Shift Towards Digital Payments

Contactless payments continue to ⁢surge in ⁤popularity across ireland, now representing 87.9% of all‍ point-of-sale (POS) card transactions‌ during the first half of 2025. This trend is largely fueled by the‍ increasing adoption of ​mobile wallets like Apple Pay adn‌ Google Pay, surpassing customary card payments.

Data reveals ⁤that ‌58.2% ‍of contactless payments were ⁣made using mobile wallets‌ – a nearly ‍20% increase ‍compared to ‍the same period⁤ in 2024. ‌This translates to almost 454 million mobile wallet payments in the first six months of the year.

National Payment Trends

Across the nation, a total of 1.6 billion​ contactless POS payments,totaling €28.3 billion, were processed between July 2024 and June 2025. This demonstrates ⁤a meaningful shift in consumer behavior towards ‍convenient,digital ⁣payment methods.

Geographically, Dublin‍ leads the way in contactless and mobile wallet usage, with 392 and 238 payments per capita respectively. These ‌figures represent 39.1% of all contactless payments and 41.8% of mobile wallet transactions nationwide.

Roscommon recorded the lowest per capita contactless payment⁣ rate at 139, highlighting‌ regional variations in adoption.

Decline of ‌Cash Usage

As contactless ‍payments gain traction, the use of cash is steadily declining. Less than half of all POS payments in Ireland were made using cash in 2024, indicating⁣ a clear preference for digital alternatives.

Industry experts note that smartphones and smartwatches are increasingly becoming the⁣ preferred payment devices for many Irish ⁢consumers,⁢ surpassing the use of physical cards.