British consumers are being “robbed of genuinely convenient 24/7 cash access” as nearly 19,000 free-to-use cash machines have disappeared from high streets across the country since January 2018.
New figures have shown the typical UK adult took out £1,352 from cash machines during 2025, representing a five per cent drop compared to the previous year’s £1,424.
The number of cash machines across the UK fell by five per cent over the past year, leaving 42,403 ATMs in operation by December 2025, according to new figures from LINK, which runs the country’s ATM network.
The number of free-to-use machines has dropped particularly sharply. There are now 33,710 free ATMs, down from 52,040 in 2019, highlighting the scale of the long-term decline.
ATM usage has also fallen with a total of 832 million cash withdrawals were made last year, which is 87 million fewer than in 2024, a drop of nine per cent.
Regional disparities emerged in the data, with London experiencing the steepest decline at 11 per cent, whilst Northern Ireland saw the smallest reduction at six per cent.
Ron Delnevo, Chair and Spokesperson of the Payment Choice Alliance, has launched a scathing attack on the pace of ATM closures, calculating that approximately seven machines have been removed every single day since 2018.
Mr Delveno said: “19 thousand free-to-use ATMs lost in the UK since 1 January 2018. That means around SEVEN ATMS have been ripped out EVERY SINGLE DAY.
Concerns have been raised over access to cash services in the UK
|
PA“The British public have been robbed of genuinely convenient 24/7 cash access – because ATMs are the only way such access can be provided.
It makes my blood boil – especially since I predicted this would happen.
“It makes my blood boil,” Mr Delnevo wrote on LinkedIn, noting that he had warned of this exact scenario during a BBC appearance in 2017, only to be told by Victoria Cleland at the Bank of England that he was “scaremongering.”
The cash access campaigner also challenged the completeness of LINK’s withdrawal statistics, arguing they fail to capture the full picture of British cash usage.
According to Mr Delnevo, the network’s figures exclude withdrawals made by bank and building society customers at thousands of ATMs operated by their own financial institutions. Credit card cash withdrawals are similarly absent from the data.
Some 19,000 free-to-use ATMs disappear from the high street
|
GETTYHe pointed out that LINK’s average withdrawal figure of £1,352 per adult derives from £76billion withdrawn through the LINK scheme during 2025, divided among roughly 56 million adults.
Despite the ongoing decline in cash usage, physical money remains a vital payment method for millions across Britain. LINK’s research indicates that just under half of adults carry a traditional purse or wallet daily, yet more than half reported using cash within the preceding seven days.
Digital payment systems have also proven unreliable for many consumers. Six in ten adults have encountered payment failures, with system outages responsible for a third of these incidents.
When electronic transactions failed, one in five shoppers had no choice but to abandon their purchases entirely, whilst more than one in ten found themselves dependent on others to cover their bills.
ATM usage has also fallen with a total of 832 million cash withdrawals were made last year,
|
GETTYATMs continue to dominate cash access, accounting for 87 per cent of all withdrawals nationwide, outpacing cashback services and over-the-counter transactions at bank branches, post offices and banking hubs.
Graham Mott, Director of Strategy at LINK, stated: “Even though usage is falling in every part of the UK, cash remains resilient, and essential to millions of people.
“LINK’s job is to ensure that we continue to have excellent access to cash on every high street across the UK.”