Do people in the UK still use cash?
Yes, but less every year. Cash payments fell to 3.9 billion in 2025, 8% of all payments, according to UK Finance, while £76.7 billion was still withdrawn from LINK ATMs that year. Post Office branches and banking hubs keep cash services available as bank branches close.
In detail
Yes, but less every year. According to UK Finance, cash payments fell to 3.9 billion in 2025, from 4.3 billion in 2024, or 8% of all payments, and they are forecast to drop to around 2.1 billion by 2035.
Cash is still widely used
49.3 million people still used a cash machine in 2025. The LINK network reports that £76.7 billion was withdrawn from its ATMs in 2025, across 1.27 billion transactions. The Bank of England counted about £91.5 billion of its notes in circulation at the end of February 2026.
Access is protected
FCA cash access rules require LINK to assess local needs, and banks fund shared banking hubs when branches close. Post Office branches act as counters for most UK banks and recorded 6.77 million cash deposits in October 2025, a monthly record.
Online
Cash survives online through bill payment networks and prepaid vouchers, but it is marginal compared with cards, wallets and bank payments.
What it means for payment operators
For operators serving UK merchants, cash matters in stores for some audiences, while online checkouts run on cards, wallets, Pay by Bank and BNPL. Reconciling in-store cash with digital payments keeps merchant reporting complete.