# Coffee shop only accepts Venmo as payment. Is it legal to NOT accept cash? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 18, 2022, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902 "2022-08-18T17:56:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902/1 "2022-08-18T17:56:58Z")
Went to a coffee shop that only accepts Venmo as payment. I’m not mad about it or anything. I was just currious about the legality of it all. I vaguely remember being taught in school that businesses have to accept cash as legal tender. Is this no longer a thing? (Assuming it ever was) ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902/2 "2022-08-18T17:59:16Z")
Of course, it’s legal. They could only accept Monopoly money if they chose… of course, they wouldn’t sell very much coffee. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902/3 "2022-08-18T18:00:50Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > I vaguely remember being taught in school that businesses have to accept cash as legal tender. That topic has come up here before, and the answer seems to be “yes,” because while cash _is_ legal tender, there is no federal law that says that a private business (or person) _must_ accept it. This web page, from the Federal Reserve, spells this out. > [@](#): > > There is no federal statute mandating that a private business, a person, or an organization must accept currency or coins as payment for goods or services. Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether to accept cash unless there is a state law that says otherwise. > **[Is it legal for a business in the United States to refuse cash as a form of...](https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/currency_12772.htm)** > > The Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington DC. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902/4 "2022-08-18T18:01:01Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > I vaguely remember being taught in school that businesses have to accept cash as legal tender. > > Is this no longer a thing? (Assuming it ever was) Legal tender for debts. You don’t owe them a debt. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902/5 "2022-08-18T18:01:13Z")
In Philadelphia, all businesses must accept cash. It was made into law a few years back ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902/6 "2022-08-18T18:02:41Z")
The answer from the Fed itself is that it is legal. > **[The Fed - Is it legal for a business in the United States to refuse cash as a...](https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/currency_12772.htm)** > > The Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington DC. I see I was ninja’d ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902/7 "2022-08-18T18:02:45Z")
I stand corrected… local or state law can force them to accept cash. Where is the business located? ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902/8 "2022-08-18T18:07:22Z")
Go to a Capital One coffee shop. Ask to exchange bills for rolls of coins. This “bank” doesn’t do that. But you can get a coffee. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902/9 "2022-08-18T18:10:20Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Legal tender for debts. > > You don’t owe them a debt. This is the answer. This topic was beaten to death in a thread a while ago. The question then became “when is a debt created?” Obviously, I would assume when a contract is concluded and one side “delivers the goods”, but really, this is a topic for a real lawyer with knowledge of contract law to chime in on. But if one side says “I only accept monopoly money” when you walk into the shop, and the other side continues to proceed with the transaction, they have consented to that arrangement and cannot resort to the “legal tender” argument. IIRC, the “legal tender” concept became law right after the Revolution, when American script was becoming worthless and creditors began demanding hard cash - i.e. British money, gold, etc. - to settle debts. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902/10 "2022-08-18T18:42:33Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > But if one side says “I only accept monopoly money” when you walk into the shop, and the other side continues to proceed with the transaction, they have consented to that arrangement and cannot resort to the “legal tender” argument. So, I accept the Venmo Only terms, get my $5 coffee, and don’t pay in Venmo. What is it I now owe them if not a debt? They are defining what I owe them in US Dollars, but then assert that physical US dollars are not acceptable to discharge the debt? I could see that being tricky, particularly when the police arrive and I’m waving a fiver saying “Here’s the $5 they want, they just won’t take it!” They can refuse to do business with me, but once they do business, I accrue a debt that can be paid with cash. I would also suggest that there is no payment contract that can be legally enforced without ultimately being payable in physical US dollars. If you claim I violated the contract, we’ll wind up in court, and I will be found liable for a debt that can be paid in dollars. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902/11 "2022-08-18T19:07:17Z")
