ATM Withdrawals Hit £4.2bn in 2025, Beating Pre-Pandemic Record
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A recent report published on January 5 by the UK’s Nationwide highlighted that cash usage is on the rise in the UK for the fourth consecutive year.
The report says that cash withdrawals from ATMs have hit £4.2 billion in 2025, surpassing even the previous high of £4 billion in 2017, which was a record in the times before the pandemic.
The new record supports figures that highlight four years of consecutive growth in ATM withdrawals across Nationwide’s branches.
The firm continued by explaining that growth in cash withdrawals suggests that people are turning to physical money to be able to better manage their spending, which is a trend supported by recent research by Nationwide. The research suggested that 13% of Brits – equivalent to 7 million citizens – say that paying exclusively with cash makes it easier for them to save money.
Cash Withdrawals Rise Despite Bank Branch Closures
The UK’s biggest building society recorded around 34.7 million cash withdrawals from 1,270 ATMs at its 605 branches in 2025, representing an increase of 6% compared to 2024. The average amount of cash withdrawn went up from £113 in 2024 to £120 in 2025.
The report goes on to note that the busiest time of the year for cash withdrawals was in mid-December, roughly a week before Christmas. During this period, over £103 million was withdrawn, representing a 5% increase compared to the same period the year before.
“This is the highest amount dispensed in a week since pre-Covid. The week leading up to Black Friday also saw a surge, with £93 million withdrawn (up nine per cent year on year),” Nationwide specified.
It also noted that the rising ATM usage comes against a backdrop of continued bank branch closures. The report specified that 6,626 branches have shut their doors since January 2015, averaging around 53 closures per month. This represents 67% of the network that existed at the start of 2015. Nationwide now has 135 “last in town” branches, and it expects that the figure will rise throughout 2026, as other banks continue to close down their own branches.
As such, Nationwide has become the largest single-brand banking network in the UK, featuring 605 active branches, and has recently confirmed that it remains committed to communities by continuing to offer face-to-face services, especially with the extension of its Branch Promise. This means that everywhere it has a branch, it promises to keep it active until at least 2030.
