The number of people withdrawing cash from ATMs has dropped by more than a £100 million a day since 2019, according to cash machine network Link.
Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, adults across the UK visited ATMs three times a month on average.
But visits have since declined to fewer than twice a month on average.
It comes as the contactless limit rises to £100 in England and Wales - the second jump since the pandemic began.
But some say it's because free ATMs are disappearing at an alarming rate - with figures showing 8,000 have been pulled out in the last 18 months alone.
Customers now take out around an extra £10 during each visit, Link said, at just under £80 typically.
Link pointed to Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) figures in 2020 showing that more than five million people greatly rely on cash every day.
The total value of Link ATM withdrawals is currently running at around £1.6billion a week, compared with around £2.2billion in 2019.
The network said this year, it has heard from over 400 communities wanting better cash access.
It has installed over 70 ATMs across the country in response to those requests and a further 30 in areas identified as lacking cash access.
Link said it is encouraging people to speak up if they find it difficult to access cash free of charge.
Nick Quin, head of financial inclusion, Link, said: "People are choosing new ways to pay for things, and Covid has turbocharged the switch to digital.
"When we conducted similar analysis this time last year, we had an incomplete picture because before the vaccine rollout people generally were staying local, working from home and many leisure locations were still temporarily closed.
"ATM use in some city centres had declined by as much as 80% overnight (in Westminster, Glasgow and Edinburgh in March 2020).
"Now that life is returning to normal, people are still visiting ATMs much less often and taking out more each time.
"Crucially, even though we're withdrawing almost £100 million less per day, millions still rely on cash, especially in the most deprived areas of the country. It is important we continue to protect access to cash across the country."
ATM provider NoteMachine said the elderly, who typically tend to use cash the most, are particularly vulnerable.
“The latest figures from LINK show there’s clearly still a role for cash to play in day-to-day spending, particularly for the elderly and vulnerable," said chief executive Phillip Bowcock.
"At NoteMachine we’ve seen cash withdrawals pick up again as people return to life as normal, particularly where we know cash is often used such as pubs and restaurants.
"Changes to the way ATMs have historically been funded have meant that ATM operators have been increasingly forced to pass costs onto consumers in order to keep them running.
"People need to be able to access their own cash for free and so we’re working closely with banks and government to develop a solution to keep ATMs running, without consumers having to pick up the tab.”
Do you still use cash? Let us know in the comments below
Here are the top 10 areas with the biggest declines in the cash withdrawals, comparing August 2019 with August 2021, according to Link:
- Edinburgh East, 63%
- Cities of London and Westminster, 60%
- Edinburgh North and Leith, 60%
- Holborn and St Pancras, 58%
- Edinburgh South, 56%
- Glasgow Central, 56%
- Edinburgh West, 56%
- Crawley, 55%
- Belfast South, 54%
