LINK’s Cash Index shows 61% of people still used cash in the past two weeks.

The share of people using cash in the past two weeks has fallen from 73% in 2024 to 61% in 2026, as represented in the graph below.

While contactless cards (42%) and using your phone (30%) are UK consumers’ favourites for day-to-day payments, 13% still prefer to pay in cash. This is highest for the 55+ (16%) and lowest among 35-44 (9%). The youngest group, 16-24 are only just below the overall average at 12%.

The LINK Cash Index shows that the favourite places to use cash in the past two weeks remain supermarkets, convenience stores, giving money to friends and family, cafes and pubs. However, cash use has been falling since the last time this was measured, in June 2025.

LINK research in late 2025 showed that while 77% of retailers still accept cash, 14% have stopped doing so in the last year. The LINK Cash Index shows of 45% people find not accepting cash inconvenient and of these, 42% of these think cash should be accepted as a matter of principle.

Many people choose cash because they like the experience, want control over budgeting, or value privacy and principle. The reasons for using cash are primarily emotional or practical: low value purchases (40%), enjoyment of using cash (29%), budgeting (27%) and privacy (22%).

When planning for a major disruptive event, 54% of people would withdraw cash, 41% would use cash on hand and over a third (36%) would use cash that they have at home. 17% of people already have some cash safe for this type of scenario.

Alongside the 17% of people who say they have a stash of cash at home, nearly half (49%) have a battery powered torch, 47% have a supply of tinned goods at home and 37% have a charged power bank in the house to keep their phone going. Nearly a quarter (23%) have taken some type of action to prepare for major disruption in the last three months.

Only 10% of people say they are fully cashless and 56% don’t expect to go cashless in the next 12 months. 

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