3 PAYMENT METHOD SCORECARD: CASH
User Experience
exchanges are common in travel centers across the globe. Foreign exchange usually comes at a cost, and once you run out of what was exchanged it may not be easy to find another exchange office. The ease of using cash as a payment method in other countries is also dependent on which currency you are holding. Merchants in some countries might be willing to take more established currencies, like USD, while hesitant to take more unstable currencies. Many currencies such as the U.S. Dollar and the Euro can be accepted in multiple countries, meaning cash is often portable between countries, which is more than can be said for several digital payment methods. However, cash often requires physical exchange into new currencies when travelling, incurring additional fees for merchants and consumers. Global Usage (POS) Worldpay Global Payments Report 2025 shows cash as 16% of global spend for POS transactions. Global Usage (Ecommerce) Worldpay Global Payments Report 2025 shows cash on delivery as 2% of global spend for ecommerce transactions. Authorization/Pre-Authorization Cash spending at the POS does not require authorization from the consumer’s bank account or any other third-party, other than for cashback (where it’s supported), for which authorization from issuing banks is identical to a card transaction authorization process (see Card Profile). Bank authorization is also required for a consumer’s original cash withdrawal (for example, at an ATM) which generally does not occur at a merchant POS. Cash can be used as a pre-payment for goods and services, but this is likely to be unpopular with consumers due to the risk of goods not received. Recurring Payments It is not possible to conduct either merchant- initiated transactions (MIT) or recurring payments via cash.
Metrics
Weight Score
POS Speed
10% 3.0 10% 5.0 15% 2.0 15% 3.0 10% 2.0 10% 1.0
Refund Posting Time
Omnichannel
FX/Cross-Border Global Usage (POS)
Global Usage (Ecommerce)
Authorization & Pre- Authorization Recurring Payments
15% 1.0
15% 1.0
TOTAL SCORE
2.2
POS Speed Cash is a self-settling payment method, 793 which is attractive from a customer experience perspective. It is also not dependent on internet connections and can protect consumers against geopolitical risks (see Sweden case study in Cash profile). However, cash change counting at the POS can take longer than card transaction authorization - and even settlement, - and merchants then typically need to navigate the cash supply chain to receive value in their bank accounts which can take several days, although provisional credit is available with smart
safes in some instances. Refund Posting Time
In most cases, consumers receive cash immediately once a refund is approved. Omnichannel
Cash is not easy to use across platforms. While Cash on Delivery options do exist and cash could be used for online purchases as well as in-store, the omnichannel experience is optimal when a payment method can be stored and used seamlessly across the different platforms. FX/Cross-Border Given its longevity as a payment method, currency
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