United Kingdom

The British Retail Consortium has published its latest Payment Survey which shows that credit card spending overtook cash spending in 2018. Debit cards remain the most popular method of payment, accounting for almost three-in-five transactions.

1 in 4 women experiences domestic abuse in their lifetime. In the UK, one woman reveals how she wouldn’t have escaped her abusive partner without having access to cash.

Early October, LINK the UK's main ATM network inroduced a £1 million fund to support the installation of free-to-use cash machines in remote communities. In less than a month, over 100 applications were received.

Building a sustainable cash infrastructure is necessary in the UK’s payments landscape. LINK, the UK’s largest cash machine network, has announced new measures to enable free access to cash.

Three of Britain’s four largest banks have teamed up to launch banking hubs specifically designed to cater to the needs of businesses managing cash and cheque transactions.

The UK banking and finance industry commits to helping local communities to identify and secure appropriate free access to cash for customers.

The Chancellor announced on 3 May 2019 that they are taking action to safeguard access to cash, building a sustainable infrastructure to ensure that notes and coins remains accessible to all

The UK has been recording an astonishing rise in digital and contactless payments to the point where experts believed it would destabilize the payments landscape. Yet, findings from the final Access to Cash Review show how cash is changing the digital pattern as eight in 10 Britons still rely on it for everyday transactions.

A BBC led investigation found UK retailers, letting agents, and a university illegally charging customers for card payments, despite EU’s 2018 ban on credit/debit surcharges.

Access to cash is becoming a challenge in some parts of the UK, forcing retailers to increase prices and impacting low income households.

UK Payments System Regulator will investigate the card acquiring market following soaring costs incurred by merchants accepting card payments, which have caused overall prices to rise for consumers.

Link is backing off from its plan to lower interchange fees by 20% over the next four years in response to criticism by consumer rights groups.