Despite the numerous alternatives such as credit, debit, QR and bank transfers, cash is the main means of payment in Asunción, Central and interior departments, according to a study that included a hundred shopping centers.
The two hardest years of the pandemic, 2020 and 2021 made many people seek to avoid physical contact with money and even having to leave home to shop. Transfers, debit, payments with QR or through the web, to name a few, gained frequency in relation to the pre-pandemic.
However, despite the sensation of the beginning of a migration to alternative methods, the traditional system continues to prevail in Asunción, Greater Asunción and the main departments of the interior
according to a study prepared by the company Captura Consulting in more than a hundred shopping centers, more than 91% of users continue to use cash for their payments.
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In the supermarkets, more than half of the customers use banknotes, The General Director of Prosegur Cash, Claudio Pellejero, believes that a cashless economy, would leave out a significant sector of the population.
From the merchants’ perspective, the Money is the lowest cost method for any business, according to 78% of respondents. In addition, 56% affirm that it is the safest.
Some opt for cash by preference, others because they do not have access to a different way and others because they do not know how to use digital tools like the QR. To this last point is added the problem of internet connection, mainly inside.
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One aspect in favor of cash is that, according to buyers, it helps to regulate expenses, since You can’t use more than you have at the moment. It also avoids falling into tariff obligations and commissions.