@Cheesesteak. You’re about to relitigate the exact scenario / thread @md-2000 mentions just above. See starting here > [@Has A Government Ever Taken Drastic Measures To Address A Labor Shortage?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-government-ever-taken-drastic-measures-to-address-a-labor-shortage/963261/26): > > Ha ha ha ha ha. No. Self-serve attendant is one of the jobs I do at work. The ratio is 1 attendant to 6 stations, not “dozens”. Unless you want rampant theft through the self-serve (which, presumably, Wal-Mart tolerates given they are entirely self-serve right now, unlike my place of employment). And you’d be surprised how many people are NOT capable of checking themselves out. And people STILL try to use cash at the machines clearly labeled and set aside as “card only”. In theory you’re… then proceeding intermittently for a while then really picking up speed around post 58 & subsequent. It appears the legal answer is in the absence of local law requiring them to accept US cash, you’re either paying with Venmo, leaving the merch behind, or shoplifting. Take your choice of actions and corresponding consequences. Bottom line is they are no more required by law to accept US cash than they are to accept e.g. Japanese cash. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902/12 "2022-08-18T19:16:12Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > So, I accept the Venmo Only terms, get my $5 coffee, and don’t pay in Venmo. What coffee shop is giving you coffee before you’ve paid for it? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902/13 "2022-08-18T19:18:51Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > It appears the legal answer is in the absence of local law requiring them to accept US cash, you’re either paying with Venmo, leaving the merch behind, or shoplifting. Take your choice of actions and corresponding consequences. Agreed. And, as was shown in the links to the Federal Reserve’s website above, regardless of whether a consumer insists that a business _must_ accept U.S. currency for a purchase, there is not, in fact, a law which says so. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902/14 "2022-08-18T19:40:35Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > What coffee shop is giving you coffee before you’ve paid for it? Dammit, I knew there was a flaw in my devious plan. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902/15 "2022-08-18T19:54:12Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > IIRC, the “legal tender” concept became law right after the Revolution, when American script was becoming worthless and creditors began demanding hard cash - i.e. British money, gold, etc. - to settle debts. The you-are-required-to-accept-currency-for-debts principal is the definition of [legal tender](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_tender) and pretty much all countries that have currency have such a law. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902/16 "2022-08-18T19:59:03Z")
Didn’t a lot of the airlines enact a no-cash policy for beverage purchases? ---
**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:** [August 18, 2022, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902/17 "2022-08-18T20:04:35Z")
They did, and not just beverages but all in-air purchases (so including that snack, the pillow, etc.). ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902/18 "2022-08-18T20:50:33Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Bottom line is they are no more required by law to accept US cash than they are to accept e.g. Japanese cash. They could make you pay cash in [cash](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cash_(Chinese_coin)). ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902/19 "2022-08-18T20:59:53Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > The you-are-required-to-accept-currency-for-debts principal is the definition of [legal tender](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_tender) and pretty much all countries that have currency have such a law. yes, it would be a consequence of a government’s printed money replacing actual pieces of gold and silver. Which IIRC evolved about the same time as the American Revolution for most countries. > [@Cheesesteak](#): > > So, I accept the Venmo Only terms, get my $5 coffee, and don’t pay in Venmo. What is it I now owe them if not a debt? This was my question in the other thread, and never got an answer from a real lawyer. You walk up to a store self-checkout machine. It warns to they only take credit, not cash, and agree to proceed. Without that warning and agreement, what is the process at which you create a debt - when is it a debt, not an offer to purchase? When must they accept cash? We can argue, but a lawyer who _knows_ needs to give an opinion. Which, like all legal opinions, is opinion unless there is precedent to back it up. but if you agree to proceed (debit and credit only) when the initial offer to sell is made then you have agreed to a condition. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902/20 "2022-08-18T21:09:58Z")
Deep in US Banking regs, there is a clause about this, but it is for banks etc only, and it has no enforcement regs. I assume it is a placeholder just in case several banks start demanding Euros or Gold. Those are good cites. And of course, with Venmo, you are paying in USD. I am gonna guess that if you order the coffee, and then say “Oh, Venmo only? I thought that just meant no checks or credit cards? Silly me, I only have cash.” one of two things would occur- they would not give you the coffee or having handed it over, they’d just take the Fiver as a tip, and not worry about it. As long as you don’t make a huge fuss, they would be idiots to call the cops, because for one thing- copes HATE being called for trivial shit- and another, any one individual cop might say “He has the coffee, there is the $5, what’s the big deal?” So yeah, it is legal for a retail business to do this. Quite a few will only take Credit cards. Cash can be expensive to deal with, despite the fact CC companies charge a % or 2. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-shop-only-accepts-venmo-as-payment-is-it-legal-to-not-accept-cash/969902.md?page=2)