Veria - Claim Fact Check

Claim: Mexico's President has confirmed plans to eliminate cash payments and implement fully digital payments at gas stations and toll booths by 2026

90%

Based on my research, here is my assessment of this claim:

Reasoning:

President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed plans to eliminate cash payments and implement fully digital payments at gas stations and toll booths by the end of 2026 during her address at the 89th Banking Convention of the Mexican Banking Association (ABM) in Cancún¹²³.
She stated: "Our goal this year is to make digital payment of gasoline and tolls mandatory"².
The implementation plan includes nationwide information campaigns, prepayment options for tolls, and phone-based payment systems to reduce congestion and eliminate inefficiencies and corruption risks associated with cash handling¹³.
For toll booths, CAPUFE (the federal roads and bridges agency) will begin requiring electronic toll tags in January 2026, with gradual reduction and eventual elimination of cash lanes⁴. However, this applies only to CAPUFE-operated toll booths, which manage about 3,750 km out of nearly 11,000 km of toll roads in Mexico⁴.
The banking sector is supporting this initiative through measures such as temporary waivers on interchange fees for card payments at gas stations⁵.
While the president confirmed the plans and the 2026 timeline, sources note that "the government has not yet set a specific date for when cash will be officially restricted or when penalties might begin"⁵.

Overall validity: 90%

The claim is largely accurate. President Sheinbaum did confirm these plans with a 2026 timeline. The minor nuance is that the toll booth portion applies specifically to CAPUFE-operated facilities (not all toll roads in Mexico), and exact dates for cash restrictions have not been specified.