I posted a topic before about Germans “hating” on Gravis because they won’t accept cash anymore. A lot of you rebutted that it’s actually not possible and even illegal.
I then posted today this article ([https://rp-online.de/leben/ratgeber/verbraucher/kein-bargeld-darf-ein-geschaeft-nur-kartenzahlung-verlangen\_aid-85544753](https://rp-online.de/leben/ratgeber/verbraucher/kein-bargeld-darf-ein-geschaeft-nur-kartenzahlung-verlangen_aid-85544753)) because this proves that it’s actually legal.
A Mod deleted it because it was in German. So now here is an excerpt in English:
>It is true that euro bills and coins are legal tender in the European Union and, as such, must in principle also be accepted as a means of payment, says Christian Bereska, a lawyer and chairman of the Civil Law Committee of the German Bar Association (DAV). However, he says, a distinction must be made “between whether government agencies impose such cash payment bans” and whether private companies do so.
>
>In the case of creditors under public law, there is a compulsory acceptance of euro banknotes in the case of a monetary debt, the European Court of Justice (Ref.: C-422/19, C-423/19) ruled in 2021. “**Something different applies in the relationship between private parties**,” says Christian Bereska. Here, the parties are allowed to make other agreements – for example, to conclude contracts with a ban on cash payments.
>
>For them to be effective, however, the provider must clearly emphasize that payment in cash is generally excluded, says the lawyer. “Anything else could be invalid as a surprising clause.” According to Sascha Straub of the Bavarian Consumer Center, **a sign in the salesroom is sufficient for information. An individual agreement is not necessary beyond that.**
Translated with [www.DeepL.com/Translator](https://www.DeepL.com/Translator) (free version)
(emphasis mine)
6 comments
if they can refuse cards, i guess they can refuse cash?
Well, I remember that post about Gravis. It only took 30 seconds to look up and see that what Gravis is doing by refusing cash is totally legal. Also, people on that thread were saying just that- they were just downvoted to the bottom.
No need for a new post, I’d say- but that’s OK! If a tech store says no cash, people are free not to buy anything. That’s their decision.
> I posted a topic before about Germans “hating” on Gravis because they won’t accept cash anymore.
I have no idea what Gravis is and why I should “hate” on it, and I also have no idea why everything that’s posted should have emotions dialled up to 10, but it should be generally known that deals between private parties need the consent of both parties. So if you go to the supermarket and attempt to pay with thousands of one-cent pieces in a jar, they will refuse (and IANAL, but I’d suppose they can).
Somehow the idea that “shops need to do something I want just because I am a customer” seems to me something Americans would say. Shops can kick you out in Germany just because they want (Hausrecht).
If there is a shop that doesn’t accept cash, and if you don’t want that, just don’t go to that shop.
Yeah, the hivemind was ridiculous in that Gravis post. I could find the legal grounding for their decision with 15 seconds of Googling, but I’m trying to reduce the amount of hills I die on online.
However, if you “steal” from them, it goes to court, and they get a title against you, you can again settle that title in cash, right?
Not seen this before, but I find that move from Gravis extremely ironic because of my previous experience with them, specifically their branch on Ernst-Reuter-Platz in Berlin. 12 years ago, they specifically refused payment by card when I tried to make a 50% advance payment for an MBP order (the rest to be paid when I’d pick it up), so I had to go to one of the cash machines at the nearby U-Bahn station, take out a considerable amount of money (which the machine gave out in €50 notes), walk back, and pay in cash. I did not only find it impractical and potentially dangerous, but also frankly humiliating, so it was the last time I bought anything there.