97% of Portuguese want right to pay in cash

Almost every Portuguese person wants to retain the option of paying in cash, according to a new European survey which suggests last year’s widespread blackout significantly changed attitudes towards physical money.

The European Barometer on the Need to Preserve Cash, carried out by GAD3 for Denária Europa, found that 97% of respondents in Portugal support guaranteeing consumers the possibility of paying with cash.

The survey also found that 70% of Portuguese respondents now consider cash more important following the major power outage of April 2025, when electronic payment systems and other digital services were disrupted.

“Guaranteeing consumers the possibility of paying in cash has the support of 97% of respondents in Portugal,” the study found.

For Denária Portugal, the results demonstrate that maintaining cash as a genuine payment option requires more than simply allowing people to carry notes and coins.

“These results show very strong support for freedom of choice in how people pay,” said Pedro da Cunha, executive president and secretary-general of Denária Portugal.

“That choice needs concrete conditions: having access to cash and being able to use it.”

He added: “The blackout made the importance of keeping alternatives available particularly visible, but this is also an everyday issue, concerning people’s autonomy and their participation in the economy.”

Cash support spans generations

Support for retaining cash is also high across Europe and among very different age groups.

According to the barometer, 92% of respondents aged between 18 and 20 believe people should have the option of paying in cash.

More than 90% of people aged over 65 expressed the same view.

The study also highlighted practical problems surrounding access to and acceptance of cash.

Over the past 12 months, 28% of respondents across Europe encountered a cash machine that was either out of service or had run out of money, while 23% said they had difficulty finding an ATM.

A further 18% said they had been unable to pay in cash because a business refused to accept it.

The barometer was based on 5,185 online interviews carried out across Europe.