UK Cash & Card Payment Statistics Hub
UK Cash & Card Payment Statistics Hub
How the UK pays: cash, cards, contactless and mobile wallets, who still relies on cash, what cards cost retailers, how access to cash is changing, and what the law says about refusing it. Every figure is taken from the named primary source listed at the foot of the page.
Last updated: September 2026 · Next review: October 2026, when UK Finance publishes 2025 data
Cash as a share of all UK payments
For the first time, cash was not the UK's second most-used payment method in 2024. It was overtaken by Direct Debit, Faster Payments and credit cards, leaving it fifth. Debit cards were used for 26.1 billion payments — 53% of the total — and card payments of all kinds accounted for 64% of UK transactions.
Cash at the till: the retail figures
Cash is around twice as common at a retail till as its share of all payments suggests, and its retail share rose during the cost-of-living period as households used it to budget. The British Retail Consortium has stated that all large retailers remain committed to accepting cash, noting that it costs less to process than card payments.
Who still uses cash
The reliance is concentrated. Most adults could stop using cash tomorrow; a little over a million could not. Wales recorded the highest volume of post office transactions per head of population between 2022 and January 2025, and Northern Ireland the highest value — the parts of the UK where cash remains most embedded.
Contactless and mobile wallets
Contactless replaced cash for small purchases; mobile contactless is now replacing the physical card. UK Finance expects older age groups to close the gap on mobile payments over the next decade, as they did with contactless cards.
What cards cost retailers
This is the number behind every “cash preferred” sign in a café window. For a business on thin margins, the fee on a £4 card transaction is a real cost, and the BRC has repeatedly called for the Payment Systems Regulator to cap interchange and scheme fees.
Getting hold of cash: branches, ATMs and hubs
Scotland was the first part of the UK to lose more than half its bank branches — 751 of 1,041 since 2015. Since 18 September 2024, the FCA's access to cash rules have required fourteen designated banks and building societies to assess and fill significant gaps in cash withdrawal and deposit services before closing a branch or ATM. An independent Review of Access to Banking Services is due to report in October 2026.
Cash acceptance and legal tender
“Legal tender” is a narrow rule about settling a debt, not about buying things. The Bank of England describes it as a technical term with no use in everyday life. Bank of England notes and Royal Mint coins are legal tender in England and Wales; in Scotland and Northern Ireland only Royal Mint coins are — Scottish and Northern Irish banknotes are not legal tender anywhere. Cards, contactless and cheques are not legal tender either.
The Treasury Committee examined cash acceptance in 2025 and warned of a “two-tier society” if it kept falling. The Government confirmed it has no plans to compel businesses to accept cash, and the Bank of England now monitors acceptance levels through its consumer survey. The full position, including why the sign belongs at the door rather than the till, is in our guide: Can a UK business refuse cash?
What small businesses actually search for
Our own search data runs against the public narrative. Among UK businesses looking for a payment sign, more want to ask customers to pay cash than want to refuse it — consistent with the card-fee figures above. A small dataset from one supplier, offered as a signal rather than a survey.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of UK payments are made in cash?
9% of all payments in 2024, according to UK Finance — the first year below 10%, down from 48% in 2014. At a retail till the share is higher: 19.2% of transactions in 2024, per the British Retail Consortium.
How many people in the UK rely on cash?
UK Finance found 1.2 million adults mainly used cash in 2024. The Commons Library reports 5% of adults were heavy cash users, rising to 24% of the digitally excluded. 16.9 million adults — 30% — used cash once a month or less.
Is cash use going up or down?
Across all payments it is falling, forecast to reach 4% by 2034. In retail it rose in 2022 and 2023 as households used it to budget, then edged down to 19.2% in 2024.
Can a UK business refuse cash?
Yes. No UK legislation requires a business to accept cash or any other payment method. The Government confirmed in June 2025 it has no plans to mandate acceptance, though the Bank of England now monitors it.
How much do card payments cost UK retailers?
£1.48 billion in fees in 2024, more than double the 2019 figure, according to the BRC. Fees rose 25% in 2023 alone.
How many bank branches have closed?
433 closed in 2025 and 314 are scheduled for 2026 (Which?). Scotland has lost 751 of 1,041 branches since 2015. ATM numbers are down 40% since 2015, and 225 banking hubs were open by March 2026 against a target of 350.
Where these figures come from
Primary sources
- UK Finance, UK Payment Markets 2025 (published October 2025, covering 2024) — payment volumes, cash share, contactless, mobile wallets, cash-reliance, 2034 forecast
- British Retail Consortium, Payments Survey 2025 (December 2025, covering 2024) — retail cash share, card fees, transaction counts
- British Retail Consortium, Payments Survey 2024 (December 2024, covering 2023) — retail cash share, share of turnover, card fee growth
- House of Commons Treasury Committee, Acceptance of cash, Sixth Report of Session 2024–25, HC 324 (April 2025) — G4S evidence, historic trends, regional post office data
- HM Treasury, Government Response to the Treasury Committee's report (June 2025) — position on mandating cash acceptance
- House of Commons Library, Access to cash and banking services, CBP-9453 (July 2026) — heavy cash users, ATM decline, banking hubs, post office numbers
- Which?, Bank branch closures (July 2026) — closure counts by year and nation
- Financial Conduct Authority, PS24/8 Access to cash (July 2024, rules in force 18 September 2024)
- Bank of England — banknotes in circulation; definition of legal tender
- Royal Mint — legal tender limits for coins under the Coinage Act 1971
- Cherry Grove Craft, Google Search Console, 90 days to 13 September 2026 — payment-sign search demand
Figures are quoted from the named source and rounded as published. Forecasts are the source's own projections. Reviewed September 2026; UK Finance publishes 2025 data in October 2026 and this page will be updated then.
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Cherry Grove Craft makes engraved wooden payment signs — Cash Preferred, Card Payments Only and Cashless — in FSC-certified oak, made to order in North Wales, for cafés, shops, salons and market stalls.