London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Sep 28, 2025

Third of Britons still prefer to do banking in person, survey finds

Third of Britons still prefer to do banking in person, survey finds

People would rather visit a bank branch to seek human advice as cost pressures mount, a survey found.
A third of people in the UK would rather do all their banking in person, a survey has found, amid a swathe of new branch closures from high-street lenders who say in-person services are not being used.

People still want to go into their local bank branch to seek human advice amid cost-of-living pressures, despite increasingly being able to do so digitally, the survey found.

While 44% of over-55s said they would rather visit a branch, the survey found it is not just the older generations who are hesitant to fully switch to mobile banking.

A fifth of 18 to 34-year-olds said they prefer to do all their banking in person, according to the survey of more than 2,400 banking customers by professional services company Accenture.

Meanwhile, more cash was handled by the Post Office in March than any month since last September, excluding Christmas when withdrawals are usually at their highest.

New figures from the company showed cash deposits and withdrawals over the counter reached £3.29 billion during the month, across its 11,500 branches.

People are increasingly utilising their local post office to manage money as a result of banks shutting branches, which often make it “the only location where consumers and businesses can do their banking”, it said.

It comes as two of the UK’s biggest high-street banks, NatWest Group and Lloyds Banking Group, revealed plans last month to close more than 80 branches between them across the country.

The latest plans mean that in the first three months of this year, banks have already earmarked 213 sites for closure, with NatWest closing the most, followed by Barclays.

Nationwide, TSB and Virgin Money have also announced a smaller number of closures each.

Banks say they are cutting branches because they have noticed big drops in the number of customers visiting, as people opt for using their mobile phones or computers to manage their money instead.

Many now offer services such as mortgage calculators, mortgage offers before credit score checks, and information hubs online, as well as being able to switch current accounts, freeze a card or take out new savings products through mobile apps.

But Accenture’s research found that a significant proportion of people still want to visit their bank to access human advice, from setting up a savings account to taking out a mortgage or life insurance.

"For now, for some, nothing beats being in the room when it comes to complex and confusing financial matters"

Furthermore, while 38% of Britons now have a digital-only bank account, just a tenth use it as their main bank, it found.

People still want the option to visit a branch or speak to staff, or have concerns about data security and the financial stability of digital banks, Accenture found.

Tom Merry, managing director of banking strategy for Accenture, stressed that the desire for human interaction and reassurance at branch visits do not come “at the expense” of digital banking.

He said: “The big banks must balance a fantastic digital experience with human interventions which really matter.

“For some, these can be easily delivered via improved remote video and voice experiences without a branch.

“But for now, for some, nothing beats being in the room when it comes to complex and confusing financial matters.”

He added it will be critical to find the right role for branches in a digital era rather than being “allowed to wilt”.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
Explosive Email Shows Sarah Ferguson Begged Forgiveness from Jeffrey Epstein After Taking His Money
Corrupt UK Politician Ed Davey Demands Elon Musk’s Arrest for Supporting Democracy
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Alibaba Debuts Open-Source Deep Research Agent with Benchmarks Rivaling OpenAI
Marcos Faces Legacy-Defining Crisis as Flood Projects Scandal Sparks Massive Tide of Protests
China’s Micro-Drama Boom Turns Stalled Real Estate Projects into Lavish Film Sets
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
'Company Got 5,189 H-1B Visas, Then Laid Off 16,000 Americans': US Defends New $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Golf legend tells Omar she should be 'sent back to Somalia' after her Kirk comments
EU Set to Bar Big Tech from New Financial Data Access Scheme
China Bans Livestreaming and AI in Religion Amid Crackdown on Shaolin Temple Scandal
×