Cash has long been dethroned as the number one payment method in Norway, but could it be on its way to becoming king once again?
Norway’s government has submitted a proposal for consultation that will try and solidify customers’ rights to pay with cash in Norway.
“There is a need to clarify the rules and strengthen the consumer’s right to cash payment. The cash crisis that arose in the run-up to May 17th (when card terminals across the country went down for hours) this year showed that cash payments must also be taken care of for emergency reasons,” Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl said in a government announcement.
On Thursday, the government submitted a proposal outlining that customers in Norway will have the right to pay with cash in all fixed business premises where traders sell goods and services to the public.
In short, this proposal means that all shops, restaurants and service providers in Norway, excluding pop-up shops, food trucks and the like, will need to accept cash payment.
The Financial Agreements Act (1999) doesn’t explicitly state where cash can and can’t be used to pay for things, the government has said.
An increasing trend for stores in Norway is to refuse to accept cash, with the government hoping to reverse that.
“The expectation of being able to pay with cash is strongest when a product or service is sold in a physical sales premises. Such an option should be available to everyone, including those who cannot or do not want to use other solutions. Nevertheless, it is becoming increasingly common that shops do not accept cash. The government wants to do something about that,” Mehl said.