Legal tender and electronic payments – can we insist on paying in cash?

A tourist in Hong Kong faced refusal when attempting to pay cash for a meal at a Tsim Sha Tsui restaurant in 2023, as the establishment only accepted electronic payments. The incident sparked debate over the legality of cash refusal, referencing Hong Kong's legal tender laws under the Legal Tender Notes Issue Ordinance, Coinage Ordinance, and Basic Law Article 111.