Beginning Saturday, March 21, all retailers in New York State are required to accept cash payments for goods and services. From this date forward, retailers can no longer mandate cashless transactions exclusively.

Retailers are not required to accept cash in denominations larger than $20, and they are not obligated to accept cash for telephone, mail, or internet orders unless the transaction occurs in person. Additionally, businesses that offer a device to convert cash into a prepaid card are exempt from the cash acceptance requirement. However, they cannot charge a fee for this service, nor can they require that the prepaid card maintains a minimum balance of more than $1.

Furthermore, businesses cannot impose higher prices for cash purchases. Stores that violate this new law may face civil penalties of up to $1,000 for the first offense and $1,500 for each subsequent violation.

For more information, please visit:

https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-notifies-new-yorkers-about-new-state-law-requiring-stores