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Fri, 06 Mar 2026

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 One in 7 shops in UK has turned cashless in the past year, survey finds

Some 14% of small High Street traders have gone card-only in the last year, a survey suggests.

* 14% of High Street shops have gone cashless over the last year, according to a survey by Link, the UK's main ATM network.
* The decision to go cashless is often driven by concerns about security and costs, such as handling money and dealing with theft.
* Around half of in-store purchases are still made in cash, but some 77% of High Street businesses surveyed still accept cash.
* MPs have warned that a lack of data on cash acceptance could lead to a two-tier system, where prices are higher for shops that still accept cash.
* The government has been urged to force shops and services to accept cash to protect vulnerable people.
* Some countries have introduced mandatory cash acceptance for essential services, but the UK currently allows shops to choose whether or not to accept cash.
* A survey of shoppers in Hastings found that younger shoppers tend to use card payments, while older shoppers prefer to use cash.
* The cost of handling money is a significant factor in the decision to go cashless, with over half of retailers paying more than £50 per month to handle cash deposits.