The 20 most cashless cities revealed... plus the ones that are holding out
- Some areas are abandoning physical money at a much faster rate than others
A cashless society is closer than ever, as new figures reveal usage has plummeted in every area of the UK since the pandemic.
However, some areas are ditching cash at a much faster rate than others, as we reveal in the graphic and table below.
New figures from the Link network of ATMs show that, despite efforts to maintain access to cash, the total value of withdrawals has dropped significantly in every area of the country since 2020.
In 2019, £116 billion was withdrawn from ATMs compared to £80 billion in 2024, a 31 per cent fall, meaning consumers are withdrawing £100 million less cash every day compared to before the pandemic.
The total transaction numbers, including balance enquiries, also dropped significantly, from 1.73 billion in 2019 to 921 million in 2024, although the average withdrawal value increased from £65 to £85.
The figures will do little to quell concerns that the country is hurtling towards an entirely cashless society, as people increasingly use contactless payments and mobile payments.
Affluent people the first to ditch 'real money'
The most recent statistics show that cash represented 12 per cent of all payments, down from around 25 per cent five years ago and 60 per cent in 2008.
Contactless reigns supreme, with 43 per cent of adults regularly using it, followed by 22 per cent who prefer mobile phone payments, according to Link's analysis.
Every single constituency has seen a fall in cash withdrawals of more than 20 per cent, with the average area withdrawing £1 million less every week.
The figures also reveal regional differences, with more deprived areas seeing smaller falls while more affluent ones have seen a huge decline.
Some people say using cash gives them a physical reminder of how much they have spent, and helps them keep on top of their budget.
The fastest move away from cash has been in city centres and more affluent areas.
The Bristol Central constituency topped the list with a decline in transactions of slightly over 67 per cent over five years, while the value of cash withdrawals fell 51 per cent.
Residents are now taking out £105 million less per year than in 2019, or £290,000 per day.
It was followed by Edinburgh North & Leith, which saw a 67 per cent fall in transaction volumes and a 52 per cent fall in their value, and Westminster, which saw transactions plummet 66 per cent and their value 50 per cent.
Link says falling transactions act as a better measure because if there are fewer transactions, cash machines are more likely to close or switch to pay to use.
The top 50 constituencies where people have moved away from cash all saw falls of more than 50 per cent. These were dominated by English and Scottish constituencies.
Where are people still using cash?
Northern Ireland is the most cash-heavy area of the UK with the average adult withdrawing £2,274 in 2024, higher than the national average of £1,424.
Areas with higher levels of deprivation and digital exclusion are moving away from cash more slowly, said Link.
Weald of Kent saw the slowest move away from cash with transactions down 22 per cent over five years, while their value fell just 4 per cent.
It was followed by Leicester East, where transactions fell 27 per cent and the value dropped 7 per cent.
The slower decline in some areas suggests that cash is still critical to many communities, with £400,000 withdrawn from Link ATMs in each constituency every month last year.
John Howells, the chief executive of Link said: 'Covid changed how we live, how we work, and for many people, how we manage our cash. Cash use remains popular – we still withdrew £250million a day in 2024.
'The fact that areas which are more deprived are moving away from cash more slowly is a timely reminder that we cannot afford to leave anyone behind, and that we need to focus more on digital inclusion as part of how technology is rolled out across the UK.'
| 20 areas with fastest declines in ATM withdrawals | 20 areas with slowest declines in ATM withdrawals | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Constituency | Decline | Constituency | Decline |
| Bristol Central | -67% | Weald of Kent | -22% |
| Edinburgh North and Leith | -67% | Leicester East | -27% |
| Cities of London and Westminster | -66% | West Tyrone | -28% |
| Edinburgh South | -65% | Knowsley | -28% |
| Holborn and St Pancras | -65% | Bradford South | -29% |
| Edinburgh East and Musselburgh | -64% | Mid Ulster | -29% |
| Glasgow North | -64% | Kingston upon Hull East | -30% |
| Sheffield Central | -64% | Birmingham Yardley | -30% |
| York Central | -64% | Wolverhampton South East | -31% |
| Leeds Central and Headingley | -63% | Belfast West | -31% |
| Oxford West and Abingdon | -62% | Hartlepool | -31% |
| Islington South and Finsbury | -61% | Bradford East | -32% |
| Edinburgh West | -61% | Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare | -32% |
| Wimbledon | -61% | Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | -32% |
| Brighton Pavilion | -61% | Easington | -32% |
| Winchester | -60% | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | -32% |
| Bath | -60% | Birmingham Perry Barr | -33% |
| Edinburgh South West | -60% | Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North | -33% |
| Cardiff South and Penarth | -60% | Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney | -33% |
| Nottingham East | -60% | North Durham | -33% |
| Source: LINK |
Should businesses be forced to accept cash?
Campaigners have long argued that cash still has a place on the high street, particularly for the elderly, vulnerable and those fleeing domestic abuse.
Last year, the Treasury Select Committee opened an inquiry calling for evidence to determine if new rules are needed to make cash acceptance mandatory across Britain.
However, when quizzed by the Committee in January, the economic secretary to the Treasury, Emma Reynolds, said there were 'no plans to regulate businesses to compel them to accept cash, big or small.'
She said she didn't think 'we're anywhere near having a cashless society,' but Link's figures suggest there may be some areas that will be.
Martin Quinn, director of the Campaign for Cash said that higher deprivation areas were holding onto cash as the only way to manage their budgets and control spending.
He said: 'Access to free to use cashpoints is a lifeline. The move away from cash in many city centres, has largely been driven by consumers not being able to spend cash to simply buy lunch, with many national restaurant chains going card only.
'This is why the Government needs to mandate cash acceptance as a matter of urgency, because cash needs to be accepted everywhere.'
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