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More than half of consumers (54 per cent) said in September that they had visited an business in the previous eight weeks that encouraged cash payments, according to research commissioned by cash access and ATM network Link.
Such encouragement ranged from notices indicating that a business accepts or prefers cash, to staff directly asking patrons if they could pay in physical currency.
The findings revealed that venues requesting cash included cafes and restaurants, independent shops, hairdressers, barbers, beauty salons, outdoor markets, pubs, retail stores and supermarkets.
Graham Mott, director of strategy, Link, said: “These results show cash remains a practical choice for millions and that many small businesses are actively encouraging its use, making a resilient ATM network more important than ever.
“It’s also fascinating to see when prompted, most people are happy to pay with cash and still choose it for certain retailers and services.”
Among those who were asked to pay with cash, three-quarters (75%) of people said they did complete their purchase using coins or banknotes.
People in Northern Ireland were particularly likely to say they had been encouraged to pay in cash, at 69% – and were also particularly likely to have completed their purchase in cash – with 88% of those asked doing so.
People in Scotland and Wales were also particularly likely to have obliged by paying cash, with 82% and 78% respectively doing so.
YouGov surveyed more than 2,100 people across the UK between September 10 and 11 for the research.
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It follows a report that one in seven high street businesses have gone cashless in the past year.
The survey of more than 1,100 SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) across the UK was carried out for a “keeping choice alive” report, published by ATM and cash access network Link.
The biggest driver to becoming a “cashless” business in the survey was fraud prevention, followed by security concerns and a lack of customer demand.
By 2035, cash use is expected to account for just 4% of payments made in the UK, with around two billion transactions, the report said.
The UK Finance’s Payment Markets Report read: “Looking ahead to 2035, the UK payments market is expected to continue growing while becoming more digital.”
