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Aussie Cash Comes Back: Notes and Coins See a Revival
21 Apr
Summary
- Cash usage in Australia is increasing for the first time since 2007.
- Physical money now accounts for 15.4% of all Australian payments.
- Australians use cash for budgeting, as a backup, and for privacy.
Physical cash is experiencing a resurgence in Australia, with usage increasing for the first time since 2007. Recent figures from the Reserve Bank of Australia indicate that cash now constitutes 15.4% of all payments, a rise from 13.3% recorded three years prior. This trend highlights cash's continued importance as a fallback when electronic systems fail and as a valuable budgeting tool for many households.
While cards and tap-and-go remain dominant, cash is particularly favored for smaller transactions, accounting for about one in four payments under $10. Australians report carrying a median of $65 and use cash frequently for leisure activities, which made up 34% of cash payments in 2025. Conversely, transport payments increasingly utilize card taps, making up only 15% of cash transactions in this sector.
Reasons cited for preferring cash include paying merchants with cash-only policies, simplifying budgeting, and for security and privacy. Approximately 3% of Australians are identified as high cash users, conducting 80% or more of their transactions with physical currency. The Reserve Bank of Australia's survey, conducted in 2025, involved 1200 participants detailing their transactions over seven days.
