Cash only at some National Parks

Shop deals on ebay
shop deals on amazon
Advertise with us
Van Living Forum

Help Support Van Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
C

Carla618

Well-known member
Supporting Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2018
Messages
2,530
Reaction score
1,280
Location
Illinois
Three ppl filed a lawsuit against the government...

Esther van der Werf of Ojai, California, Toby Stover of High Falls, New York, and Elizabeth Dasburg of Darien, Georgia, filed their lawsuit on March 6 after being prevented from paying in cash at various national parks, monuments and historic sites around the country. Citing a U.S. code that states U.S. currency is legal tender for all public charges, the lawsuit alleges that the park service’s cashless policy is in violation of federal law.

The park service instituted cashless policies at approximately 29 locations, according to the lawsuit. The plaintiffs said cash payments were refused at sites in Arizona, New York and Georgia.

More: https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/cashless-national-park-service-lawsuit-19265876.php
 
It is not a law that it be accepted and that is printed more as a declaration on the currency is my understanding. When our dollars stopped being “silver certificates” I stopped caring what form our currency took and started bartering or trading services more. Might as well be plastic credit cards in my opinion.
 
I prefer it when they have lanes for people who have annual passes and do not need cash or bank cards. It makes getting in a lot shorter wait. 😁

But nowadays it is still a longer process even for pass holders as they want to scan the pass to collect data from where the annual passes are used and how many parks that pass holder has visited in a season. Every business is busy doing data mining which is why cash is no longer King.
 
Last edited:
bullfrog ! said:
It is not a law that it be accepted and that is printed more as a declaration on the currency is my understanding. When our dollars stopped being “silver certificates” I stopped caring what form our currency took and started bartering or trading services more. Might as well be plastic credit cards in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Believe it or not, some ppl end up in situations where they only have cash. I was in that situation shortly after my divorce many years ago. Nobody should be penalized for not having plastic nor a bank account.
 
The ferry when it was operating between Bullfrog Utah and Halls Crossing Utah only took cash and most times was 110 miles from a functioning ATM!
 
I have seen many sites that only accept credit cards. I think its a security thing to reduce the possibility of being robbed. When I visited quartzite, I was surprized that the long term camping only accepted cash?? I like using my credit card so I can track how much I spend on each of my trips.
 
Carla618 said:
Three ppl filed a lawsuit against the government...

Esther van der Werf of Ojai, California, Toby Stover of High Falls, New York, and Elizabeth Dasburg of Darien, Georgia, filed their lawsuit on March 6 after being prevented from paying in cash at various national parks, monuments and historic sites around the country. Citing a U.S. code that states U.S. currency is legal tender for all public charges, the lawsuit alleges that the park service’s cashless policy is in violation of federal law.

The park service instituted cashless policies at approximately 29 locations, according to the lawsuit. The plaintiffs said cash payments were refused at sites in Arizona, New York and Georgia.

More: https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/cashless-national-park-service-lawsuit-19265876.php
Click to expand...
Is it not possible that a cashless policy is simply a way to save on labor? Just swipe your card and don't worry
that a friendly host will not be by soon.
 
Carla618 said:
Believe it or not, some ppl end up in situations where they only have cash. I was in that situation shortly after my divorce many years ago. Nobody should be penalized for not having plastic nor a bank account.
Click to expand...
The world has changed. A debit card is essential. However, most banks will not grant you an account if you do not
have a physical address (hello nomads). So, I suggest just make up an address, or pick a real address such
as a local UPS store. It works just fine.
 
camperdan said:
The world has changed. A debit card is essential. However, most banks will not grant you an account if you do not
have a physical address (hello nomads). So, I suggest just make up an address, or pick a real address such
as a local UPS store. It works just fine.
Click to expand...
It is not just a lack of a physical address. If you screw up once with a bank (not pay off a bounced check) you are placed on a list that is shared with other banks. For years you are blacklisted from having a bank account. I don't know how many years. I had a neighbor who was a local bank president who told me about the list.

Nobody should be barred from visiting state parks because they screwed up x number of years prior with a bank account.

Btw, you may be surprised to find out how much personal info is shared between banks. Just about everything.
 
