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New analysis published today by LINK, the UK’s cash access and ATM network, shows that almost five years on since the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK is moving towards a low cash society, albeit at different speeds across the country.

Over the past twenty years, there has been a shift away from cash with more banking customers choosing to bank and pay for things digitally or with contactless cards. As a result, cash use has fallen with most recent industry statistics showing that cash represented 12% of all payments, down from around one-quarter of all payments in 2020, and 60% back in 2008.

LINK’s latest analysis shows that the total value of cash withdrawn from cash machines in every single constituency of the UK has seen a significant fall since COVID. In 2019, £116bn was withdrawn from ATMs compared to £80bn in 2024, a 31% fall. That means UK banking customers are withdrawing £100m less from ATMs every day compared to before the pandemic. 

As customers use less cash, total ATM transaction numbers, which includes balance enquires, have also fallen significantly. In 2019, there were 1.73bn transactions compared to 921mn in 2024, a 47% drop. However, LINK data shows that the average withdrawal value has increased from £65 to £85 over the same time period.  Consumers are visiting ATMs less, but when they do they take out more cash.

Assessing the level of decline in transactions across UK Parliamentary constituencies reveals significant geographic differences. Over the five years, we can see which parts of the country have moved away from cash more quickly and slowly. The data shows: 

• The total cash withdrawn from ATMs has fallen in every single constituency across the UK with the average constituency withdrawing £1m less every week.
• The fastest move away from cash has been in city centres and more affluent constituencies with Bristol Central, Edinburgh North & Leith and Westminster seeing the biggest shift
• Areas with higher levels of deprivation and digital exclusion are moving away from cash more slowly
• The top 50 constituencies where people have moved away from cash the fastest are dominated by English and Scottish constituencies – see below
• Northern Ireland is the ‘cash heaviest’ part of the UK with the average adult still withdrawing £2,274 in 2024, compared to the national average of £1,424.

Yet cash is still critical to every high street. Even in the quietest and most remote constituencies, over £400,000 was still withdrawn from LINK ATMs every month last year. In total, £79.5bn was withdrawn across the country, and surveys show around five million people still depend on cash. 

LINK runs a national Financial Inclusion Programme ensuring that, despite changing consumer behaviour, people can still access cash for free. Some 93.6% of people live within one mile of access to cash. 

John Howells, CEO, LINK: “COVID changed how we live, how we work, and for many people, how we manage our cash.  Cash use remains popular – we still withdrew £250m 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.” 

* Volume of cash withdrawals from LINK ATMs, 2019 vs. 2024. ATMs within the 2024 constituency boundaries used for comparison in both 2019 and 2024.