ONLINE payment has gradually changed the way many people consume, but some residents still prefer to pay by cash and find that they are sometimes unfairly treated by shops and business owners, the Daily Sunshine reported.

An office worker, who gave only her family name Yang, said she likes paying by cash although most of her co-workers choose to leave their wallets and cash at home. Recently, Yang finds that a lot of shops will no longer take cash and ask her to pay by WeChat or Alipay.

Another resident, surnamed Wang, has encountered the same thing. When dining at a hotpot restaurant in Longhua District, Wang was told to order food on his phone by scanning a QR-code provided on the table. When it came time to pay the bill, Wang found that he could only pay on his phone and the restaurant said it was because they were promoting the self-help service.

A waiter at the restaurant said they only accept payment through WeChat, Alipay or bank cards. If customers insist on paying with cash, the staffers will collect their cash and help them pay through their own online payment apps.

A staffer said that their boss had received a few hundred yuan in counterfeit banknotes on one occasion, so he decided to cancel cash payment.

Also, some group-buying apps offer discount coupons for customers who pay online, but cash payers can’t enjoy the discounts.

Third-party payment companies in China have been constantly promoting their services in recent years by giving out discounts to promote a “cash-free society.”

On Aug. 8, 2015, WeChat Payment launched a “Cash-free Day” campaign. Public data showed that 80,000 businesses joined the promotion in 2015, and the number soared to 700,000 the next year.

In 2017, Alipay also put forward the“cash free”concept and claimed that it hoped to accelerate China’s development of “cash-free society” in five years’ time.

To attract users to pay online, the third-party payment platforms offer discounts and award consumers, which makes some people who pay with cash feel they are being treated unfairly.

A woman surnamed Qin said one time she shopped at a clothing store and paid cash. However, another customer paid on WeChat and earned discounts on certain items. “Although I know the business owner was just encouraging online payment, I felt I was being discriminated against for paying cash,” said Qin.

A report on China’s Internet development in 2018 showed that by the end of 2017 there were 527 million online payment users.

On July 13, the central bank issued a public notice announcing that all work units, businesses and individuals shall not refuse to take cash in any form.

(Zhang Qian)