> In 1978, Massachusetts became the first to enact such a law, requiring retailers to accept cash and credit. In passing its ban in January 2020, NYC joined New Jersey, Philadelphia and San Francisco, which all approved such bans in 2019.. Two rationales motivated NYC’s ban. First was the large number of NYC residents – more than 10% – who lack bank accounts, and thus access to credit cards.. Second is general skepticism over the security of cashless transactions, with the NYT noting they raise “the specter of hackers stealing personal data tied to digital transactions.”

.. NYC went after the upscale Van Leeuwen ice cream shop for repeated violations of the cashless ban.. In October, the city charged the ice cream shop with 17 violations of the cashless ban and penalized the company with $12,750 in fines.