Cash remains king for parking – but cashless on the up

Richard Aucock, Contributor
Mon, 31 Mar 2025

A generational divide is emerging in how drivers prefer to pay for parking with older motorists liking cash and youngsters preferring cashless.

Cash remains the favoured method overall, with 40% of respondents to a survey saying it’s best.

However, cashless methods, including mobile payments such as Apple Pay, are on the up, with 28% saying they prefer contactless and 14% admitting they like to pay via an app.

A further 12% prefer chip and PIN, with just 2% wanting to pay by phone (which can be a tedious and long-winded affair).

A mere 1% prefer to pay via QR code – which is good news, given the rise in QR code parking scams.

The AA, which carried out the survey of more than 13,500 drivers, also quizzed drivers by age for their top payment choice.

There is a clear split, with 18-24 year olds, 25-35 year olds and 35-44 year olds all preferring contactless.

Meanwhile, 45-54 year olds, 55-64 year olds and those aged 65-plus would all rather use cash – with the proportion increasing by age group to almost half of those aged 65-plus.

Many respondents were forthright in their support for cash, says the AA. One said they only go to car parks that take cash and other said that if they didn't take cash, they would leave and find somewhere else to park.

One even said that they leave a note in the windscreen complaining about this and give my contact details so I can pay later.

Many councils have moved to cashless parking in order to save administrative costs such as collecting the coins and maintaining payment machines.

This shift was accelerated during the pandemic and lots of local authorities have not returned to cash, says AA head of roads policy Jack Cousens. He adds that as the reduced administrative costs proved beneficial to their coffers, they are now going further than some drivers are willing to accept.

With some drivers now claiming they simply won’t park if they have to pay for parking, it seems counterintuitive for car parks to refuse a customer willing to pay, says the AA.

The best solution is to offer payment by a multitude of options – but Cousens added that those opting to pay by app "should take note that doing so could be more expensive as administration costs are added to the rates."

Ask HJ

Can I contest a parking ticket for parking on private land?

Once a week I attend a social function at a church hall for about 2 hours. I am aware that this is covered by a Parking Company called Civil Enforcement who are approved BPA Operators. When you enter the church grounds from the road, there are no signs telling you that you are entering a parking zone area. On entering, there are vehicles parked up to the fence on the left. These parked vehicles actually obscure signage telling you to register your vehicle! I usually drive past them and park immediately in front of the hall where there are no signs at all. Prior to entering the hall area there is a small screen for you to fill in your vehicle details and on doing so it confirms that you are allowed to park on this private land. Signage telling you to do so is either missing or fallen on the floor and the screen is so small that it could easily be overlooked. I have recently received an invoice from Civil Enforcement for £100.00 reducing to £60.00 if paid within 14 days of the notice (14th March 2025). They state that I parked on the 26th February 2025 and failed to obtain a permit to do so. The invoice shows two very grainy pictures purporting to be my car but could be any ones as no reg no is shown, although their written description correctly shows my reg no. etc I could have forgotten to register my car on this particular occasion but I doubt it and cannot prove it. Also there have been times when the screen was not working at all but I cannot remember when. Do you think I would stand any chance of successfully appealing due to inadequate signage?

We would suggest challenging the parking ticket, because it costs nothing to do so and is usually worth a try. You can read our in-depth guide on this process here - https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/advice/driving-advice/parking-ticket-appeals/

Answered by David Ross

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