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LINK’s new 2026 Cash Index shows 61% of people used cash in the past two weeks, down from 73% in 2025

LINK is the UK’s cash access and ATM network. Its new Cash Index shows that, even as usage continues to fall, the public’s attachment to cash remains strong.

The twice-yearly LINK Cash Index tracks how people across the UK are using and thinking about cash. It brings together five years of research into payment preferences, cash usage, cash acceptance and consumer attitudes, providing the most comprehensive and consistent picture of cash in the UK today.

This first edition of the LINK Cash Index shows that, while digital payments continue to grow, cash remains a vital part of daily life for millions of people valued for budgeting, privacy, small payments and increasingly for resilience in the face of disruption.

The key headlines are:

• The share of people using cash in the past two weeks has fallen from 73% in 2024 and 69% in 2025 to 61% in 2026.
•  While contactless cards (42%) and using your phone (30%) are UK consumers’ favorites for day-to-day payments in-store, 13% still prefer to pay in cash. This is highest for the 55+ (16%) and lowest among 35-44 (9%).
• The LINK Cash Index shows that the favorite places to use cash in the past two weeks remain supermarkets, convenience stores, giving money to friends and family, cafes and pubs. However, at all of these, cash use has been falling since the last time this was measured, in June 2025, with convenience stores showing the sharpest fall.
• Places where people have spent cash in the past 2 weeks, Jun 2025 vs Mar 2026:

• • Supermarket: down from 27% to 22%
  • Convenience stores: down from 26% to 19%
  • Giving cash to friends and family: down from 19% to 17%
  • Café: down from 19% to 17%
  • Pub: down from 15% to 13%
• 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 45% of people find not accepting cash inconvenient and 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, value privacy and as a point of principle. Among those who used cash in a supermarket or local convenience store, the reasons for using cash are primarily emotional or practical: low value purchases (40%), enjoyment of using cash (29%), budgeting (27%) convenience (23%) and digital privacy (22%).

Looking ahead, only 10% of people say they are fully cashless and 56% don’t expect to go cashless in the next 12 months. This shows that very few people are using no cash at all in their day-to-day lives. However, there is a consistent group that is thinking of moving away from cash. When asked why people will not go completely cashless, over six-in-ten (61%) people said that low value payments and person-to-person payments are still important. Interestingly, 56% said cash is vital in the event of digital payment outages.

For the first time, the research asks people about contingency planning in case of a major disruptive event e.g. a power outage, IT failure, natural disaster or cyber-attack. It shows that in a disruptive event to digital payment networks resulting in card or mobile payments not being accepted in shops,15% have cash kept safe specifically for this type of scenario. 54% would withdraw cash, 41% would use cash on hand and over a third (36%) would use cash that they have at home.

When asked specifically what people do to prepare for this type of major event 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. Among those that have taken any steps to prepare for major disruption, nearly a quarter (23%) have taken some type of action to prepare for major disruption in the last three months.

Data from LINK shows that UK consumers withdrew almost £80bn from cash machines in 2025, representing an average of £1,350 per adult.

Graham Mott, Director of Strategy, LINK: “Cash continues to play an important role in the UK’s payment landscape. While digital payments, like cards or increasingly, using your phone, are now the first choice for many, millions of people still rely on cash, not just for budgeting and day-to-day purchases, but also because they value choice, privacy and control. What’s interesting to see in the latest data is the growing role of cash in resilience planning. With rising public concern about threats like power outages, cyber-attacks and disruption to card payments, more people are prepping by keeping some emergency cash at home.”

“The LINK Cash Index will help us track these trends consistently and help ensure that people who need cash can always access it.”