Cashless society is closer as we lose hole in the wall habit
People in the West Midlands withdrew an average of around £1,500 from cash machines last year – down more than £600 on pre-pandemic levels.
Figures released today reveal UK banking customers collectively withdrew £83 billion from cash machines in 2022.
That is up from £79 billion in 2021, according to ATM network Link, but well down on the £115 billion in 2019.
Link said that ATM use is still unlikely to ever return to pre-pandemic levels as people get out of the habit of using cash,.
The average total value of ATM withdrawals per person over 16 in the UK was £1,564 last year, up from £1,462 in 2021, according to Link, which used Office for National Statistics (ONS) population data to make the calculations.
The West Midlands figure of £1,579 is slightly above the average for 2022. The figures show that people in the West Midlands take out significantly more money than those in the East Midlands.
Link said Northern Ireland remains the most “cash heavy” part of the UK. Banking customers in Northern Ireland withdrew an average of £2,266 in 2022.
Link said the number of ATMs fell from 52,547 in December 2021 to 51,253 in December 2022.
The decrease was driven by a fall in the number of fee-charging ATMs, from 11,691 in December 2021 to 10,384 in December 2022.
The number of free-to-use machines slightly increased, from 40,856 in December 2021 to 40,869 in December 2022.
Since 2019, Link has run a community request initiative that allows people to contact Link directly if they believe their community does not have good enough access to cash.
More than 150 community free-to-use ATMs have been installed by Link, including a number in the Midlands.
Graham Mott, director of strategy, Link, said: “While many people are now happy to use contactless or digital payments, our research shows there are very few people that are completely cashless.
“We also know that people are visiting cash machines less often, but on average take out more cash.
“It’s extremely good news that the Government is introducing legislation to help protect free access to cash.
“There are still over five million people who rely on access to cash and face-to-face banking services.
“Digital payments and banking may be fantastic for some, but at the moment, they don’t work for all, which is why this legislation is so important.”
