Keeping Choice Alive - Cash Acceptance Report
About the report
Public debate about the future of cash has largely focused on access, whether people can withdraw or deposit cash. Far less attention has been given to acceptance: whether businesses will continue to take cash once it is in people’s hands. This gap matters. Access to cash is of little value if it cannot be spent locally.
Until now, there has been limited data on how high street businesses are responding to declining cash usage. Decisions about payment methods are often presented as inevitable or purely consumer‑driven.
Our findings challenge that assumption. For many independent retailers and service providers, the choice to stop accepting cash is also shaped by cost pressures, security concerns and access to the right services locally.
LINK’s Consumer Council surveyed 1,116 high street SMEs to address this evidence gap. The report sets out current levels of cash acceptance, examines why some businesses have gone cashless, and explores the implications for communities. It is intended to inform policymakers, industry stakeholders, and consumer groups as they consider how best to protect payment choice and avoid a two‑tier high street.
Executive Summary
LINK’s Consumer Council surveyed 1,116 high street SMEs in September 2025 to assess the cost and sustainability of cash acceptance amid rapid changes in payment habits.
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77% of retailers accept cash.
This figure reflects the enduring importance of cash for local economies, where personal interaction and trust underpin transactions. Independent retailers, often family-run businesses, are at the heart of this commitment.
For many independent retailers, the choice to go cashless is a balancing act between managing costs and serving the community.
This represents a significant shift. For most, the decision was not driven by ideology or a desire to exclude customers, but by financial and operational pressures in an environment of tight margins and rising risk.
While reduced customer demand for cash is a significant factor in businesses’ decision-making, the primary drivers pushing them to go cashless are fraud prevention and security concerns.
To understand more about businesses’ motivations, we asked shops that have stopped taking cash to tell us more about why.
Cash continues to anchor everyday trade on the high street.
Despite the rise in digital payments, 46% of SME in-person transactions are still cash-based. In sectors such as independent retail, cafés and pubs, convenience stores, and launderettes, cash usage is consistently above this average.
Despite cash’s enduring value, usage continues to fall.
Despite cash’s enduring value, usage continues to fall. Over half (56%) of cash accepting retailers report a decline in cash usage over the past two years, and 55% expect this trend to continue. A small but significant proportion of those currently accepting cash (4%) plan to stop accepting it altogether over the next two years.
