Digital Barriers To Paying Bills

The general public needs free access to ATM withdrawals in their communities. People who don’t use digital payments are increasingly at risk of losing out – through higher costs, declining acceptance of cash or being unable to shop online.

We’re committed to making sure people can pay DSL, and use cash to pay their bills.

This is why we partner with the UK’s most extensive over-the-counter cash payment network, PayPoint and Post Office, giving your customers a choice of over 40,000 outlets and branches to pay their bills using cash.

We understand that 1.8 million people in the UK cannot access a debit or credit card or may choose to use cash, are on a limited budget or receive benefits, and the only way they can access their money is via an ATM using a withdrawal-only card. Many people who rely on cash have low income or other vulnerability. A significant factor in their use of cash is the associated importance of avoiding overspending – which the physical nature of cash can make easier to manage.

Over the last few years, many high-street banks closed branches, which left many cash users without a means to pay bills; DSL found it created a barrier to payment. We needed to resolve the problem, as many people wanted to pay but couldn’t. For example, a customer agreed to pay £10.00 per week using cash, and they usually went to the local high street bank and paid using cash. However, the bank has now closed, and the nearest bank is a 20-minute bus ride away, costing £2.00 each way, making a £10.00 payment £14.00, a 40% increase, and it takes two or three hours to complete the journey. Low-income customers struggle to afford the additional cost and can’t always find the time; we have busy lives.   

Some people lack the financial or digital skills to use digital payments. And some don’t have access to digital and financial infrastructure, such as adequate broadband or a bank account.

At DSL, we train our call handlers to identify customers who prefer or are only able to use cash as early as possible, and we then put their minds at ease by explaining how we can help by using the PayPoint system. A repayment schedule is agreed upon, and a PayPoint card is issued and sent directly to the customer’s home address. Once the card arrives, customers can pay using cash at over 40,000 locations throughout the UK.