Originally Posted by
JBord
That's a strange business decision.
Uncommon, but not totally strange. A pizza restaurant near me has a "credit/debit preferred" policy. They don't refuse cash but they do discourage it. Their reasoning is that it simplifies transactions, reduces the burden of managing cash, and reduces risk of theft.
I wonder if that's even legal, and if it's ever been challenged. It's hard to believe you can sell goods or services in the US and discriminate against someone who wants to use US money.
The common explanation parses the phrase, "valid tender for all debts public or private" with emphasis on
debt. If you've already obtained a good or service and are paying for it after the fact, you are paying a debt. If you're paying before receipt of goods there is no debt and thus the business can legally refuse to accept cash.