In an era of unprecedented access to digital payment methods, cash is making a comeback due to the rising cost of living.
A survey commissioned by credit karma and conducted by The Harris Poll in March showed that 53% of adults in the US and 46% in the UK are using more cash now than they were a year ago. That was 19 and 4 percentage points higher than those who said they didn’t use it more often. About three in five cash users in both countries said they spend less by using physical money.
Changing habits after decades of declining cash use speak to the ongoing impact of the fastest inflation since the early 1980s. The squeeze is particularly acute in the UK, where gains remain above 10%, and the central bank’s chief economist ignited online furor this week after saying Brits “must accept” that they are worse off.
“As the world returns to normal after the pandemic and prices rise significantly, we see cash as one of the most sustainable ways to manage money,” said Courtney Alev, Associate Director of Product Management at Credit Karma. “It really transcends generations and financial situations.”
In part, reversal preferences are also a response to the proliferation of digital payments — out Apple Pay Venmo with contactless credit cards — which some consumers say makes it too easy to break the budget. More than two-thirds of the 3,171 respondents to the Credit Karma survey said they spend more than they intended using such payment methods.
Younger people agree Cash stuffing trend embodied by Tiktok Videos With finance hacks like splitting your expenses into different envelopes that you can use for different expenses. Consumers are also increasing social media to fight back against companies that don’t accept cash.
“A lot of theories about payments aim to remove friction,” said Natalie Ceeney, Chair of Cash Access UK, set up by UK banks and building societies to encourage widespread access to cash following legislation to stem its decline. “Actually, a lot of people want friction back.”
She said studies indicate a sharp increase in sales when consumer-facing businesses like sports arenas switch to contactless payments. “One of the reasons is that people are more likely to tap and buy things without thinking, ‘Gosh, that’s a lot of money.'”
Emily O’Donnell, from Lichfield in central England, switched to using cash only in November after stumbling upon a TikTok video about cash. Previously, the 26-year-old lived from paycheck to paycheck. She has since paid off £7,000 ($8,740) in debt and started saving for a house deposit. they also post videos on the budgeting social media platform.
“The discipline came from creating accountability on TikTok and budget folders that were very visual like I’ve never budgeted before,” she said.
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Harvard University economist Kenneth Rogoff said the recovery in cash use may partly reflect increased demand for what he calls “underground economy services” — like paying a babysitter in cash to avoid taxes. “It’s entirely possible that the informal economy has grown during the pandemic and the cash use numbers reflect that,” he said.
Rogoff, author of The curse of money: How large-denomination bills encourage crime and tax evasion and constrain monetary policy, estimates part of the economy accounts for up to 10% of US gross domestic product, and more in Europe.
Credit Karma’s results point to a recovery in cash use from pandemic lows caused by both the federal reserve and the Bank of England, may not be just a temporary outlier. The increase in cash use has been particularly pronounced among younger people, including Millennials and Generation Z, according to the survey. It comes as central banks around the world, including the Fed and the BOE, push ahead plans to develop digital versions of their currencies.
The BOE said in October it had seen a “sustained, albeit partial, recovery in cash usage” since the pandemic and that banknote circulation remains close to an all-time high. Banknotes and coins remain crucial for low-income households as they grapple with the rising costs of everything from milk to mortgages.
British lender Nationwide Building Society said more than in January 30.2 million withdrawals were transacted from its ATMs in the past year, up 19% from 2021.
The durability of the cash resurgence is likely to depend in large part on how well central bankers manage to rein in stubbornly high inflation. But some fintech companies are already trying to adapt by introducing features that help customers set spending limits.
Lisa Spantig, assistant professor of experimental economics at the University of Aachen, said that while she thinks seamless payments are “generally beneficial,” some consumers may need help to make informed decisions. This could ultimately require regulation “as digital payment providers benefit from high spending ratios,” she said.
“For example, creating a system that warns you when you’re about to make a purchase in a budget category you’re trying to reduce could be very powerful, especially compared to the ex-post budgeting currently available.” said Spantig.
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