1. Digital payments exclude many of the country’s marginalised people
Anyone can use cash to transact, particularly in a country where approximately 11 million people are unbanked. Cash doesn’t discriminate based on whether you own a smartphone, can get a bank card or have an identity document for a FICA or Know Your Customer process. It allows immediate participation in the economy for all, including people living in rural areas or foreign nationals without South African identity documents.
2. Cash is still cheaper than digital transactions
Contrary to the popular narrative, costs associated with cash transactions are low and affordable, especially for merchants; what’s more, cash is convenient and universal. The technology barrier of needing a point of sale device, computer or phone to pay and be paid doesn’t exist with cash.
For merchants, card and digital payment costs range between R0.90 to R4.00 per R100. One of the most popular mobile payments acceptance platforms costs up to R3.00 per R100.00 in sales.
The costs of accepting cash are significantly lower. Consider, for instance, that the cash handling costs for a retail business with cash receipts of R2 million a month, and an automated cash handling system (including a robust, intelligent cash vault and six-day cash in transit (CIT) collection service), come out at around R0.75 per R100. This underpins the fact that automated cash management has indeed proven to provide retailers with a significant saving of more than 20%.
3. Cash is easy to use
Cash enables anyone to trade and participate in our economy. Cash does not discriminate in any form, in fact, the use of cash allows for immediate financial inclusivity – a goal set out by our very own national development plan.
4. Digital payments have privacy risks
Cash offers consumers privacy and control. One reason financial institutions and tech companies are so keen on digital transactions is that it gives them access to a treasure trove of consumer data that is used for ongoing marketing efforts. They can use this data to target people for cross-sell and upsell opportunities that are not always in consumers’ interests or invade consumer privacy.
5. The risk of payments fraud and cyber-crime can be higher than the risk of cash loss
Digital, credit and debit card fraud in SA in 2019 was more than R1.35 billion, according to SABRIC; cash losses were less than 20% of this value. Consumers are increasingly targeted in digital fraud and cybercrime scams because criminals tend to follow the money. Recent incidences of digital fraud at South Africa’s Postbank and Germany’s Wirecard illustrate that digital is far from risk-free
Closing words: cash is about choice
More than 50 percent of consumer transactions are completed with notes and coins, according to the Payments Association of South Africa. Taking cash out of people’s hands could harm those a cashless approach purports to help by restricting choice for consumers and merchants, who often have good reasons for preferring cash.“While cashless channels have an important role to fulfil in the promotion of financial inclusion, it’s important to protect and celebrate the vital role that cash plays in our economy. In the industry’s enthusiasm for technology solutions, it should leave no consumer behind, but include and empower everyone with choice and control over their financial lives,” concludes Templemore-Walters.