By Dean Dunham

As someone who has spent decades advising consumers on their rights, I've always encouraged people to pay with debit or credit cards whenever possible.

The consumer protections are invaluable: Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act offers a safety net for purchases between £100 and £30,000, while chargeback rights provide recourse when things go wrong regardless of the spend amount so long as you claim within 120 of purhcase. These protections have saved countless consumers from financial disaster when retailers fail or goods prove faulty.

Yet Santander's announcement that it will close 95 branches this year – a fifth of its entire UK network – combined with the government's refusal to compel businesses to accept cash, has exposed a troubling paradox in our financial system. While I champion card payments every week on the LBC Consumer Hour, for their protective benefits, we risk creating exactly the kind of two-tier society we should be fighting against.

Santander's closures are part of a devastating trend. Since January 2015, over 6,300 bank and building society branches have closed across Britain – 64%........

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