Not wanting to touch anything and risking passing along viruses is having a dramatic impact on consumer habits south of the border.
Amid the coronavirus crisis, experts note that Americans are abandoning cash almost entirely in favor of "tap-and-go" transactions and have finally embraced contactless and digital payment methods after years of reluctance.
Fewer and fewer adults use printed or minted U.S. currency at all any more. About three in 10 Americans said they make no purchases with cash in a typical week, up from a quarter in 2015, according to the Pew Research Center.
The U.S. Mint has pleaded with the public to use coins again, but the opportunities to do so are fewer and farther between.
Since the start of the pandemic llast winter, more retailers have moved to e-commerce, including allowing shoppers to pay online and pick up curbside, avoiding even the touch-card readers, according to the National Retail Federation. Overall, 67% of retailers now accept some form of no-touch payment.
Nationwide in the U.S., gas stations, grocery stores, pharmacies and even farm stands are also making the switch, accelerating the move away from cash in favour of touch-free payments.
