Lily Smith
Research on payment preferences in the UK has rarely explored how preferences and experiences vary by disability type, often treating disabled people as a homogenous group. Recent Bank of England research addresses this gap by focusing on the payment preferences and behaviours of different disability types and shows that, for disabled people, payment choice is crucial for reducing stress, building confidence, and supporting independence.
In 2025, the Bank of England conducted research featuring a quantitative online survey with 2,074 disabled individuals and eight online focus groups, both split by disability type. Respondents were asked about their payment preferences, reasons for these preferences, and the specific barriers they face when making payments.
The quantitative sample was distributed across disability type as follows: 34% physical, 5% visual, 14% hearing, 41% mental health, 9% social or behavioural, 4% memory, 4% learning, and 33% other.
The results were supplemented by qualitative, online interviews with 45 respondents across eight focus group sessions. These sessions provided insight on the lived experiences of disabled people and added context to the quantitative survey data, exploring why they have certain payment preferences. The survey met demographic quotas for age, gender, ethnicity, region, education, income level, and employment status, so the results are broadly reflective of the attitudes of disabled people towards different payment methods.
Preference for stress-free payment
The research shows that across all disability types, payment choices are largely driven by a desire to reduce stress, both at the point of transaction and in social situations. The extra physical and mental effort required for daily payment tasks drives a strong incentive to choose the payment option which minimises stress, preserves mental and physical energy, and maintains autonomy.
Contactless payment methods are used most frequently across all subgroups of disability, with 72% regularly using contactless or mobile payments. Cash transactions can be perceived as inconvenient or stressful in comparison, with 44% of disabled people using cash regularly.
Some respondents raised concerns about how hygienic cash is, noting that a quick tap of your card or mobile feels far more reassuring than handling notes and coins. Those with reduced mobility specifically cited a preference for contactless to avoid struggling with coins and cards, which can be stressful, particularly when a queue is building behind them.
’I’m really bad with coins… I’ll get tremors, so I triple quadruple count because I can’t trust that I’m counting correctly.’ – Male with mobility impairment.
Cash still counts
Despite the widespread use of digital payments, cash is the favoured choice for some disabled people for small, spontaneous transactions such as paying tradespeople or gifting money to others.
Cash is sometimes preferred to simplify or increase trust in a transaction. As shown in Chart 1, 32% feel that cash is safer than digital payments due to a lower risk of scams or fraud. 37% of respondents like to use cash for budgeting, helping disabled people manage their spending and reduce worries related to overspending.
Cash also holds emotional significance with 53% of respondents who ‘just like using it’. In an increasingly digital world, its tangibility provides a sense of comfort and familiarity.
Simply carrying cash can also provide reassurance in the case of digital payment methods failing. For example, during a 2025 cyberattack, cash was the only available payment method at a major retailer. Particularly for people experiencing mental health issues, carrying cash helps to mitigate stress when being confronted with unexpected, cash-only situations. Several respondents reported carrying cash as a backup because the hypothetical prospect of payment issues is a stress trigger, even if they had no intention to use that cash. 2025 research by the UK’s main ATM network operator, LINK, similarly highlights that 89% of people think that cash is an important payment option in case digital payment methods are not working.
‘I carry all three [cash, card, mobile]… so I’ve got an option. Otherwise, that just sets me on a complete panic mode.’ – Male with mental health condition.
Chart 1: Responses to the survey question: What are your main reasons for using cash?
Source: Bank of England 2025 survey with disabled people. Base: 2,000 UK disabled adults.
However, the ability to use and access cash does not mean that it is a stress-free process. 67% of disabled people can access cash when they need to, but the process of obtaining cash can still be a major stress trigger. For example, crowds or lack of privacy when withdrawing cash can heighten anxiety. Respondents communicated safety concerns surrounding fear of theft. The vulnerability of street-based ATMs was cited as a particular challenge by women and younger disabled people.
‘I don’t like to be accessing my bank account when there’s a lot of people around me…. I always worry about who’s looking over me or who’s watching around me.‘ – Female with cognitive/learning disability.
Different disabilities, different difficulties
Payment difficulties vary by disability type, as shown by Chart 2. On the one hand, some groups struggle more with digital payments, namely those with memory impairments or learning disabilities. On the other hand, those with social, behavioural or visual disabilities find cash more challenging. This reinforces the importance of payment choice.
Chart 2: Responses to the survey question: Which payment method, if any, causes you the most difficulty?
