South Australian eateries going cashless
Cafes, restaurants and entertainment venues all over South Australia are going cashless.
It’s all part of a global trend that specialists say will kill off cash transactions in Australia within five years.
According to a Reserve Bank of Australia survey, just over a third of payments are now made with cash. And Westpac research predicts Australia will be cash free by 2022.
City cafe Coffee Branch, owner Aaron Martin, estimates that about 20 per cent of his sales are now paid in cash. At the start of the year it was 80 per cent.
And about 20 per cent of the money coming in to his café is from mobile payments.
“The majority of our customers are city workers and uni students and card and mobile payments are becoming more and more the norm,” Martin told the Adelaide Advertiser.
“And I think it will keep changing. Ultimately it will come down to the consumer and the businesses. If I had a choice, I’d go completely cashless — it just makes it easier.
“We don’t have the worry about the owner or staff putting their hands in the till — it’s convenient, completely transparent and open.”
And the café is adjusting to the change. Two weeks ago, it introduced a range of reusable smart cups. These work similar to a Metrocard. They allow customers to top up with funds and tap against a reader for payment.
Over at Adelaide Oval, there are outlets now accepting only card payments. Card payments were running at 88 per cent by the end of the football season.
The venue is now considering going completely cashless.
The Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority’s Darren Chandler said the changes were in line with changes in consumer behaviour and expectations.
“More of us than ever before are using card for transactions, particularly due to the advent of tap-and-go technology,” Chandler told the Adelaide Advertiser.
by Leon Gettler, October 27th 2017
