Some people have survived 44 days on average without using cash during the coronavirus crisis, while some have even cleaned their notes and coins to avoid the illness.
A fifth of people have tried “money laundering” – cleaning their cash due to concerns around Covid-19 and 27 per cent say they have gone for two months or more without using any notes or coins to pay for goods and services, according to Nationwide Building Society.
Almost a third (32 per cent) said they do not remember the last time they bought anything with cash, a survey of more than 2,000 people found.
Besides those who could not remember, people said the last time they had used cash was 44 days earlier, on average, the poll found.
Those who had tried to clean their cash reported using anti-bacterial wipes, although some said they had used soap and water or even a washing machine on banknotes.
Shoppers have been encouraged by some retailers to pay by card rather than cash during the pandemic.
Nationwide said its own customer data reveals the number of contactless payments has been growing during the lockdown with 7.15 million contactless payments made in the week commencing March 23, compared with 10.31 million during the week of May 25.
According to Nationwide’s research, half of people say they will use cash less often in future, with some saying they have become used to other ways to pay and others planning to do more shopping online.
Mark Nalder, Nationwide’s head of payments strategy and service, said: “Although we don’t expect cash to return to pre Covid-19 levels, it is highly likely cash usage will increase post-lockdown as the high street begins to re-open, even if that means the use of card payments – via contactless, phone or another device – rise in tandem.
“Regardless of what happens in future, we will continue to provide our members with a choice of ways to pay that meets their needs and circumstances.”
