Many baby boomers and their senior counterparts were saddened when the penny, a tangible connection to their pre-credit card youth, was discontinued last year. But younger generations rarely use coins, or cash in general,\u00a0and the U.S. government said each penny costs 3.69 cents\u00a0to manufacture.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cOver time, in my opinion, we will move further and further away from cash,\u201d said Peter Ricci, director of the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program at Florida Atlantic University. \u201cThe elimination of pennies is just a starting point. Later will come nickels and then dimes and so on. Everything will simply round up or down to a dollar, and we\u2019ll eliminate coins completely at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n In the meantime, there are no national laws that offer guidance on whether businesses are required to take paper money and coins.<\/p>\n \u201cPrivate businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether to accept cash unless there is a state law that says otherwise,\u201d the\u00a0Federal Reserve System website<\/a> states.<\/p>\n Neither the state of Florida, Broward County nor Palm Beach County has laws on acceptable forms of payment. Miami-Dade passed a law in 2022<\/a> that states businesses in the county aren\u2019t allowed to refuse cash, although there are some exceptions, including online sales as well as insurance agents, accountants, attorneys and interior designers.<\/p>\n Since it\u2019s up to each Broward and Palm Beach County establishment to create its own policy, consumers have to figure out which payment system is best for their budget and peace of mind. Here\u2019s some guidance.<\/p>\n Cash advantages<\/p>\n Make a purchase and you don\u2019t have to worry about a bill that\u2019s still to come:\u00a0\u201cCash is King \u2026 who wants to rack up a huge credit card bill?\u201d commenter Robert Gold noted during a recent discussion in the Sun Sentinel\u2019s \u201cLet\u2019s Eat, South Florida\u201d Facebook group.<\/p>\n Some discounts: For the past two years, Bruce Garnett, owner of 3G\u2019s Gourmet Deli & Restaurant in Delray Beach, has given about 4% off to customers who pay with cash in an effort to counter the credit card fees he pays. \u201cOnce I did that, the number of people paying in cash increased about 25%,\u201d he said. He doesn\u2019t charge extra to customers who pay with credit cards.<\/p>\n Cash disadvantages<\/p>\n You may not have the right amount of money on hand for what you want to buy, especially if it\u2019s a large purchase. Many financial experts recommend against carrying substantial amounts of cash; some say $100 is the max<\/a> to keep in a wallet.<\/p>\n If you get robbed, your money is gone:\u00a0According to a Facebook video from the Delray Beach Police Department<\/a>, \u201cOnly carry what you need.\u201d The department also advises cash holders to avoid counting money in public and to put away cash and cards immediately after paying.<\/p>\n Card is easily replaced if lost or stolen: Most credit card companies, such as Chase<\/a>, send out replacements within five days and typically don\u2019t require you to pay for any charges reported after the card was lost.<\/p>\n Customers can get perks such as points to be used at hotels and restaurants: \u201cLet\u2019s Eat, South Florida\u201d member Bill Whitmer shared how he has transitioned from cash to credit cards for this very reason. \u201cUp until about five years ago, I paid mostly everything with cash. But once I realized that I actually get miles on my airlines credit cards, I put everything on there to get the miles. Even utility bills and other bills that I can put on it to get credit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Some businesses have become credit-card only and don\u2019t accept cash: Choices about where to shop and eat become limited if you don\u2019t want to pay by card. Clearly Payments, a payment processing company, says that as of 2024, 40% of American businesses<\/a> were no longer accepting paper money.<\/p>\n South Florida restaurants that have gone cashless include:<\/p>\n \u2022 Little Hen, locations in Fort Lauderdale, Weston and Miami; littlehen.com<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 Lobster Bar Sea Grille, Fort Lauderdale; lobsterbarseagrille.com<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 Houston\u2019s, Boca Raton and\u00a0Pompano Beach (at North Miami Beach location, \u201ccashless payment preferred<\/a>\u201c); houstons.com\/locations<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Cash](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/tfl-z-AdobeStock-252758562-01.jpeg\")
Only 12% of Americans say they use paper money for most transactions, according to a recent survey. (nimon_t\/stock.adobe.com)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/TFL-L-CASH-OR-CREDIT2.jpg\")
A customer pays with a credit card at Tropical Smokehouse in West Palm Beach on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (Carline Jean\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
\nCredit card advantages<\/p>\n