There are several advantages to going cashless. Less time spent counting bills and change with fewer errors. Less physical contacts during wide spread spreading of illnesses, less chance of theft as well as less resources needed to complete the transactions which often occur at machines after hours. One big problem with going cashless is many remote locations cannot support card readers or machines used to complete transactions.
 
For attended locations there is less risk in accepting cash, however for unattended places cash is a HUGE problem. It's basically like putting up a sign saying "Here is an easy, unobserved store of money
for any jackass with a sledgehammer to do $8,000 worth of damage to steal $150 in cash".

If there was no cash at all was being accepted at the park, then this there is arguably a major issue. However, if it was just certain lanes or entrances that did not accept cash then IMO the problem was between the seat and the steering wheel.

If I were running a business today I would strongly consider not accepting cash at all if possible. If it's well known that you don't have any cash on hand that is a HUGE disincentive for would-be robbers. Not to mention that I really feel kind of grossed out about cash (kind of like being the 20 or 30th person that gets to use a single shared napkin or handkerchief or a public bathroom that only has a single cloth towel hanging in it to dry your hands).

Some links to entertain you:
https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1914560_1914558_1914544,00.html

https://www.npr.org/sections/health...ney-a-microbial-jungle-thrives-in-your-wallet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contaminated_currency
 
Last edited:
There are advantages to switching to plastic, but that is not my point at all. There are advantages and conveniences to many things, but that shouldn't always be the main consideration.

This topic reminds me of a newscast I watched a few years ago with a man on the county board repeatedly saying, '...the nursing home was not profitable...' so they closed the only county nursing home in the area. Two weeks ago a private nursing home closed.

When I listened to that man I kept saying to myself, "it is not supposed to turn a profit"

Just as frustrating when ppl say the USPS isn't profitable. It is not supposed to be. It is a service.

So using cash may cost more and thieves may break into the metal drop box. Do we shut down everything thieves break into?

There are people who want to take their kids to a national park who don't have a credit card or checking account. Why restrict them? It is unnecessary.

I know it is hard to understand in late stage capitalism;)
 
Actually USPS is a service business but it's not a service. If it can't break even then it shouldn't continue. It has to be possible to operate such a service and break even, otherwise UPS and FedEx wouldn't be
able to stay in business.

By saying that a business or service is 'not supposed to turn a profit' that's like saying the employees
should be willing to work without pay. Profit doesn't need to be the main goal, but breaking even is
kind of a requirement.

For the issue of national parks not taking cash, the problem is not that there are places that refuse
to accept cash, but that existing financial services are unavailable to some people. Forcing cash
acceptance is not the solution. Fixing the banking industry is.
 
Frood said:
Actually USPS is a service business but it's not a service. If it can't break even then it shouldn't continue. It has to be possible to operate such a service and break even, otherwise UPS and FedEx wouldn't be
able to stay in business.

By saying that a business or service is 'not supposed to turn a profit' that's like saying the employees
should be willing to work without pay. Profit doesn't need to be the main goal, but breaking even is
kind of a requirement.

For the issue of national parks not taking cash, the problem is not that there are places that refuse
to accept cash, but that existing financial services are unavailable to some people. Forcing cash
acceptance is not the solution. Fixing the banking industry is.
Click to expand...
USPS workers do much more than deliver mail. Many have saved lives. I would hate to never again have mail delivered by the USPS because it's not profitable. But I'm no fan of capitalism.
 
^From your quoted article

".................after sending an email to Fort Pulaski National Historic Site in Georgia asking how to enter the park without a credit or debit card, was told via email to go to a grocery store or Walmart and purchase a gift card, which could be accepted instead of cash, the lawsuit says."
 
abnorm said:
^From your quoted article

".................after sending an email to Fort Pulaski National Historic Site in Georgia asking how to enter the park without a credit or debit card, was told via email to go to a grocery store or Walmart and purchase a gift card, which could be accepted instead of cash, the lawsuit says."
Click to expand...
Sounds like that will work just fine. Thanks abnorm. I never thought of that, since the only plastic I have is a bank debit card. No credit cards... So, like Marge, no debt:D

Btw, I have no signal here in this national forest so I started watching old DVDs. Last night was Contagion... Spread by credit cards, among other things. Thought that was ironic .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Top