Any need for cash in England?

This is a much debated topic (to put it mildly) but I would say no need for cash. I travel to the UK (including small towns and villages) 4-5 times a year and haven't used cash at all over the past few years. Almost everywhere accepts card, including small shops and market stalls. We stayed in a tiny village on the Cairngorms (Scotland) and the pubs and village shop all accepted card. I was in the UK last week and went to an antique market in a small town, and all the stallholders accepted card. Some places - particularly in London - don't take cash, but these are still in a minority. If you happen to have cash anyway, you won't have any trouble spending it, but you might get a few odd looks.

Obviously there are a few caveats- I always travel with a backup credit and debit card, just in case my primary card has issues or is lost/stolen. And a few trips back there was a minor bank network outage. But it lasted for only a short time, and it's rare.

I've seen some other threads on this where people talk about having coins for toilets, but never had an issue with this myself. Many pay toilets now take card, and there are always department stores, pubs etc.

I spend 3-4 months in the UK every year.

The only place I use cash is to get a haircut and in some cabs in Scotland. Other than that, I just use a card or my phone.

As Simon stated, some businesses no longer accept cash. I've even seen one that only accepts contactless credit cards.

There was this one restaurant in York that asked me to pay in cash because their machine had just broken down. If I didn't have cash on me they said, I could go to an ATM and return. They trusted me. Luckily I had some cash on me.

Germany is much more prominent cash society than the UK.

Living in London I do not even carry cash.

Every once in awhile a black cab will have a sign indicating that they prefer cash. This is rare - and you can ask the driver before getting in if you are worried about using a card vs needing cash. 99% of all cabs prefer cards. Same goes for some smaller street/food vendors. They may ask for cash - but they also accept cards.

If you want to get an “emergency” £20 note from an ATM, for peace of mind, go for it. But you are very unlikely to need it.

We still take $ 300 in US as a backup, in case disaster strikes. I secure it where pickpockets can't steal it.
Also, I use my ATM to buy about 200 Euros or 200 GBP depending on where we visit.

I find that some times payment for small purchases, tips or to buy coins for the use of toilets that some cash is best. I usually don't spend more than the 200 GBP if in the UK (usually have about half left over, but save it for the next trip.

Everywhere accepts cards. The exceptions might be if you’re at a small church summer fair or something like that. Even then you’ll probably still find they have 1 or 2 card readers but cash can be helpful.

We paid cash to our black cab driver on the last night of my most recent trip to the UK in order to “get rid of” our currency. The driver said that she accepts cash, but at least that night, could not provide change. We piped up, “It’s okay, we have the exact fare!” Sharing as an example that while you may have cash to use, card is what many businesses are used to now.

I always have some, but haven’t spent more than £20 total on my last two visits. There was an experience in 2022 where the credit card machines were not working at a popular tourist spot in Scotland and cash was needed. Hence, the reason I always have some with me.

If London in April I needed cash for the laundromat.

At home I carry US$20 bill even though I pay with cards. When I travel outside the US I carry the equivalent local currency for countries that use mostly cards. If I don't use it, I'll either save it for the next trip or spend at airport.

In Scotland in 2023, we hadn't gotten cash yet and couldn't check coats or buy a coffee at Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow since they weren't taking cards for some reason.

April 2025, two weeks in northern England and Scottish borderlands. Small towns and off the beaten path destinations along with some "majors". No cash needed. Same as the past 3 - 4 trips I've taken to various UK locations since 2022.

Day tour out of Edinburgh - the driver/guide had a personal credit card reader that could be used if anyone wanted to leave tips. That sounds like he was "hinting", but the fact came up naturally and wasn't offensive. I just thought that it was a sign of the times.

Well, laughing, I was looking at pictures of trips to both Yorkshire and Orkney last night and remembered why I need to have a little cash!

Honesty cake boxes!!

Yes, if you are in small villages or out in the country you may run across Honesty boxes filled by locals with cakes, scones, etc. On a walk in the area of Yockenthwaite, Yorkshire, we came across an honesty box and had the most delicious Victoria Sponge. Also had honesty boxes on Orkney and Shetland!

I am a big user of ApplePay and have done nearly 100% of my transactions the last several trips using it. However, I will have a little change on me in case some cakes tempt me!

Pam, I forgot. Scottish Tablet from the Honesty Box!

I was in Wales and England for a month this spring, and came across three places where cash was required: 1) honesty stands in Rhosilli, Wales, 2) a bakery in Ludlow, and 3) a fish and chips shop in Moreton-in-Marsh. The year before I was in Cornwall and Devon, and the only place we needed cash was a laundry in Penzance.

I still carry some cash for church donation boxes, boot sales, tip jars, bus rides, and for emergencies. Doesn’t take up any space. It’s how I’ve traveled for over 50 years.

In the past two years, I’ve spent a little under two months in England, and never used cash once. Apple Pay can be used for everything.

There is one thing that I should mention, however. I wish that I would have had some small amounts of cash to leave in the small historic churches I visited. Most of the larger ones and some of the smaller ones have tap and pay boxes where you can leave a donation with your phone. But the very small ones do not, and I felt so bad not being able to leave some money there. In the future, I plan on bringing around 25 pounds in small bills with me just for that purpose.

Mardee, I think the first church I noticed that had a contactless donation "box" was the small church in Haworth where the Bronte's father was the pastor. Honestly, sometimes I gave just because I wanted them to know the contactless was working. There were others that didn't - I'm thinking of the small church next to the Visitor Entrance for the Chillingham Cattle - I know you went there so you might have popped into that small church as well.

I don't travel the same way I did 50 years ago. Heck, I don't even travel the same way now that I did before the Covid hiatus. Travel has evolved and although change is sometimes not natural for me to embrace, I've done it with good results for myself and evolved a little as well, lol!!

@JeanM - I'm headed for Scotland next month and plan to look for tablet in honesty boxes, hahaha! Yum.

These are good comments and discussions--thanks!
We still carry cash in small bills every day in the U.S. because it's easier to share with grandkids!

"It’s how I’ve traveled for over 50 years."

50 years ago in London we were all using Traveler's Checks and cashing them in at the American Express office on Haymarket, lol!! Thank goodness we've moved on from that!

I also remember a time when credit cards were not that common and every country had its own currency. (No Euros.) We had to exchange money in every country or start cashing travelers checks.

Yup Pam definitely remember that AMX office.

Also recall food options were yucky, it was far less crowded, and I admired how everything shut down on Christmas Day. Also recall thinking the Tube was the coolest public transport!

"We had to exchange money in every country or start cashing travelers checks."

So true! My Dad was posted to Brussels in the mid-70's. They had envelopes of various currencies - Belgium Francs, French Francs, Guilders, Marks, Lire and of course, GBP. you just helped yourself to the cash in the envelope and then "re-deposited" it when you came back from your day or weekend trip, haha.

"It’s how I’ve traveled for over 50 years."

50 years ago in London we were all using Traveler's Checks and cashing them in at the American Express office on Haymarket, lol!! Thank goodness we've moved on from that!

Ha ha, yes, indeed! Thank goodness for Apple and Google Pay! I do agree with Claudia that the lack of crowds was a big plus, but not the lack of technology! I will always embrace efficiency in any financial matter!