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The Government’s Be Ready household checklist recommends keeping notes and coins as part of emergency preparations, but does not say how much cash to hold. A survey commissioned by cash machine network Link found 17% of respondents keep money at home specifically for digital payment disruptions.
The UK Government’s Be Ready checklist advises households to include notes and coins in their emergency supplies, but it does not set a recommended amount. The guidance comes as a survey commissioned by cash machine network Link found that 17% of respondents keep cash at home specifically in case digital payment systems fail.
The checklist is part of the Government’s household contingency planning for a major incident or emergency. It also recommends preparing supplies such as food and water for three days, along with items including a wind-up radio, torch and batteries. The guidance identifies cash as one element of preparation, but does not specify how much households should keep.
Link, whose survey was reported exclusively by This Is Money, said 56% of respondents considered cash vital during digital payment outages. The research asked about preparation for disruptive events such as power cuts, IT failures, natural disasters or cyberattacks. Its 17% figure refers specifically to people who said they stash cash at home for a situation in which card or mobile payments are not accepted; it is not a measure of all households that keep cash for any reason.
Link’s chief executive, John Howells, said the survey found a median of about £20 in wallets and a further £10 at home. Link’s suggested reserve is £50 for each adult in a household and £25 per child. That is the network’s recommendation, not a Government-set requirement. The report also says nearly half of surveyed people had battery-powered items such as torches and tinned food, while 37% had a power bank.
Cash During Payment Outages
The guidance highlights a practical risk for households that depend on cards and mobile payments: a disruption to electricity, banking or communications can make digital transactions unavailable even when shops remain open. A modest reserve of physical money may offer another way to pay for essentials during a short interruption, although cash is useful only where a seller can accept it and the money can be accessed safely.
The survey figures point to a gap between awareness and preparation. While 56% said cash is vital during a payment outage, 17% reported keeping it at home for that specific purpose. The figures describe respondents’ reported views and habits, not a verified assessment of how prepared the whole UK population is. Still, they show why the Government’s inclusion of cash matters: it treats physical money as one part of household readiness alongside food, lighting and communications equipment.
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From Digital Payments to Resilience
Cash use has declined over the past decade as more payments have moved online or to contactless systems. The report points to temporary bank service problems and wider concerns about cloud services and cyber security as reminders that digital payment networks can be disrupted. It does not provide details about the particular bank outages mentioned, including their duration or the number of customers affected.
Other European countries cited in the report offer more specific advice. The European Central Bank recommendation is €70 to €100 per person, described as roughly three days’ spending; the Netherlands recommends €70 plus €30 per child, and Sweden advises a week’s cash reserve. Finland’s guidance is based on 72 hours’ spending, while Austria recommends €100 per person. Spain and Portugal advise keeping a small amount. The report says the UK, France and Germany do not issue comparable national guidance on how much cash to keep.
Earlier this year, the House of Lords was reported to be working on a National Resilience Committee tasked with examining the UK’s approach to physical cash and whether people need guidance on emergency reserves. Link has also said it is working with the banking industry on enabling ATM withdrawals using contactless technology. These efforts concern access to cash as well as the amount people might keep at home.
“This week we were reminded again of the everyday vulnerabilities of digital systems and the disruption they can cause for millions of people and businesses when things go wrong.”
— John Howells, chief executive of Link, speaking to This Is Money
No Official Cash Amount Yet
The Government checklist does not say how much cash to hold, whether the amount should vary by household size, or how long the reserve is meant to cover. Link’s £50-per-adult and £25-per-child suggestion is separate advice from the cash machine network. The report does not identify a Government plan to adopt that figure or publish a specific cash target.
The survey’s sample size, full methodology and detailed results are not included in the supplied report, so the 17% and 56% figures should be treated as reported survey findings rather than a definitive measure of every UK household. It is also unclear how frequently people who already keep cash use or replenish it, and how long a reserve would remain adequate during a prolonged emergency.
Further Guidance and Cash Access
The next point to watch is whether the Government, the House of Lords’ planned National Resilience Committee or other authorities issue more specific advice on emergency cash. The report does not give a timetable for any such recommendation. Link says it is working with the banking industry on contactless ATM withdrawals, while existing routes to cash include ATMs, bank branches, banking hubs and post offices.
For now, the published Government checklist calls for households to include notes and coins but leaves the amount to individual judgment. Anyone following the advice must also weigh safe storage and whether their home insurance covers cash, points raised by Link in the report.
Key Questions
Does the Government say how much cash to keep at home?
No. The Be Ready checklist includes notes and coins but gives no target amount.
What amount does Link recommend?
Link suggests £50 for each adult and £25 for each child in a household. This is Link’s advice, not an official Government requirement.
How many people keep cash for digital payment outages?
A survey commissioned by Link and reported by This Is Money found that 17% of respondents keep cash at home specifically for a disruption that stops card or mobile payments. The supplied report does not include the survey’s sample size or full methodology.
What else does the Be Ready checklist recommend?
The checklist includes three days’ worth of food and water, as well as items such as a wind-up radio, torch and batteries.
Source: rss
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