Seven in ten consumers want cash and cashless payment options despite declining cash use
The Payments Association, a representative body for the payments industry, has found that 70% of UK adults say it is important that both cash and cashless payment options remain available. The findings come from The Payments Association’s 2026 Consumer Behaviour Survey, a nationally representative study of UK consumer payment behaviour in conjunction with YouGov.
The findings reveal a growing gap between how consumers pay and what they want from the payments ecosystem. While only 28% of consumers use cash at least weekly and 40% use it less than monthly or never, 70% believe it is important that both cash and cashless payment options remain available. The results suggest consumers increasingly view cash not as a primary payment method, but as an important fallback option that supports choice, inclusion and resilience.
Day-to-day spending habits continue to shift towards digital payments, with mobile wallets now matching contactless debit cards as the UK’s most commonly used payment method for everyday purchases (26% each). This trend sits as part of a wider variety of payment choices for UK consumers: 26% mainly use contactless debit cards, 26% mainly use mobile wallets, 18% use chip-and-PIN debit cards, and 10% primarily use cash.
Fraud remains a constant concern for UK consumers and continues to shape payment behaviour and innovation uptake. While 76% say they have not been a victim of fraud in the past 12 months, 20% do report having been a victim of at least one type of fraud in the last year. Card fraud (8% of all respondents), phishing scams (6%) and online shopping fraud (5%) are the most common incidents reported.
This concern continues to impact innovation adoption, with consumers being most likely to try new payment methods if they offer better security (39%). When it comes to high-value purchases, security and buyer protection are the leading considerations, outweighing convenience and rewards.
Emma Banymandhub, CEO at The Payments Association, said: “Our latest report reveals striking trends around contactless and cash payments that should serve as a reminder to businesses and payment providers alike that consumer choice drives everything we do. With the UK’s payment habits evolving quickly and not necessarily following the expected digital takeover trajectory that many experts predicted, The Payments Association is pleased to provide some insight and guidance into future strategic imperatives for UK payments.”
The complete dataset and detailed analysis of the findings in the 2026 Consumer Behaviour Survey are available to members of The Payments Association here: https://thepaymentsassociation.org/article/consumer-behaviour-2026-report/.