After two decades of decline, cash payments are seeing a slight increase in Australia, with consumers once again using more banknotes and coins for everyday purchases, according to a survey by the Australian Central Bank. The drop in cash use, which accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic, showed signs of stabilization between 2022 and 2025. In 2025, about 15% of all payments in Australia were made in cash, with cash being more frequently used for small transactions—around a quarter of purchases under 10 Australian dollars (about 6.20 euros) were paid in cash. However, cash accounts for a smaller share of the total value of all payments (8%) than the number of transactions, reflecting its use for smaller, everyday purchases. A key development helping to stabilize cash use is a new government policy that took effect in January 2026. This policy requires most supermarkets and gas stations to continue accepting cash payments. This measure aims to ensure that people who prefer or need to use cash can still do so without difficulty. About half of Australians use cash during an average week, and nearly 7% of the population relies on cash for more than 80% of their purchases. These individuals are typically older, less affluent, and often live in rural areas. Cash is especially common in isolated regions, including some Indigenous communities, where digital payment systems may be unreliable or inaccessible. While the survey does not fully account for illegal transactions, it is likely that cash is also used more frequently in such contexts, with many 100 Australian dollar bills—worth about 31 billion euros in total—believed to be hoarded or used by criminals. Cash use has declined the most in sectors like restaurants, takeaways, and public transport, where digital payment methods have become more common. Despite this, a third of Australians value the ability to pay in cash, citing reasons such as the need to give money to loved ones, better budget control, and concerns over the security and privacy of digital transactions. Starting in October 2026, many of these concerns may be addressed as additional fees charged for using cards or digital payments will be banned nationwide. Even among people who rarely use cash, most Australians keep some on hand. Three-quarters of Australians have cash with them at any given time, with a median amount of about 65 Australian dollars (40 euros). This is often due to fears of electronic payment system failures, a concern reinforced by organizations like the Red Cross, which advise families to keep some cash available for emergencies. However, accessing cash is becoming harder, as the number of bank branches and ATMs has fallen below 25,000, down from a peak of over 30,000. In 2022, about half of all payments in Australia were made using debit cards, and a quarter with credit cards. Payment services like BPAY and PayPal each accounted for about 2% of transactions. According to the Bank for International Settlements, cash in circulation in Australia represents about 4% of the country’s annual gross domestic product—a proportion similar to that of Canada and the United Kingdom. In contrast, cash use is much lower in Sweden, at less than 1%, but significantly higher in places like Hong Kong and Japan, where it accounts for about 20% of all payments. Similar trends of stabilizing cash use are also being observed in other countries around the world.