[jayflux]

I don’t see this happening.

I’m sure (as far as bars go) contactless payment will be preferred more in future. COVID has sped up the process of that. It’s unlikely to see many £50 notes around. There were already a lot of “card only” bars in London and that was pre-COVID.

Also inflation is low and will be low for quite some time so that won’t be a factor.

[DocTomoe]

Ever since I've blamed myself in Scotland in 2019 when I tried to pay for a group of friends and the restaurant had a random "no foreign credit cards" rule, cash is and always will be king when it comes to the UK for me.

In many countries, accepting cash is legally required. Unless a foreign national can pay with their credit card reliably, such a rule should be the required fallback payment method.

[tialaramex]

The UK (and I would expect many countries) does not require merchants to sell anything to you if they don't want to. They're allowed to decide they don't like your money, and too bad you can't buy anything.

Some constituent countries of the UK have legal tender laws but a legal tender law only applies to debts and you have not incurred a debt when you offer to buy something.

[DocTomoe]

Actually, when I sit in a restaurant, as I did, and have just finished my meal, as I have, and ask to pay via card (as the sticker in the lobby told me is possible), I have incurred a debt, which I am willing to pay, either by card, or should that not be possible, with cash as a legal tender fallback.

In pubs that are card-only, pay-first, you might have an argument - but this may become a discrimination lawsuit the moment my card gets denied when the sticker says it should be accepted.

[notahacker]

A UK quirk is that banknotes are not legal tender in Scotland, so you might still need a bag of coins in that restaurant :)