Decline in cash usage will be long and slow 13 February 2015 5:28PM John Kavanagh Cash usage may be in decline but it looks like being a long, slow demise. One measure of cash usage - ATM withdrawals - shows that consumers are reducing the amount of cash in their wallets at the rate of one to two per cent a year.According to the latest Reserve Bank ATM withdrawal figures, consumers withdrew an average of A$11.9 billion a month from ATMs in 2014 - down 1.6 per cent on 2013, when consumers withdrew an average of $12.1 billion a month.In 2012, consumers withdrew an average of $12.4 billion a month, in 2011 they withdrew an average of $12.5 billion a month and in 2010 they withdrew $12.4 billion a month.Recent market research reports have suggested that the strong take-up of contactless payments for small value purchases over the past couple of years would accelerate the decline in cash usage. The RBA's ATM data does not lend support to that view.