Cash is king as more than half prefer to use it in shops

More than half of all customers visiting convenience stores prefer to pay for goods using cash, according to new research by payment firm PayPoint

Over half of customers visiting convenience stores prefer to pay for goods using cash 

More than half of all customers visiting convenience stores prefer to pay for goods using cash, according to new research by payment firm PayPoint. 

The findings support The Mail on Sunday’s Keep Our Cash campaign that is fighting for the right to continue to have access to cash on the high street. 

PayPoint collected the data from 28,000 shops where it offers a service. It also found preference for cash varies widely depending on location. 

The most cash-friendly region is County Down in Northern Ireland, where 69 per cent of people prefer to pay with coins and banknotes rather than a contactless card. 

The most cash averse county is Oxfordshire, where only 46 per cent of people say money is their favoured payment method. 

Nick Wiles, chief executive of PayPoint, says: ‘Despite the rise of digital payments in the pandemic, it remains clear cash is a firm favourite in a majority of communities. The most vulnerable need cash.’ 

A separate study by Natalie Ceeney, author of the independent Access To Cash review, has found eight million people rely on cash for their basic shopping and budgeting needs. 

The former Financial Ombudsman boss has helped set up half a dozen pilot schemes, designed to test new ways in which cash can be accessed on the high street.

If successful, they could be rolled out nationwide.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk