Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Cost of living: People turning back to cash as prices rise

Cost of living: People turning back to cash as prices rise

People are going back to cash to keep tighter control on their spending as living costs soar, according to new research by the Post Office.

Post offices handled £801m in personal cash withdrawals in July, the most since records began five years ago.

That's up more than 20% from a year earlier.

Natalie Ceeney, chair of the Cash Action Group, said it showed people are "literally counting the pennies" as they grapple with rising prices.

"It's absolutely because of the cost of living crisis," said Ms Ceeney, who chaired the government's independent Access to Cash review.

"People will be taking out cash and physically putting it into pots, saying 'this is what I have for bills, this is what I have for food, and this is what's left'."

Prices are currently rising faster than they have for 40 years.

The increase in the cost of living is putting a squeeze on people's finances, as incomes fail to keep up.

In total, £3.32bn in cash was deposited and withdrawn at Post Office counters in July, £100m higher than in June.

Personal cash withdrawals, at £801m, were up almost 8% month-on-month and up more than 20% year-on-year.

It is the highest amount since records began five years ago, and only the second time that personal cash withdrawals have exceeded £800m. The last time was December 2021, and there's always an increase in withdrawals around that time of year, the Post Office said.

The Post Office put the extra volume of withdrawals at its 11,500 branches down to more people turning to cash to help manage their budgets on a week-by-week and often a day-by-day basis.

It also said it was partly due to more people choosing to have staycations, with recent research by the Post Office finding that 71% of Brits planning on going on holiday in the UK this year intended to take out cash before leaving.

Martin Kearsley, banking director at the Post Office, said: "We're seeing more and more people increasingly reliant on cash as the tried and tested way to manage a budget.

"Whether that's for a staycation in the UK or if it's to help prepare for financial pressures expected in the autumn, cash access in every community is critical."

Cash deposits also rose, according to the research.

Individuals deposited £1.35bn in cash in July, up 2% month-on-month, while cash deposits for businesses totalled £1.13bn, up 1.9% from a month earlier.

Kearsley said the figures showed Britain is "anything but a cashless society".

Counting the pennies


Ms Ceeney told the BBC that it was easy to see why cash use was going up, given the rising cost of living.

"Cash has been in decline for well over a decade, the pandemic accelerated this, but now it's going back up, and that's absolutely because of the cost of living crisis," she said.

"It helps people budget, as using cash means you literally can count the pennies. We all know that if you pay with a card, it's so easy to spend money you don't have and then go overdrawn.

"If you've only got £30 to last you the week, holding that in notes and coins is still the most effective way of budgeting and controlling how much you spend."

Salford University student Kira Hayward turned to social media for inspiration to help her cope with rising costs by taking cash out of her bank account.

She puts it in different labelled envelopes to ensure she has money for food and bills.

"I went on Instagram and YouTube and I saw these physical budget binders," she told the BBC in May. "I take the money out of the bank and I budget for things like my shopping. If I know I have £80 in my personal shopping for the month I know I can't go over that."

With more high street banks closing branches, Ms Ceeley said there's a need for post offices and shared banking services to allow people to get the cash that they need, especially for vulnerable or elderly people or those who don't have access to digital banking.

"The reality is digital doesn't work for everyone," she said.

"Millions of people don't have access to computers or smartphones, and so we need to keep cash viable."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
×