People made an average of 16 trips to cash machines last year, according to data from ATM and cash access network Link.
A total of £79.5bn was withdrawn from ATMs in Link’s network in 2024, marking a slight decrease of 1.2% compared to 2023. The UK saw over 16s making 915 million cash withdrawals in the past year – that’s 60 million fewer or a 6.1% reduction from 2023.
Link observed that this equates to around 16 ATM visits per person, with an average withdrawal of just under £90 each time. There’s been a noticeable shift towards fewer ATM visits but higher amounts being taken out per visit.
Northern Ireland is still the most “cash heavy” region in the UK, with an average withdrawal of £2,274 last year, followed by Yorkshire and the Humber (£1,696) and the North East of England (£1,682).
Yorkshire and the Humber was the only area to see an increase in the average amount withdrawn, up from £1,658 in 2023. The South West of England had the lowest ATM usage, with an average withdrawal of £1,030, closely followed by the South East of England at £1,096.
By the end of 2024, there were 46,182 ATMs, a 5% drop from the 48,401 available at the end of 2023, as reported by Link. Of these, 37,361 are free-to-use, down from 38,480 the previous year.
Link is proactive in promoting financial inclusion with various programmes and has a duty to ensure cash remains accessible. According to the company, 90% of the population lives within 1km of a free cash access point, be it an ATM, post office or banking hub.
In 2024, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rolled out new regulations safeguarding UK’s cash access. These rules mean Link now independently evaluates the need for cash services in an area when a bank branch shuts down.
Plus, communities lacking proper cash facilities can request an assessment from Link. So far, Link has proposed 184 banking hubs and upwards of 100 deposit services, all being set up by Cash Access UK, which celebrated the opening of its 100th banking hub in late 2024.
Graham Mott, strategy director at Link, commented: “Cash usage is falling in line with our own expectations as more people choose to shop online or pay with card.
“However, cash remains popular for many reasons. Our own research shows that millions still rely on it because they’re still not confident, able or can afford to use digital payments.”
He also mentioned that cash provides significant aid for low-budget individuals in maintaining financial control, and during IT failures, cash “is quite often the only option”.
Here’s what the average annual ATM withdrawals per person aged 16 or over looked like in 2023, followed by figures for 2024, based on data from ATMs in Link’s network:.
Here are average annual ATM withdrawals per person aged 16 or over in 2023, followed by 2024, according to Link’s data, taken from ATMs connected to its network:
Northern Ireland, £2,340, £2,274
London, £1,684, £1,575
Scotland, £1,674, £1,604
North West, £1,670, £1,595
Yorkshire and the Humber, £1,658, £1,696
North East, £1,718, £1,682
West Midlands, £1,556, £1,503
East Midlands, £1,379, £1,326
Wales, £1,441, £1,415
East of England, £1,242, £1,200
South East, £1,145, £1,096
South West, £1,064, £1,030
Total, £1,484, £1,424
