Americans adapt to touchless payment to avoid dirty money

Using contactless payments for in-person retail transactions offers convenience and security benefits, but amid the coronavirus pandemic, hygiene might be the best reason yet. ‘Contactless’ usually means tap-to-pay credit and debit cards, smartphone digital wallets or retailer apps. — AP

Any germaphobe will tell you that the surfaces of bills and coins have always been gross. And handing your credit card to a cashier who has the sniffles and a hacking cough? Even in pre-pandemic times, also gross.

Now, Covid-19 has prompted the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to advise using touchless payments whenever possible in the brick-and-mortar world.