The UK Public Want 24/7 ATMs In EVERY Community!

When the Payment Choice Alliance surveyed the UK public earlier this year, 85% of adults said they didn’t want to lose their free-to-use 24/7 ATMs.

85% equates to over 49 Million adults.

There are now less than 30,000 free-to-use 24/7 ATMs in the UK, with around 20,000 lost since LINK ATM Scheme - effectively controlled by the big UK banks - was allowed to take the unilateral decision to set payments to ATM operators at uneconomic levels.

The number of 24/7 ATMs continues to fall.

Despite this wanton destruction of 24/7 ATM cash access, LINK report that in 2025 87% of the cash used by the UK public continued to be withdrawn from ATMs.

Even the much hyped “Banking Hubs” - which could be vital to the UK public if they were provided in sufficient numbers and offered a Full Banking Service, including comprehensive cash access - hardly ever have 24/7 ATMs.

One word to describe all of this?

DISGRACEFUL.

Meantime, the Financial Conduct Authority, which is supposed to be safeguarding cash access, reports that they produce their cash access statistics based on “57,658 reported UK cash access points and 548,885 cashback locations”.

We have news for the Financial Conduct Authority. The UK public don’t really give a damn about these 500,000 plus other locations.

As made clear from the Payment Choice Alliance survey - and confirmed by LINKs own figures - the UK public WANT and NEED 24/7 ATM convenient cash access in their own communities.

All other “locations” mentioned by the Financial Conduct Authority are a very poor 2nd best, a “little consolation” prize the UK public don’t want imposed on them.

The Payment Choice Alliance stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the UK public on this crucial issue - and we will NOT accept NO for an answer.

There will be 24/7 ATMs in EVERY community!

Source: fca.org.uk/data/access-cash-coverage-uk-2025-h2