New research from the UK's leading cash access network has unveiled a stark geographical divide in cash usage patterns across the nation. Link's comprehensive analysis of ATM withdrawals throughout 2025 highlights how different regions maintain vastly different relationships with physical currency, even as digital payments continue their steady ascent.
The Shifting Landscape of Cash Access
According to Link's latest figures, UK adults made an average of 15 trips to cash machines during 2025, withdrawing £1,352 on average over the year. This represents a 5% decrease from the £1,424 average withdrawn across 2024. In total, people aged 16 and over made 832 million cash withdrawals last year, approximately 9% fewer than in the previous year.
Graham Mott, director of strategy at Link, commented on the evolving payment habits: "Digital payments are increasingly popular and our data shows that millions are comfortable and happy to leave their home relying on their digital wallet on their smartwatch or smartphone. Even though usage is falling in every part of the UK, cash remains resilient, and essential to millions of people."
Regional Disparities in Cash Dependency
The data reveals Northern Ireland maintained its position as the UK's most "cash heavy" region, with consumers withdrawing an average of £2,249 from ATMs during 2025. This continues a consistent pattern observed over the past seven years of Link's analysis.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, the South West of England recorded the lowest average cash withdrawals at just £974 per consumer. This marks the first time in Link's data history that any UK region has fallen below the £1,000 threshold for average annual ATM withdrawals.
The Infrastructure Challenge
Link's research indicates that while people are visiting ATMs less frequently, they tend to withdraw larger amounts when they do access cash machines. The network also reported that by the end of 2025, there were 5% fewer cash machines across the UK compared to the end of 2024. Of the remaining ATMs, 33,710 are free to use while 8,693 charge fees for withdrawals.
Mott emphasised Link's ongoing commitment: "Link's job is to ensure that we continue to have excellent access to cash on every high street across the UK." The organisation operates a financial inclusion programme designed to maintain good free access to cash for all consumers.
Broader Payment Trends and Challenges
Recent supplementary research by Link provides additional context to these ATM usage patterns. While just under half of adults (48%) carry a physical purse or wallet daily, 51% reported using cash within the last week. Perhaps more significantly, more than six in ten consumers (61%) said they had experienced payment failures such as system outages.
Among those who encountered payment failures, some were forced to abandon purchases or rely on others to complete transactions. This highlights the continued importance of cash as a reliable backup payment method despite the overall decline in usage.
Seven-Year Regional Comparison
Link's analysis, now in its seventh year, provides valuable longitudinal data on cash withdrawal patterns across UK regions. The following figures show average total ATM withdrawals per adult from 2019 through 2025:
- Northern Ireland: £2,931, £2,124, £2,070, £2,266, £2,340, £2,274, £2,249
- London: £2,572, £1,838, £1,699, £1,744, £1,684, £1,575, £1,458
- Scotland: £2,553, £1,670, £1,578, £1,686, £1,674, £1,604, £1,550
- North West: £2,420, £1,745, £1,662, £1,709, £1,670, £1,595, £1,529
- Yorkshire and the Humber: £2,379, £1,705, £1,624, £1,691, £1,658, £1,696, £1,524
- North East: £2,378, £1,711, £1,632, £1,745, £1,718, £1,682, £1,604
- West Midlands: £2,191, £1,612, £1,523, £1,579, £1,556, £1,503, £1,422
- East Midlands: £2,017, £1,427, £1,352, £1,400, £1,379, £1,326, £1,258
- Wales: £2,005, £1,407, £1,349, £1,454, £1,441, £1,415, £1,355
- East of England: £1,894, £1,299, £1,223, £1,260, £1,242, £1,200, £1,137
- South East: £1,780, £1,196, £1,115, £1,165, £1,145, £1,096, £1,032
- South West: £1,684, £1,090, £1,023, £1,069, £1,064, £1,030, £974
These figures clearly demonstrate the consistent regional patterns in cash usage, with Northern Ireland maintaining significantly higher withdrawal levels than other parts of the UK throughout the seven-year period.
It's important to note that Link's data specifically covers transactions at its network of ATMs, which constitute the majority of cash withdrawals in the UK, ahead of cashback services and counter transactions at bank branches, post offices, and banking hubs.
