More than 1.2 billion domestic payments were made using Irish cards in the first half of 2026, with a combined value of almost €50 billion, according to new figures from Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI).
The latest Payments Monitor shows that 75.3% of the payments were made at points of sale in shops, restaurants and other retail outlets. The number of point-of-sale transactions increased by 5.4% year on year to 930 million.
Contactless payments accounted for 89.9% of all point-of-sale transactions, while mobile wallets were responsible for almost two thirds of contactless payments.
BPFI said Irish consumers made an average of 153 contactless payments per person on Irish cards during the first six months of the year, up from 143 during the same period in 2025.
Dublin recorded the highest level of contactless usage, with 419 payments per person in the 12 months to June. Of these, 279 were made through mobile wallets.
Carlow ranked second, recording 355 contactless payments and 208 mobile wallet payments per person. Limerick followed with 324 contactless payments and 203 mobile wallet transactions per person.
Roscommon had the lowest usage, with 145 contactless payments and 73 mobile wallet payments per person. Mobile wallets accounted for 50.1% of contactless payments in the county, compared with 66.5% in Dublin.
Offaly, Monaghan and Leitrim also recorded fewer than 100 mobile wallet payments per person during the 12 months to the end of June.
Gillian Byrne, head of payments at BPFI, said mobile wallets had become more popular than physical cards for contactless transactions. They accounted for 64.2% of contactless payments in the first half of 2026, compared with 58.2% a year earlier.
The average mobile wallet transaction was €20.96, while the average contactless card payment was €15.36.
Online card payments also recorded strong growth. Domestic online transactions increased by 12.9% year on year to 305 million in the first half of 2026, with a total value of almost €24 billion. The average online card payment was €78.49.
BPFI said card usage could receive another boost from the planned introduction of contactless payments across public transport.
The National Transport Authority plans to begin a phased rollout in the Greater Dublin Area from 2028. BPFI estimates the system could generate at least 25 million additional contactless payments in its first year.
Contactless payments have already been introduced on TFI Local Link services, with rollout expected across all 15 offices by the end of 2026.
Byrne said Ireland recorded almost 364 million bus, rail and tram passenger journeys in 2025. She said the expansion of pay-as-you-go contactless payments could encourage Leap card users to switch to bank cards and mobile wallets for public transport.
