This nationwide snapshot poll conducted in July 2025 explored current attitudes and behaviours around cash payments in the hospitality industry.
Overview:
- Cash is still widely accepted: The strong majority of respondents continue to accept cash. While a small proportion are considering phasing it out, most anticipate continuing to offer it as a payment option.
- Low volume of cash transactions: For most respondents (41%), cash makes up around 5% of total transactions. Very few reported cash payments accounting for more than 15%, and none reported over 30%.
- Who uses cash: Cash use varies by demographic and context:
- Tourists and young families more typically use cash.
- Some older customers prefer cash for budget control and convenience.
- Some markets tend to prefer cash to avoid card surcharges.
- A small but vocal group uses cash for ideological reasons, citing privacy and resistance to digital surveillance.
- Operational impacts and attitudes:
- Some businesses reported experiencing pushback when going cashless, with customer walkouts reported.
- Operators note that cash can be useful during internet or power outages.
- Others find managing cash burdensome and costly, with some calling it outdated or a security risk.
MEMBER FEEDBACK:
“Cash is legal tender; we will continue to give customers the option to pay in cash. We have to travel out of town to our bank to get change for cash as our bank does not have a branch in town or a change machine at the bank atm lobby, that is frustrating, but the best cost effective option for us at the moment.”
“Cash is clunky, but it is free to use and doesn’t require any tech to enable transactions. In recent emergency situations where power and internet were affected surveys of people showed that the one thing they all wish they had access to was cash.”
“Banks would love to get cash out of the system because they can then clip the ticket on every transaction. If cash is going to be removed from the economy there needs to be a free system of exchange.”
Download the Viewpoints on cash payment – July 2025
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