Global IT outage shows dangers of cashless society, campaigners say

Cash provides essential fallback when digital payments break down, Payment Choice Alliance points out

Campaigners say the chaos caused by the global IT outage last week underlines the risk of moving towards a cashless society.

Supermarkets, banks, pubs, cafes, train stations and airports were all hit by the failure of Microsoft systems on Friday, leaving many unable to accept electronic payments. The impact was especially severe for businesses that no longer accept cash.