DLCA Educates Before it Regulates: At Least Two Forms of Payment is the Law

The V.I. Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs is warning the territory’s businesses that they must accept two forms of payment — cash and either credit or debit card — under a law passed in 2019.

The department will start enforcing the law in January, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred many consumers and businesses to avoid handling cash, it announced in a news release on Tuesday.

Effective April 3, 2020, Act 8205, also known as Bill No. 33-0098, gave the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs the responsibility to regulate business practices relative to the forms of payment they are required to accept, according to the release from Commissioner Richard Evangelista.