What does cashless mean?
Cashless is an adjective describing systems, transactions, or places that function without physical currency, relying instead on electronic methods such as debit and credit cards, contactless payments, and mobile apps. A shop might be described as cashless if it refuses notes and coins altogether, and economists frequently discuss the prospect of a 'cashless society' in which digital payments fully replace paper money. The word is formed simply from 'cash' plus the suffix '-less', meaning 'without', and it first appeared in English in the nineteenth century, though it became widespread only with the rise of card and mobile payments in recent decades. In its dominant modern usage the term is neutral and factual, though debates about cashlessness often touch on privacy and financial inclusion, since people without bank accounts can be excluded from cashless systems. A much rarer, older sense describes a person with no money at all — effectively penniless — but this usage has largely fallen out of everyday speech.
Operating or conducted without the use of physical cash, especially through electronic or digital payment methods.
"The stadium introduced a cashless policy, so all food and drink purchases must be made by card."
This is the overwhelmingly dominant sense today.
(Of a person) having no money; penniless.
"Stranded without his wallet, he was completely cashless until payday."
A dated or literary sense, now rarely used.
Sweden is so close to going cashless that many banks no longer hold physical money at all — and some churches now take donations by card.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cashless
Cashless is formed transparently within English from the noun 'cash', meaning ready money, combined with the suffix '-less', meaning 'without'. The word 'cash' itself entered English in the late sixteenth century from French 'caisse', meaning a box or case for holding money, which ultimately derives from Latin 'capsa', a box or container. Cashless is attested from around the mid-nineteenth century, originally in the sense of lacking money, and its now-dominant sense relating to electronic payment emerged in the twentieth century as cheque, card, and digital transactions spread. It shares its root with related money words such as cashier and with other derivatives of the Latin 'capsa', including cassette and encase.
How cashless is actually used
The dominant modern sense relates to electronic payment systems and is neutral in register. The word can carry slightly different connotations depending on context — 'cashless society' may sound progressive in fintech writing but exclusionary in discussions of people who lack bank accounts or cards. The older 'penniless' sense is now uncommon and mostly literary or dated.
Easily confused with cashless
Cashew is a type of edible nut, whereas cashless relates to the absence of physical money in transactions.