Seven in ten (70%) of UK adults want both cash and cashless payment options to remain available, new data from The Payments Association has revealed, despite use of physical tender falling.

Data in its latest 2026 Consumer Behaviour Survey showed a growing gap between how consumers actually choose to pay versus what they want from the choices available to them.

Cash use declines, but choice is still expected

Despite declining cash use – with just 28% using physical tender weekly and 40% making cash payments monthly – the majority of customers still want the choice of how they pay across cash and cards.

Digital is now the primary payment choice for day-to-day spending, with mobile wallets now matching contactless debit cards as the UK’s most commonly used method for making everyday purchases (26% each), followed by chip-and-PIN (18%). Just 10% of UK shoppers use cash as their primary payment choice.

Emma Banymandhub, CEO at The Payments Association, said the findings demonstrated that flexibility should drive payment options offered by businesses, retailers and merchants. She said consumers’ payment habits were “evolving quickly” and “not necessarily following the expected digital takeover trajectory that many experts predicted.”

Security fears shape payment adoption

In light of major cyberattacks hitting High Street retailers last year, security remains a concern for businesses and consumers alike.

Research from Retail Technology Show revealed that one in three shoppers had been directly impacted by cybercrime in the past year. Meanwhile, figures from KYND show 80% of the UK’s top 50 retailers still remain exposed to at least one form of critical cyber vulnerability.

Payments fraud remains a top concern for UK consumers – and these fears are shaping payment behaviours and innovation uptake, according to The Payment Associations’ report.

A fifth (20%) of shoppers report having been a victim of at least one type of payment fraud in the last year, with card fraud (8%), phishing scams (6%) and online shopping fraud (5%) the most common incidents reported.

Fears around payment security is now shaping adoption of fintech innovation, with consumers more likely to try new payment methods if they offer enhanced security (39%).