 6 hours - you’re not allowed to take your own drinks on board, after all. What airline doesn’t serve free sodas and water these days? I fly several times a year and have yet to run across this. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512/16 "2012-02-11T22:33:23Z")
I haven’t been flying for 15 years. How does that work, with each drink order being paid with a credit card? Do the attendants carry a card reader you can swipe as they pass you the drink? Do you have to punch in a PIN? Do they charge it to your seat number? ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512/17 "2012-02-11T23:19:20Z")
> [@Flutterby](#): > > I’ve stood just before the security check, gulping down a litre of water because I wanted to take the bottle with me but they wouldn’t let me bring the water through and there was nowhere nearby to just dump it out (this was between flights, I filled my bottle before the first flight and still had most when we got off and had to change planes in Toronto to go on to Florida). So IME no, as long as the bottle is empty you can bring it through. > > We always try to bring snacks through when flying, so far they’ve not confiscated our snacks, but I don’t fly much so YMMV. Perhaps they’re more relaxed on domestic flights (which would be odd, given that the 9/11 planes were on domestic routes), but I have had containers over 100ml taken off me on an international flight before and the rules there definitely say no containers over 100ml, empty or not, so I assumed it’d be the same on domestic flights. It’s an (even more) pointless rule otherwise. > [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > What airline doesn’t serve free sodas and water these days? I fly several times a year and have yet to run across this. Hmm. I just looked it up and it seems we should have had complementary drinks, but we were definitely told that we weren’t due them. The only soft drinks they even _had_ on board were bottles of water - they didn’t even have milk or coffee, which I’d originally wanted to order. All but one of the staff I met or saw interacting with other passengers was rude and incompetent beyond anything I’ve ever seen before - it was like they’d all contracted Basil Fawlty disease. I theorised that perhaps it was due to the recent Continental/United merger - perhaps the staff were being treated particularly badly and taking it out on their passengers. It’s likely they just messed up that part as well as everything else then. ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512/18 "2012-02-12T00:14:36Z")
> [@lawoot](#): > > Is it, strictly speaking, LEGAL to refuse to accept cash for payment? Yup. [The US Treasury explains on their website](http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/faqs/Currency/Pages/legal-tender.aspx): “Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether or not to accept cash unless there is a State law which says otherwise." ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512/19 "2012-02-12T00:20:35Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > … it seems we should have had complementary drinks, but we were definitely told that we weren’t due them. The only soft drinks they even _had_ on board were bottles of water - they didn’t even have milk or coffee… This is decidedly strange. I fly commercially about 8 trips a year and have not yet encountered a case where at least some drink selection was offered and non-alcoholic drinks were free. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512/20 "2012-02-12T01:09:46Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > IME, they accept the currencies of the countries they’re flying to and from, and US dollars. They might well accept Euros or other currencies too, but they never seemed to have a problem deciding which currency to accept just because they were in the air. American Airlines used to say “Any convertible currency”. I thought about trying to pay for food with Kuwaiti Dinars on my Dallas-Reno flight. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-not-taking-cash/612512.md?page=2)