Many European countries, including Denmark, Norway and Sweden, will be almost cashless by 2024 – Worldpay predicts

The Worldpay study found that cash usage for in-store purchases in the UK declined from 27 percent in 2019 to just 13 percent last year, with the Covid-19 pandemic fueling a shift in consumer payment preferences, according to Finextra.

Across all countries studied, cash usage dropped by 10 percent in 2020 to 20 percent of transactions. The Worldpay report predicts that many European countries, including Denmark, Norway and Sweden, will be almost cashless by 2024, and that the growth of non-cash payment methods will be primarily split between cards and mobile payments, with mobile payments expected to comprise a third of the POS market in 2024.

Commenting on the report, Gareth Shaw, Which? head of money says: „If the shift away from cash is not handled carefully, there is a very serious risk that it will exclude a significant number of people who are not ready or able to take advantage of these payment methods (…) The government must move quickly with its plans to safeguard access to cash through legislation, to ensure that the system remains viable for as long as it is needed.”