Third of Brits never carry cash, Pennies research finds

The UK’s ever increasing shift to digital payments is leaving the need for good old fashioned cash taking the first steps on the road to extinction. A recent study conducted by Pennies, the digital charity box, has revealed that a staggering 30% of us regularly leave the house without any cash, whilst almost half (47%) of 16-24 year olds use their cards for payments under £2 and three quarters (75%) use their card for payments under £5.

This shift to digital payments is taking its toll on small businesses, with one in five people admitting they have abandoned a purchase when they have been unable to pay by card . And it’s not only small businesses that are suffering; charitable donations are taking a hit too, over half of the nation (55%) admitted to barely noticing the traditional charity box anymore, whilst 12% of 16-24 year olds have confessed they would be more likely to donate via smart devices, further suggesting that the traditional form of giving could be under pressure.

This is where Pennies can help.  Pennies provides a digital version of the traditional charity box that offers customers the chance to donate anything from 1p to 99p when they pay by card.  Pennies allows charitable donations to move with the times and gives the cashless society the opportunity to still donate to charity when paying for goods or services in a way that suits their lifestyle.

Alison Hutchinson, CEO of Pennies says, “With an increasing number of people not carrying cash on them anymore we’re pleased to be able to give people a way to still give micro-donations.  These could otherwise be lost, and despite being small add up quickly to make a huge difference to the charities who receive them. Last week alone we saw more than 100,000 donations made via Pennies.”

Retailers such as Domino’s Pizza, ASK Italian, Monarch Airlines, Screwfix, The Fragrance Shop and many more all use Pennies to raise money for their charity partners.  So far Pennies has raised more than £2 million for 100 charities.