50% of people ‘recently visited places which did not accept or discouraged cash’

Half (50%) of people have recently been somewhere that did not accept cash or discouraged its use, a survey has found.

The survey forms part of ATM and cash access network Link’s research to understand how and where people are using cash.

When asked which locations had not accepted or discouraged cash, parking was the most common, according to the YouGov survey of more than 2,100 people across the UK in November.

This was followed by cafes and restaurants, with public transport and pubs in joint third place.

Convenience stores came top in the survey as the most popular place where people used cash, followed by supermarkets and giving money to friends and family.

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of people said they had used cash in the previous two weeks.

Graham Mott, director of strategy, Link, said: “While more people are choosing to use digital payments, cash remains resilient and people like using cash and certainly like having the choice to use it if they want.”