Mexico Plans to End Cash Payments for Gasoline and Phase In Digital Tolls, Digi Mart USA News (Mexico): Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the government of Mexico seeks to promote digital payments for gasoline purchases and toll booth charges as part of the new Digital Economy Law for Digital and Electronic Payments. The law aims to increase the use of electronic means in the country and reduce dependence on cash.
During her morning press conference on Monday, November 9, Sheinbaum clarified that cash will not disappear, but that the government seeks to gradually move toward greater use of digital tools in certain activities. She identified the two areas that will be prioritized and the one in which cash payment would be eliminated entirely.
The president stated that the objective is not to remove cash, but to encourage more transactions to be made through digital payments. The federal government plans to advance mainly in two activities.
She specified that for gasoline purchases, the government seeks to eliminate cash payment completely. For toll booths, the transition to digital payments will be carried out gradually.
Sheinbaum also explained that these measures are part of a strategy to expand the use of electronic tools in everyday transactions, without implying a general prohibition on physical money. She said that electronic payments make people’s lives easier because they allow payments without carrying cash and, according to her, without paying commissions on these operations.
She indicated that digital payments will be incorporated gradually and clarified that the strategy does not mean cash payments will be prohibited at commercial establishments, such as stores that routinely accept physical money. The federal government intends to concentrate changes in specific activities and progressively expand electronic payment options.
The decree issuing the Digital Economy Law for Digital and Electronic Payments was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, and took effect on Thursday, November 5. However, entry into force does not mean that all establishments or activities must immediately stop accepting cash.
The decree sets deadlines for authorities to determine where the new provisions will be implemented and under what conditions.
According to its transitory articles, the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) must first determine which strategic sectors or activities will prioritize digital payment implementation. Once that determination is published, the competent authorities will have a second period of 15 business days to issue corresponding rules, which will set the conditions, obligations and timelines that the involved sectors must meet.
