verb phrase · informal
pay in cash
/peɪ ɪn kæʃ/pay·in·CASH
Band 4-5speakingtask2
to give physical money (notes/coins) rather than using a card or transfer
Examples
“I always pay in cash for small market purchases.”
“They prefer customers to pay in cash at the stall.”
“If the machine is broken, you must pay in cash.”
Band 8 sentence
“Because many small vendors don't take cards, I tend to pay in cash to avoid delays.”
Collocations
- pay in cash / pay by card
- pay in cash upfront
Word family
pay verbpayment nouncash noun
Common mistakes
pay by cash→pay in cash
pay cash→pay in cash
Say it for a higher band
5pay cash→6pay with cash→7+pay in cash
Synonyms
pay cash
Easily confused
pay by card
“Most supermarkets accept customers who want to pay by card.”
pay cash
“I usually pay cash when I buy something small.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Shopping & Money
Learn it with its set