P2P payment services are becoming one of the most popular ways to send or receive money, and their popularity appears to be crushing cash.
Only half of consumers are now carrying cash, according to the U.S. Bank Cash Behavior Survey released last week, and most of them aren’t carrying very much.
About half of the 2,003 surveyed carry less than $20 when they do carry cash, and most consumers — a 76% majority — carry less than $50.
Additionally, these consumers aren’t using their cash regularly, with 46% of participants claiming they use that money fewer than 8 days out of a month. A small, but growing consumer segment, 5% of those surveyed, reported that though they carry cash, they never actually use it.
When consumers do use cash, it’s not for daily financial needs anymore, with bill payment and sending money to another person now ceded to P2P. Rather, most consumers prefer to use cash during special occasions or social activities, such as parties, travel, or family events.