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Tue, 18 Aug 2026

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 Mobile payments on the rise but cash decline slows

Nine in 10 mobile wallet users have their debit card loaded as their default payment method, new data shows.

* 2/3 of UK adults were registered with at least one mobile payment service last year.
* Mobile payments have increased significantly over the past decade, with 80% of 16-34 year olds making regular mobile payments and 22% of over 65s.
* Debit cards loaded onto phones accounted for 54% of all payments in 2025, followed by contactless payments at 39%.
* Cheques have declined to just 0.2% of payments made in the UK, with a total of 77 million written last year.
* Cash use is still significant, with notes and coins used in 3.9 billion transactions (8% of all payments) last year.
* The number of cash machine users has decreased slightly, but remains high at nearly 50 million people per year.
* Forecasts suggest that the share of cash transactions will halve to 4% by 2035.