Every single constituency in Britain has seen a drop in withdrawals from cash machines since 2019, data shows.
But some locations remain more reliant on cash withdrawals than others, as we reveal below.
In the first six months of 2026 people in Britain made 500million fewer visits to cash machines than in the first six months of 2019, cash machine operator Link said.
While the number of times people use cash machines is dropping, people were typically withdrawing more money each visit this year.
The average amount withdrawn across London and the South East of England topped £100 this year, while in northern parts of England, it was £93, and in Scotland £91.
Between January 2026 and June 2026, the locations which saw the highest withdrawal amount per visit were all in London, with the average withdrawal in Central London topping £140.
Lewisham in London was the only area in Britain where the average withdrawal was less than £80, at £79.32, Link said.
Going digital: In the first six months of 2026 people in Britain made 500million fewer visits to cash machines than in the first six months of 2019
How much cash are people withdrawing from ATMs?
Between January 2026 and June 2026 people in Britain withdrew £36billion from cash machines.
The sum is considerable but £21billlion less than in the same period in 2019, equating to £119million less per day.
Nick Quin, head of financial inclusion at Link, said: 'Today’s data should not come as a surprise. We are using less cash as a nation.
'It was actually only back in 2018 when card payments overtook cash for the first time.
'Since the Covid pandemic, the shift towards digital, either through online shopping or through contactless cards and increasingly digital wallets on smartphones means that cash is no longer the preferred method of payments.'
Where do people still rely on cash?
In West Tyrone, Northern Ireland, the volume of cash withdrawals has fallen the least out of anywhere in Britain, when comparing the first six months of 2019 to the same period this year.
In West Tyrone there was only a 37 per cent drop in the volume of cash withdrawals from high street cash machines in the first six months of 2026 compared to the same period in 2019, Link said. The drop in value of the withdrawals only amounted to five per cent.
Northern Ireland may rely more on cash as visitors cross the border from the Republic of Ireland, which uses the Euro.
In England, Weald of Kent saw the slowest shift away from cash machine use in the period, with a 35 per cent drop in volume and a 13 per cent drop in the value of the transactions, Link said.
Mid Ulster in Northern Ireland was the fourth location which saw the slowest shift away from cash withdrawals in the period, followed by Birmingham Yardley in the West Midlands.
East Antrim in Northern Ireland and Leicester East also saw a slower move away from cash withdrawals.
| Constituency | Region | Change in Volume | Change in Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Tyrone | Northern Ireland | -37% | -5% |
| Weald of Kent | South East | -35% | -13% |
| Mid Ulster | Northern Ireland | -40% | -15% |
| Birmingham Yardley | West Midlands | -45% | -15% |
| East Antrim | Northern Ireland | -44% | -16% |
| Leicester East | East Midlands | -42% | -17% |
| North Durham | North East | -43% | -18% |
| East Londonderry | Northern Ireland | -45% | -18% |
| Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North | West Midlands | -43% | -18% |
| Upper Bann | Northern Ireland | -45% | -18% |
| Knowsley | North West | -41% | -18% |
| South Down | Northern Ireland | -45% | -18% |
| Fermanagh and South Tyrone | Northern Ireland | -43% | -19% |
| Belfast West | Northern Ireland | -46% | -19% |
| Bassetlaw | East Midlands | -43% | -19% |
| Easington | North East | -43% | -19% |
| Bradford East | Yorkshire and The Humber | -44% | -19% |
| Dewsbury and Batley | Yorkshire and The Humber | -44% | -20% |
| Wolverhampton South East | West Midlands | -43% | -20% |
| Newry and Armagh | Northern Ireland | -46% | -21% |
Where are people moving away from cash fastest?
In Hayes and Harlington, London, there was a 73 per cent drop in cash machine use when comparing the first six months of 2026 to the same period in 2019. The value of withdrawals in the area dropped 65 per cent.
This constituency includes Heathrow Airport, where withdrawals could have been impacted by the growth of digital banks which offer fee-free cash abroad.
People in Bristol Central have also moved rapidly away from cash machine use, with a 77 per cent drop in cash machine use volumes and a 61 per cent drop in the value of withdrawals when the timeframes are compared.
The Cities of London and Westminster district issued £2million less in cash per day, while The Weald of Kent saw the smallest fall, of just £17,000 per day.
Quin said: 'The biggest drops are in large city centres like London, Bristol, Manchester and Edinburgh. We can also see big falls in locations that are home to large international airports.
'What's interesting is that the rate is different, often in the same city. In Glasgow, for example, parts of the city have seen the number of withdrawals drop by almost 75 per cent, whereas travel a few miles east and it's down by half.
'People are visiting ATMs less, but when we look a bit more closely at the numbers, in parts of the country which are more deprived, the overall values – how much we withdraw – are down by less than a third. In essence, we’re using ATMs less often, but there’s still a lot of cash being taken out.
'That's important to remember. Digital may be easy for many and has become the default for some. However, for people who are less well-off, living on a budget or who can't use digital, there's no alternative to cash.'
| Change in Volume | Change in Value | ||
| Hayes and Harlington* | London | -73% | -65% |
| Bristol Central | South West | -77% | -61% |
| Holborn and St Pancras | London | -73% | -59% |
| Cambridge | East of England | -72% | -57% |
| Edinburgh South | Scotland | -73% | -57% |
| Edinburgh North and Leith | Scotland | -72% | -57% |
| Islington South and Finsbury | London | -71% | -56% |
| Glasgow North | Scotland | -73% | -56% |
| Cities of London and Westminster | London | -73% | -56% |
| Crawley* | South East | -67% | -56% |
| Wimbledon | London | -71% | -56% |
| Edinburgh East and Musselburgh | Scotland | -72% | -55% |
| York Central | Yorkshire and The Humber | -71% | -55% |
| Edinburgh West | Scotland | -69% | -55% |
| Aberdeen South | Scotland | -67% | -55% |
| Bermondsey and Old Southwark | London | -69% | -54% |
| Sheffield Central | Yorkshire and The Humber | -73% | -54% |
| North Somerset | South West | -66% | -54% |
| Brighton Pavilion | South East | -69% | -53% |
| Vauxhall and Camberwell Green | London | -67% | -53% |
| * Heathrow and Gatwick airports are likely to have influenced the withdrawal trends in these constituencies. |
Number of cash machines down
The number of cash machines has also declined as consumer habits have changed too. The reductions are seen in every constituency of the country, at a much slower rate than the withdrawal of cash.
The slowest rate of change in cash machines was in Makerfield, Greater Manchester, which had four per cent fewer machines this year than it had in 2019, Link said.
Cash will make up just 4% of all payments in Britain by 2035 but remains 'important' for millions
At the other end of the spectrum, Windsor lost more than half of its machines in the period and saw a 60 per cent reduction in visits to cash machines over that time.
At the end of June 2019 there were 62,000 cash machines compared to 43,000 at the end of June 2026, a reduction of 31 per cent.
A review to help protect access to face‑to‑face banking across Britain was launched earlier this year.
Commissioned by Lucy Rigby, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, the review has gathered evidence on the impact of branch closures, identify who is most affected, and look at where further action may be needed to protect access to banking services.
The Access to Banking Review will be chaired by Richard Lloyd, who will provide a report and recommendations to the Government by October.
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