Yes, under federal and Louisiana law, private businesses may refuse cash, opting to implement digital-only payment policies. They are not required to accept physical currency for standard, in-person transactions.
Legal Basis to Refuse Cash Payments in Louisiana
There is no active statewide law in Louisiana that requires private businesses to accept cash during a sales transaction. While Louisiana HB 448 attempted to require specific retail businesses to accept cash, the legislation never passed into law.
Before adopting a digital-only payment policy, regularly monitor Louisiana legislative activity in the event that old legislation reappears or new cash-acceptance legislation is introduced and passed.
Although physical currency is deemed legal tender under federal law, this law does not mandate that private businesses accept currency for payment of goods or services. If a business wishes to enforce a digital-only payment policy, it must disclose the policy to the customer before the transaction takes place.
Although Louisiana businesses are free to implement a digital-payments-only policy, doing so will exclude cash-only customers, negatively impacting sales, customer loyalty, and their bottom line. Ready Credit’s inclusive cash-to-card payment solutions allow businesses to deliver a modern payment experience without leaving their cash-preferred customers behind.
