1.2 billion payments made on Irish cards in first half of 2026

There were over 1.2 billion domestic payments made on Irish cards, valued at almost €50 billion, in the first half of 2026, according to the latest payments analysis* published today in Banking & Payments Federation Ireland’s (BPFI) Payments Monitor. More than three quarters (75.3%) of these payments were made at the point of sale (POS) in shops, restaurants and other retail outlets, increasing by 5.4% in volume year on year to 930 million transactions. The vast majority (89.9%) of POS payments were contactless, with mobile wallets accounting for almost two thirds of contactless payments.

1.2 billion payments on Irish cards in 2026

Speaking on the publication of the latest Payments Monitor, Gillian Byrne, Head of Payments, BPFI stated: “Today’s report shows the continued popularity of contactless payments among Irish consumers, with contactless accounting for almost 90% (89.9%) of domestic point-of-sale (POS) card payments in H1 2026. In fact, there were 153 contactless payments per person in Ireland on Irish cards in the first half of 2026, up from 143 in H1 2025. Mobile wallets have clearly overtaken physical cards in popularity, with some 64.2% of contactless payments made using mobile wallets, up from 58.2% in H1 2025. Contactless payments dominate everyday, lower-value spending in shops and other outlets. The average mobile wallet payment was €20.96, while the average contactless card payment was lower at €15.36.”

“Online card payments are also growing and tend to be used for higher-value purchases. Domestic online card payments rose by 12.9% year on year to 305 million transactions in H1 2026, valued at nearly €24 billion, with the average online card payment at €78.49.”

Dublin recorded the highest contactless and mobile wallet payments per capita, followed by Carlow and Limerick

Looking at annualised regional trends, Ms Byrne added: “Dublin recorded the highest number of contactless payments per capita in Ireland, at 419 in the twelve months ending June 2026, including 279 made through mobile wallets. Carlow had the second highest number of contactless and mobile wallet payments per capita, at 355 and 208 respectively, followed by Limerick, with 324 contactless and 203 mobile wallet payments per capita.”

“By contrast, Roscommon had the lowest contactless and mobile wallet usage, with 145 contactless and 73 mobile wallet payments per capita. Mobile wallets accounted for only 50.1% of contactless payments in Roscommon, compared with almost two thirds (66.5%) in Dublin. Offaly, Monaghan and Leitrim also had fewer than 100 mobile wallet payments per capita in the twelve months ending June 2026.”

Contactless public transport rollout expected to boost card usage from 2028

Turning to the potential impact of contactless payments on public transport, Ms Byrne added: “The National Transport Authority (NTA) plans to roll out contactless payments across the public transport network on a phased basis, starting with the Greater Dublin Area from 2028. This will allow millions of travellers to pay for their journeys using contactless cards and mobile wallets, making payment easier, quicker and simpler. Contactless payments have already been introduced on TFI Local Link services and the system is expected to be deployed across all 15 offices by the end of 2026.”

“There were almost 364 million passenger journeys on bus, rail and tram in 2025, according to the NTA, with some 248 million of those journeys paid for using Leap cards, 19.3% higher than in 2024. Payment cards already play an important role in public transport through Leap card top-ups, with €294 million added to Leap cards in 2025, including almost €210 million via credit or debit cards on the Leap Top-up app, a 30% increase on 2024.”

She concluded: “Irish consumers have enthusiastically adopted contactless, and especially mobile wallet, payments in recent years. The rollout of contactless payments on the public transport system represents a huge opportunity to increase card usage in Ireland, with many Leap card users likely to switch quickly to pay-as-you-go contactless payments when they become available. We estimate that this could result in at least 25 million additional contactless payments in the first year.”

The BPFI Payments Monitor September 2026 can be downloaded here.

*BPFI analysis based on Central Bank of Ireland data and CSO population estimates.

BPFI: Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) represents the banking, payments and fintech sector in Ireland. Together with its affiliates, the Federation of International Banks in Ireland and the Fintech & Payments Association of Ireland, BPFI has over 120 member institutions and associates, including licensed domestic and foreign banks and institutions operating in the financial marketplace.

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