Source: Bank of England 2025 survey with disabled people. Base: 2,000 UK disabled adults. Note that categories do not sum to 100% as responses ‘All about the same’, ‘I don’t have any difficulties’, and ‘Don’t know’ are excluded from this chart.
How do different challenges manifest across different disabilities? Wheelchair users noted struggles with reaching payment terminals or ATMs. Those with dexterity issues struggle more often with handling coins or entering PINs. Poor tactile features on touchscreens or cards can be particularly difficult for those who are visually impaired. Visually impaired respondents also raised worries with distinguishing between different denominations of banknotes.
There is also procedural fatigue for those with memory impairments when remembering PINs, and neurodivergent traits can make the payment process overwhelming due to sensory or information overload.
Environment matters too. Many people with mental health conditions prefer self-service checkouts to avoid social interaction and queues. However, some feel safer with in-person assistance, valuing personal safety and support. Busy environments intensify stress for vulnerable groups, with 10% feeling anxious due to busy, noisy, or overwhelming environments during payment (Chart 3). Those with social or behavioural disabilities, mental health conditions, and memory impairments are most affected by anxiety in busy payment settings.
Respondents across all groups highlighted how bank branch and ATM closures have increased the need for rural travel and advanced travel planning. Disabled people are also wary of scenarios that would force them to rely on others, reducing both their confidence and independence.
However, Chart 3 exhibits that lack of payment choice is the most common payment barrier for disabled people. 21% of respondents experienced shops and services that will not accept cash, and 17% encountered a payment service or ATM that was out of order. When preferred payment options are not available, disabled people change plans, avoid shops, or feel less independent. This restriction creates both practical challenges and heightened stress.
Chart 3: Responses to the survey question: In the past 12 months, have you experienced any difficulties with the following when making payments?
Source: Bank of England 2025 survey with disabled people. Base: 2,000 UK disabled adults.
Focus group participants expressed a general perception that cash is becoming less accepted. Indeed, 16% of those surveyed say that reduced cash acceptance would have a large impact on their day-to-day life. If cash became harder to use or access in the future, 22% would find it harder to manage their money, 16% would feel less independent, 13% would go out less often, and 9% would feel left out or more isolated.
Suggested solutions
Survey respondents provided us with some disability-specific solutions to the barriers that each subgroup face. Suggestions included lower ATM and payment terminal height for improved accessibility, improved tactile features on banknotes and payment devices, and better audio controls. They advocate for improved training of customer-facing staff and recommend an increase in indoor or private ATMs, for example, inside old phone boxes. Each of these solutions could contribute to a less stressful payment experience overall.
These solutions also highlight how a universal approach risks leaving the needs of particular groups unmet. There was a general consensus from those surveyed that industry should offer tailored, flexible support options across all payment channels, matching specific disability needs to relevant solutions, enabling true financial inclusion.
Freedom of choice
Payment choice is fundamental for disabled people. Even those who rarely use cash themselves like to have the option and are passionate about retaining the choice to use it, particularly as a reassuring backup if other payment methods become unavailable.
When the ability to choose between payment methods is absent, it is felt to erode independence and confidence, and heighten stress and anxiety in turn.
Choice, in itself, acts as an important stress reducer for disabled people whose choices can already be limited in many aspects of their lives. Mobility impairments, for example, reduce a person’s choice of where they go and how they get there. For this reason, maintaining choice of payment options is essential for peace of mind and wider financial inclusion.
Wider perspective
Some of the issues raised by respondents to this survey, such as anxiety about queuing or challenges with budgeting, are of course not unique to disabled people and may also be experienced by non-disabled people. However, wider research shows that disabled people are more likely to feel these stresses more regularly or severely.
As the government’s recent Financial Inclusion Strategy notes, ‘no single organisation can deliver financial inclusion alone’. The Bank of England has oversight and regulatory powers to ensure that the UK’s wholesale cash distribution infrastructure remains effective, resilient, and sustainable. However, the Bank does not set industry standards relating to access to cash or payment services. The Government sets direction on domestic financial inclusion, while the Financial Conduct Authority ensures consumers are protected in their interaction with firms. These responsibilities are complemented by the 2010 Equality Act, which places a legal duty on service providers to make reasonable adjustments so that disabled people are not placed at a substantial disadvantage when accessing goods and services, including payment methods.
Lily Smith works in the Bank’s Future of Money Division.
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