Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Oct 02, 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

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×