Cash withdrawals from ATMs hit £4.2 billion in 2025 – surpassing the previous high of £4 billion in 2017, new data from Nationwide shows.
The new record supports figures that highlight four years of consecutive growth in ATM withdrawals across Nationwide’s branches, the banking group said.
Growth in cash withdrawals highlights how many people are turning to physical money to better manage their spending – a trend supported by recent research by Nationwide showing that 13% of Brits (equivalent to seven million) say paying exclusively in cash makes saving easier.
Britain’s biggest building society recorded around 34.7 million cash withdrawals from the 1,270 ATMs at its 605 branches last year – an increase of around six per cent on 2024. The average amount of cash withdrawn went up from £113 in 2024 to £120 in 2025.
The busiest time of the year for cash withdrawals was the week before Christmas (w/c 15 December), where £103 million as withdrawn – a 5% increase year on year.
This is the highest amount dispensed in a week since pre-COVID. The week leading up to Black Friday also saw a surge, with £93 million withdrawn (up 9% year on year).
Somewhat ironically, the rising ATM usage comes against a backdrop of continued bank branch closures. According to Which?, 6,626 branches have shut their doors since January 2015, averaging around 53 closures per month.
This represents 67% of the network that existed at the start of 2015. Nationwide now has 135 ‘last in town’ branches, and this is expected to rise this year, the group said
The data shows a 6% increase in withdrawals from non-Nationwide customers, while there has also been a 6% increase from Nationwide customers.
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