The pandemic has fuelled a big rise in the number of contactless credit card transactions.
Following a 60% decrease in the use of cash machines in April 2020, merchant service provider Paymentsense has analysed data over the last six months to find out which 海角视频 cities used cash the least.
The data (based on the number and not the value of transactions) shows St Albans had the highest percentage of contactless transactions at 86%, up 19% year-on-year.
Halifax is second at 84% (up 13%) and Brighton third at 82% (up 12%).
Bristol is ranked fourth, with 78% of transactions (up 12%), followed by Cambridge, 69% (up 11%) and Cardiff 67% (up 10%).
The analysis was on transactions with a value of less than £45.
| Ranking | City/Town | % of Contactless Transactions 2020 | Contactless Transaction Increase YOY |
| 1 | St. Albans | 86% | 19% |
| 2 | Halifax | 84% | 13% |
| 3 | Brighton | 82% | 12% |
| 4 | Bristol | 78% | 12% |
| 5 | Cambridge | 69% | 11% |
| 6 | Cardiff | 67% | 10% |
| 7 | Watford | 79% | 9% |
| 8 | Northampton | 79% | 9% |
| 9 | Luton | 78% | 9% |
| 10 | York | 77% | 8% |
| 11 | Ilford and Barking | 78% | 8% |
| 12 | Hull | 82% | 8% |
| 13 | London | 82% | 8% |
| 14 | Lancaster | 82% | 8% |
| 15 | Lincoln | 82% | 8% |
| 16 | Dartford | 81% | 8% |
| 17 | Hemel Hempstead | 80% | 8% |
| 18 | Leicester | 79% | 6% |
| 19 | Sheffield | 80% | 7% |
| 20 | Durham | 78% | 6% |
In the 海角视频 more than 7.4 million people are already living a cashless life, doubling in the past two years according to 海角视频 Finance with the pandemic accelerating the switch away from cash transactions.
Jon Knott, head of customer insight at Paymentsense said: "Coronavirus has undoubtedly forced change in our lives and shopping habits. As more businesses refuse cash as a precaution against Covid, it makes perfect sense that the use of contactless cards are on the up this year, more than ever.
"Our findings confirm that major cities are transitioning to a cashless society at a rapid pace. However, as we’ve seen with St. Albans it isn’t just the 海角视频’s big cities going cash-free; smaller towns are increasingly choosing contactless methods. With the pandemic ongoing, it seems that a cashless Britain may be here sooner than we thought.”