Even with the range of digital bank accounts now offering budgeting tools and cashback on debit card spend, cash payments are still very much a staple in the UK for certain things. But will we eventually become a cashless society? We look at the latest cash usage statistics and trends for 2025.
Cash usage statistics: Highlights
1 in 8 people in the UK (13%) use cash every day in 2025, around 7 million people.
3 in 5 Brits (61%) – an estimated 32.7 million people – use cash at least once a week.
However, almost 1 in 10 Brits (9%) never use cash.
There were 6 billion cash payments in the UK in 2023, a 7% decrease from 2022.
Cash was used to make 12% of all payments in the UK in 2023, but usage is forecast to decline and make up just 6% of payments in 2033.
Cash was the second most frequently used payment method in the UK in 2023, after debit card payments.
The top reason for carrying cash is shopping at places that prefer or only accept cash, given by 44% of Brits.
More than a quarter of Brits (26%) use cash to help budget or control their spending.
How many people use cash in the UK?
91% of UK adults still use cash at least some of the time in 2025, even if it’s only occasionally. This is an estimated 48.6 million people. This leaves less than 1 in 10 Brits (9%) who never use cash – around 5 million people.
What percentage of transactions are cash in the UK?
In 2023, cash was used to make 12% of all transactions in the UK, down slightly from 14% of transactions in 2022. Cash is still the second most frequently used payment method in the UK behind debit card payments.
However, the percentage of transactions made in cash decreased significantly in the 6 years prior, going from making up over a third of payments (34%) in 2017 to just 1 in 8 transactions (12%) in 2023.
The average Brit uses cash roughly once every 3 days. 1 in 8 UK adults (13%) use cash every day, around 7 million people, while 3 in 5 Brits (61%) use cash at least once a week, an estimated 32.7 million people, according to a 2025 Finder survey.
The most common reason for carrying cash is so that it will be accepted in places that only accept or prefer cash. 44% of Brits carry cash for this reason. This is closely followed in second place by people carrying money in case of emergencies, such as losing their debit card or phone (36%).
A quarter of Brits (26%) carry cash because it helps them control spending and budget, while 1 in 5 Brits (20%) like to use cash for tips. Just under 1 in 5 Brits say they use cash because they like the privacy and security it offers.
In case I shop at places that prefer or only accept cash
43.60%
In case of emergencies, such as losing my debit card or phone
36.20%
It helps me budget or control my spending
25.80%
I like to tip in cash
19.80%
I like the privacy and security that cash payments offer
19.25%
I don’t like using digital payment methods
9.65%
When will cash be obsolete in the UK?
Cash usage is declining in the UK and this was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2017 and 2020, the number of cash payments more than halved from over 13 billion to just over 6 billion.
However, Finder’s 2025 survey shows that cash is still used by a lot of Brits and they have a variety of reasons for carrying it. The decline in cash usage seems to have slowed in recent years after a rapid decrease, and while it is still declining, it doesn’t look like it will be obsolete anytime soon.
Cash machines are the most common method of acquiring cash, with 91% of all cash obtained this way in 2023. Altogether, there were almost 1.3 billion cash machine withdrawals in 2023, with a total value of £114 billion. Other methods of acquiring cash included debit card cashback, counter withdrawals, passbooks and cashing in cheques. There were 121 million of these alternative cash withdrawals.
Click here for more research. For all media enquiries, please contact –
Matt Mckenna
UK Head of Communications T: +44 20 8191 8806
Sophie Barber is a senior content marketing manager for Finder in the UK. She has over 5 years experience in writing and publishing clear, concise and informative articles that help consumers make informed decisions. See full bio
Sophie's expertise
Sophie has written 97 Finder guides across topics including:
Matthew Boyle is a banking and mortgages publisher at Finder. He has a 7-year history of publishing helpful guides to assist consumers in making better decisions. In his spare time, you will find him walking in the Norfolk countryside admiring the local wildlife. See full bio
Matthew's expertise
Matthew has written 279 Finder guides across topics including:
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