"with cash" vs "in cash"

[Mika]

English Grammar Error, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #19 "Adverbs and Gerunds", question 10

Just one more thing, waiter, do I have to pay with cash or do you accept credit cards?

(a) thing
(b) with
(c) accept

English Grammar Error, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #19 "Adverbs and Gerunds", answer 10

Just one more thing, waiter, do I have to pay in cash or do you accept credit cards?

Correct entry: in
The error was: (b) with
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with cash or in cash

Mika

[Yankee]

Hi Mika

Pay in cash is a very common and standard expression. Even though the preposition in would be used much more often than with in this expression, I find it impossible to categorize pay with cash as "wrong".

Perhaps 'with' is never used in the UK.
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English