JetBlue Just Says No to Cash

Unlike gas stations these days, JetBlue airlines is seemingly averse to cash, at least according to their new policy.

The airline is no longer accepting cash for in-flight purchases, even for items as cheap as one dollar, such as a headphone rental.

Instead, you must present plastic if you care to get a cold beer or a glass of wine, or the latest movie on demand.

To me it’s a bit odd that they would nix cash in favor of credit cards, especially for purchases as low as a buck, considering the interchange fees associated with such transactions.

That is, unless they’ve worked out a deal with the major credit card issuers to get commissions for new card applications and discounted fees in-flight.

But this really makes it clear going forward that cash is certainly not king anymore.

In fact, with policies like theirs in place, likely encouraged by the credit card issuers themselves, it will be difficult for anyone to carry on normally without a credit card in their pocket (why we need credit).

It’s only a matter of time before all the major carriers follow suit and effectively phase out cash in flight.

Related: Pros and cons of credit cards.