# Cities "abandoning" US dollar? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 9, 2014, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-abandoning-us-dollar/680869 "2014-02-09T00:17:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-abandoning-us-dollar/680869/21 "2014-02-09T23:07:48Z")
Huh, you are correct. I was mainly wondering about the “why accept payment in such a volatile currency unless you’re going to immediately convert it to USD” angle so did some lazy reading but you’re right in that the “36 cities” claim is largely bunkum. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-abandoning-us-dollar/680869/22 "2014-02-10T04:09:46Z")
If your utility bill says you owe fifty dollars, they will damn sure accept fifty dollars in payment. If it says you owe five chickens or two ounces of silver or five hours of hard labor or 600 pesos, then maybe not. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-abandoning-us-dollar/680869/23 "2014-02-10T14:16:19Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Yes, and those are two different things. When you go to the grocery store and take your cart to the register, you don’t have a debt. If you don’t have a way to pay for your groceries, or the store doesn’t like the way you do have, they can put the groceries back on the shelf and send you out empty-handed. On the other hand, when the electric company sends you the bill for the lights and air conditioning in your house, the power’s already used and they can’t take it back: You therefore have a debt, and you are therefore guaranteed to be able to pay it using US currency. The grocery store can say no to, say, hundred-dollar bills, because there’s no debt, but the electric company can’t, because there is a debt. In either case, the business can choose to accept some other form of payment, and the law says nothing against that. How does that work with something like a gas station that doesn’t except $100 bills (I am pretty sure I have seen this)? What if I don’t know ahead of time, pump my gas, and try to pay with a $100. I have debt, and they say they won’t except my money. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-abandoning-us-dollar/680869/24 "2014-02-10T14:21:23Z")
Which may be why in most places I drive, gas stations now require prepay for cash. (BTW The word you’re looking for is ACcept. Your gas station IS excepting $100 notes, as in we’ll accept any notes except 100’s.) ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-abandoning-us-dollar/680869/25 "2014-02-10T16:21:42Z")
Gas stations that accept $100s are a rare exception, and have been for as long as I can remember. And I started driving in the mid 70s. Until the price of gas broke $2.00 most wouldn’t even accept $50s. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-abandoning-us-dollar/680869/26 "2014-02-10T17:10:17Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Which may be why in most places I drive, gas stations now require prepay for cash. (BTW The word you’re looking for is ACcept. Your gas station IS excepting $100 notes, as in we’ll accept any notes except 100’s.) The reason that gas stations require you to prepay for cash sales is generally not because they don’t accept large bills but because some people will pump and then drive away without paying. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-abandoning-us-dollar/680869/27 "2014-02-10T17:45:59Z")
In any event, though, requiring prepayment also makes it not-a-debt, and therefore frees them up to refuse Grant if they so choose. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-abandoning-us-dollar/680869/28 "2014-02-11T09:05:47Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > But usually they’re based on some innocuous kernel of news that they blatantly misrepresent. What exactly has been distorted into “cities abandoning the US dollar”? One such kernel may be that my county will let people (retirees & unemployed) pay off their county taxes & assessments by doing work for the county. they have been doing this for years, as have several other counties. But that’s basically just another way to pay, it’s hardly ‘abandoning the dollar’. But saying that wouldn’t sell whatever these websites are selling. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-abandoning-us-dollar/680869/29 "2014-03-07T02:14:59Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > If your utility bill says you owe fifty dollars, they will damn sure accept fifty dollars in payment. If it says you owe five chickens or two ounces of silver or five hours of hard labor or 600 pesos, then maybe not. How about some kind of barter system involving sexual favors? 'Cause I could totally get, uh, behind that. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-abandoning-us-dollar/680869/30 "2014-03-07T02:40:05Z")
What if the payment is that they’re, uh, getting behind you? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-abandoning-us-dollar/680869/31 "2014-03-07T21:02:45Z")
Well, I guess we’d have to negotiate, wouldn’t we…? ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2014, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-abandoning-us-dollar/680869/32 "2014-03-10T22:01:23Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > The public library in Ithaca New York accepts [Ithaca Hours](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ithaca_Hours), a local currency established in 1991, whose use has declined recently. To say that Ithaca has, “Abandoned the US dollar”, would be a risible exaggeration. Ithaca resident here. Use of Ithaca Hours is pretty much limited to the hippie/crunchy/granola crowd now, and even then it’s uncommon. Forget about using Ithaca Hours at national chains or mainstream businesses. At a local herbalist, shaman, henna artist, or whatever, maybe, but not like 10 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2014, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-abandoning-us-dollar/680869/33 "2014-03-10T22:09:27Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > How about some kind of barter system involving sexual favors? 'Cause I could totally get, uh, behind that. That’s a brilliant idea. I think you’ve just invented a brand new profession! ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2014, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-abandoning-us-dollar/680869/34 "2014-03-10T23:05:50Z")
Politician? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-abandoning-us-dollar/680869.md?page=1)