4 ms·

This doesn't sit right with me. If someone comes in with thousands of pennies am I allowed to refuse that type of payment? As a business, if I don't want to dea

by skizm 8y ago

This doesn't sit right with me. If someone comes in with thousands of pennies am I allowed to refuse that type of payment? As a business, if I don't want to deal with the overhead of handling cash, I shouldn't have to. It feels like a law where websites are required to render correctly on all browsers or something. The right to refuse service to people should also extend to the right to refuse types of payment.

Simulacra 8y ago
As a business, you can refuse service any time. Trying to pay with pennies is not a protected class. Any complaint or outrage would likely be met with public scorn. Pennies are legal tender, but you do not have a right to pay exclusively in pennies.
noir_lord 8y ago
> This doesn't sit right with me. If someone comes in with thousands of pennies am I allowed to refuse that type of payment? In the UK yes. There are rules about the maximum you can pay in different denominations. 1p – for any amount up to 20p 2p – for any amount up to 20p 5p – for any amount up to £5 10p – for any amount up to £5 20p – for any amount up to £10 25p (Crown) – for any amount up to £10 50p – for any amount up to £10 People where paying their council tax (think of them as state taxes) in 1's and 2's. If you wonder what 25p (Crown) is, the law dates from the early 70's which was the era we went over to decimal coinage.
djsumdog 8y ago
"This note is legal tender for ALL debts, public and private." A state must have a monopoly on its money. We don't let people print money and cards are an indirection, but they must still deal in US currency. The note is the most basic form of that currency. So yes, you should need to count 1,000 pennies. You might not like it .. it may be abused, but those are the rules of the system we currently have.
- skizm 8y ago
  True, but that's why I'm saying it doesn't sit right with me. I'm not debating what the law is. I'm saying, in my opinion, businesses should be allowed to refuse types of payments.
  - travisjungroth 8y ago
    I believe in Canada they can and the limits are expressly stated.
  - dredmorbius 8y ago
    You can refuse payment. But in doing so, you dissolve the debt.
  - bootlooped 8y ago
    You can probably refuse any type of payment you want... except cash.
- jochakovsky 8y ago
  That's actually not what legal tender means: https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/faqs/Currency/Pages/legal-tender.aspx https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/faqs/Currency/Pages...
- AuthorizedCust 8y ago
  Incorrect. You are not required to accept all and any form of legal tender. You do not have to count those pennies. You can refuse to accept that form of payment.
- luhn 8y ago
  A sale is not a debt, so by the rules of the current system a shop can refuse to count those pennies. https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/currency_12772.htm https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/currency_12772.htm
- yellow_postit 8y ago
  A more common case than the 1k pennies I see is small item shops like convenience stores having a posted note for refusing to accept $50 and $100 bills. This seems totally fine per: https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/faqs/Currency/Pages/legal-tender.aspx https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/faqs/Currency/Pages... There is, however, no Federal statute mandating that a private business, a person or an organization must accept currency or coins as for payment for goods and/or services. Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether or not to accept cash unless there is a State law which says otherwise. For example, a bus line may prohibit payment of fares in pennies or dollar bills. In addition, movie theaters, convenience stores and gas stations may refuse to accept large denomination currency (usually notes above $20) as a matter of policy.
laminar_flow 8y ago
That sounds like a highly uncommon scenario. I cashiered full time for nearly 3 years during college at a busy convenience store and encountered people paying with large sums of change < 5 times. Doesn't seem like a good reason to ban an entire payment method.
fucking_tragedy 8y ago
> If someone comes in with thousands of pennies am I allowed to refuse that type of payment? Yes, this has always been the case.
jzwinck 8y ago
Of course you should be able to refuse 1000 pennies. Singapore has a very simple law that solves this cleanly with no fuss at all: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/what-you-should-know-about-mas-proposed-new-legal-tender-limit-for-coins https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/what-you-should-know-...

by skizm 8y ago

Simulacra 8y ago

As a business, you can refuse service any time. Trying to pay with pennies is not a protected class. Any complaint or outrage would likely be met with public scorn. Pennies are legal tender, but you do not have a right to pay exclusively in pennies.

noir_lord 8y ago

> This doesn't sit right with me. If someone comes in with thousands of pennies am I allowed to refuse that type of payment? In the UK yes. There are rules about the maximum you can pay in different denominations. 1p – for any amount up to 20p 2p – for any amount up to 20p 5p – for any amount up to £5 10p – for any amount up to £5 20p – for any amount up to £10 25p (Crown) – for any amount up to £10 50p – for any amount up to £10 People where paying their council tax (think of them as state taxes) in 1's and 2's. If you wonder what 25p (Crown) is, the law dates from the early 70's which was the era we went over to decimal coinage.

djsumdog 8y ago

"This note is legal tender for ALL debts, public and private." A state must have a monopoly on its money. We don't let people print money and cards are an indirection, but they must still deal in US currency. The note is the most basic form of that currency. So yes, you should need to count 1,000 pennies. You might not like it .. it may be abused, but those are the rules of the system we currently have.

skizm 8y ago
True, but that's why I'm saying it doesn't sit right with me. I'm not debating what the law is. I'm saying, in my opinion, businesses should be allowed to refuse types of payments.
- travisjungroth 8y ago
  I believe in Canada they can and the limits are expressly stated.
- dredmorbius 8y ago
  You can refuse payment. But in doing so, you dissolve the debt.
- bootlooped 8y ago
  You can probably refuse any type of payment you want... except cash.
jochakovsky 8y ago
That's actually not what legal tender means: https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/faqs/Currency/Pages/legal-tender.aspx https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/faqs/Currency/Pages...
AuthorizedCust 8y ago
Incorrect. You are not required to accept all and any form of legal tender. You do not have to count those pennies. You can refuse to accept that form of payment.
luhn 8y ago
A sale is not a debt, so by the rules of the current system a shop can refuse to count those pennies. https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/currency_12772.htm https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/currency_12772.htm
yellow_postit 8y ago
A more common case than the 1k pennies I see is small item shops like convenience stores having a posted note for refusing to accept $50 and $100 bills. This seems totally fine per: https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/faqs/Currency/Pages/legal-tender.aspx https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/faqs/Currency/Pages... There is, however, no Federal statute mandating that a private business, a person or an organization must accept currency or coins as for payment for goods and/or services. Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether or not to accept cash unless there is a State law which says otherwise. For example, a bus line may prohibit payment of fares in pennies or dollar bills. In addition, movie theaters, convenience stores and gas stations may refuse to accept large denomination currency (usually notes above $20) as a matter of policy.

laminar_flow 8y ago

That sounds like a highly uncommon scenario. I cashiered full time for nearly 3 years during college at a busy convenience store and encountered people paying with large sums of change < 5 times. Doesn't seem like a good reason to ban an entire payment method.

fucking_tragedy 8y ago

> If someone comes in with thousands of pennies am I allowed to refuse that type of payment? Yes, this has always been the case.

jzwinck 8y ago

Of course you should be able to refuse 1000 pennies. Singapore has a very simple law that solves this cleanly with no fuss at all: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/what-you-should-know-about-mas-proposed-new-legal-tender-limit-for-coins https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/what-you-should-know-...