Cashless Laundromat Payments: Why Going Digital Is The Smartest Move for Owners

Today's fast-moving, mobile-driven consumers have left cash behind. Whether they're grabbing a coffee or hopping on the train, contactless payment is now the everyday standard. Yet many laundromats still rely on physical cash, and for those who don’t carry coins, that’s a reason to walk past your door. For owners, staying cash-only means leaving money on the table, along with a steady stream of avoidable problems that digital payments simply don’t have.

The Hidden Costs of Coin-Operated Laundry Machines 

While quarters built the self-service laundry industry, relying on physical cash creates a barrier:

• Taking Time from Business: Collecting, weighing and counting coins wastes hours every week.
• Security & Vandalism Risks: Cash on site with change machines can create a security risk.
• Banking Fees: Banks can charge processing fees for heavy coin deposits, directly cutting into net margins. 
• Machine Damage & Downtime: Coin jams and mechanical wear damage machines and take them out of service until a technician arrives. 

Each of these costs eats into your margins without adding anything for the customer. Together, they add up to time, money and stress that a cashless setup largely takes off your plate. 

Why Digital Payments Are The Smart Play for Laundromats 

The shift away from coins is well underway. A recent American Coin-Op industry survey found that just over 50% of self-serve laundries now generate at least half of their machine revenue from non-coin payments, up sharply over the past three years. Customer convenience is the leading driver, cited by seven in ten operators making the switch. 

Moving to cashless payments improves the customer experience while giving store owners greater visibility and control over their business. 

For Customers

Going digital removes every point of friction from their laundry routine. With instant tap-to-pay options via contactless cards or mobile wallets, customers can walk in and start washing immediately without wasting time hunting for cash or converting bills. Offering flexible ways to pay, whether through NFC tags, self-service kiosks, or directly from a mobile browser, makes your store far more accessible to modern, cashless customers and caters to their individual preferences. Ultimately, eliminating cash runs saves your customers valuable time and prevents the hassle of running out of quarters mid-wash, creating an effortless visit that keeps them coming back. 

For Store Owners

Digital payments turn daily operational headaches into actionable growth. Real-time revenue tracking gives you complete oversight of performance across multiple store locations right from your phone or laptop, enabling smarter, data-driven decisions. When machine issues arise, remote activation and instant refunds allow you to resolve customer problems on the spot, saving on-site labour costs and protecting your store’s reputation without dispatching staff. Furthermore, dynamic pricing and integrated loyalty tools give you the power to run off-peak discounts, reward regular customers, and adjust cycle rates instantly, driving higher foot traffic during quiet hours and maximising your overall revenue. 

CleanCloud and Tangerpay: Unattended Payments for Laundromats 

To make going cashless simple, CleanCloud has acquired Tangerpay. By integrating this hardware and payment technology into CleanCloud’s Point of Sale (POS) software, we’ve created a unified operational ecosystem built for the modern laundromat. 

One Centralised Platform

Instead of switching between separate platforms for store sales, deliveries, and self-service washers, you can now manage your entire laundry business from one place: 

• Self-Service & Kiosk Payments: Accept contactless card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and kiosk transactions directly at the washer or dryer. 
• Machine Connectivity & Remote Control: Start machines remotely and monitor live machine statuses.
• Wash, Dry & Fold Workspaces: Track counter orders, processing status, and customer notes seamlessly. 
• Delivery & Route Management: Coordinate pickup and delivery schedules alongside in-store operations. 

Ready to Upgrade Your Laundromat? 

Transitioning to digital payments is one of the fastest ways to future-proof your business and simplify the day to day.

Read our full Tangerpay announcement to learn more, or sign up for a free trial to get started with CleanCloud today.