Overview
- The law, which took effect Saturday, requires retail and food businesses across New York State to accept cash for in-person sales.
- Attorney General Letitia James urged consumers to report violations to her office, with civil fines set at $1,000 for a first offense and $1,500 for repeat offenses.
- The statute bars stores from charging cash customers more than people who pay by card or app, closing a common workaround for cashless policies.
- Merchants do not have to accept bills larger than $20, the rule does not cover phone, mail, or online orders unless payment is completed in-store, and on-site cash-to-prepaid-card machines are allowed only if they charge no fees, allow $1 loads, print receipts, keep funds from expiring, and prompt the store to take cash when devices fail.
- Large venues are adapting with no-fee cash-to-card kiosks, with examples cited at KeyBank Center and Six Flags, which helps people who rely on cash buy tickets, food, and gear without needing a bank account.