Customers of a popular Australian cafe are furious after they refused to accept cash payments and added surcharges for card transactions.
The debate was sparked after one regular shared a picture showing the counter at Puzzle Coffee in Melbourne.
A sign near the till reads "Card payment only", with a second saying that all debit, credit and Liven purchases are subject to a 1.2 per cent surcharge.
The coffee shop has since made a U-turn, apologising for the "accidental oversight".
Puzzle Coffee said in a statement: "We acknowledge that we made an accidental oversight and we sincerely apologise to any customers affected."
The small business shared how it turned to a cashless model to deter theft and protect staff during the pandemic.
"The surcharges were always prominently displayed at the counter prior to the customer making their orders," the shop said.
"Our customers mean everything to us and we apologise and will ensure we do what we can to get this right and always take on board customer feedback which is what we did instantly upon receiving an email from this customer yesterday."
The punter claimed that their order cost more than the menu price due to the surcharge, which is contrary to Australian regulations, which say surcharges should be included on the displayed price.
"If there's no way for a consumer to pay without paying a surcharge, the business must include the minimum surcharge payable in the displayed prices for its products," according to the ACCC.
"This occurs when a business doesn't accept cash and it applies a surcharge to all card payment types."
Though cash is becoming increasingly rare in stores due to Covid, experts have warned that there are a number of dangers of living in a cashless society.
Should the unthinkable happen and the internet was to experience a blackout, people would no longer be able to access their money, explained cyber security expert Ben Britton.
He told the Daily Mail: "But if you have your money in your hand, or in your pocket, there could be no electricity and you'll still be able to make payments to people."
"The huge weakness to the system is that it's dependent on the internet, internet secuity and individual device security.
"Whereas no one can remotely access the cash in your pocket."
That's not to say that internet banking isn't without it's own unique risks.
Earlier this year, it emerged that some of the UK's biggest banks were leaving customers at risk of fraud by neglecting their online banking security checks.
Which? urged providers to "up their game" by using the latest protections for their websites and not allowing customers to set unsecure passwords.
It conducted an investigation with security experts 6point6, testing the online and mobile app security of 15 major current account providers on a range of criteria, including encryption and protection, login, and account management and navigation.
Six banks - HSBC, NatWest, Santander, Starling, the Co-operative Bank and Virgin Money - let people choose passwords that include their first name and/or surname, the research found.
