DENVER — Several years into Colorado’s new “must accept cash” law, Steve On Your Side found no record of a business that’s been slapped with a $250 fine for not following the law.
But that doesn’t mean every business in the state is accepting cash.
Tom Dyke reached out to Steve On Your Side after he tried to spend cash at Denver’s Summit Music Hall.
“There were signs all over as I was waiting outside that just said, 'We are a cashless establishment. Card only,'” Dyke said. “I went to a bartender and asked if I could pay cash. And he just said, no, we can't do it.”
Dyke knew his rights under the law – a COVID-19 pandemic-era piece of legislation that requires most businesses in the state to accept cash. There are some exceptions – like hotel and car rental security deposits, and businesses that provide an option to consumers to exchange cash into a card that can be used on site.
“Before I contacted you guys, I looked up trying to figure out if I could report these businesses myself, I could get any information about it,” Dyke said. “And maybe I'm just bad at Googling, but I couldn't find anywhere to report this to the state.”
Neither could we.
So we reached out to the original sponsor of the bill, Rep. Alex Valdez (D-Denver).
“Most of the enforcement has come through my office. I would say what we're doing is we're fielding these calls when folks run into a situation where someone is not accepting cash,” he told Consumer Investigator Steve Staeger.
Valdez said the Attorney General’s office would normally handle the enforcement.
But a Steve On Your Side review of court data found no prosecutors had filed charges related to the law since the bill passed.
“A lot of folks just don't know what the laws are - and that's another problem altogether,” Valdez said. “With larger companies, we've had to intervene and talk with corporate offices and let them know and they've complied.”
Have a business to report to Valdez? Send his office an e-mail or call 303-866-2925.
When Gov. Jared Polis signed Valdez’s bill into law in 2021, he warned that the measure would be relatively unenforceable in a signing statement attached to the bill.
“Thankfully, we haven't seen too many cases where the business hasn't just said, we'll comply and take that cash,” Valdez said.
Valdez said the best way to handle the problem is to go to the business yourself and remind them of the law.
To that end, Steve On Your Side went out to lunch at Hopdoddy Burger Bar near Union Station. At the time, the restaurant had signs posted all around saying it was a card-only business.
When Steve tried to pay cash at the register, the clerk informed him that the restaurant could accept cash, but couldn’t give exact change.
When Steve On Your Side followed up with Hopdoddy after the visit, a marketing director told us the cash-free policy at the restaurant was wrong and presented a “training opportunity” for the staff. After the call, Steve On Your Side visited the restaurant again and found the “Card Only” signs gone.
As for Dyke’s problems at Summit Music Hall, a marketing rep told Steve On Your Side cash could be exchanged for a card to be used on the property at the venue’s coat check. But when a 9NEWS producer visited a few weeks later, all she found were card-only signs at the coat check.
Steve On Your Side tried to follow up with the venue’s owner, Live Nation, for clarification, but the marketing representative didn’t respond to our request by the deadline to publish this story.
Reverse ATMs turn cash to card at Denver sports venues
Two of Denver's three major sports venues – Empower Field at Mile High and Coors Field – each offer machines on site that turn cash to card – effectively a reverse ATM.
At Empower Field Mile High, reverse ATMs that convert cash to a prepaid card are located in sections 105, 113, 121, 134, 307, 322, 335, 508, 520 and 534. The machines have no transaction fees.
At Coors Field, reverse ATMs are available in Section 113/114 near The Sandlot and Section 330 in front of GQ BBQ. Coors Field also has four stands that accept cash – in sections 109, 134, 306 and 327.
Ball Arena does not have the reverse ATMs. A Kroenke Sports and Entertainment spokesperson said the arena accepts cash at two locations in sections 147 and 379, and added that there are traditional ATMs in the concourses at sections 144 and 367.
Know of a business that isn’t accepting cash or have another unrelated consumer issue? Contact the Steve On Your Side team.