Over €30 billion in contactless payments made in 2025
Kenneth Fox
Over €30 billion worth of contactless payments were made in 2025 as cash withdrawals declined, according to the Banking Payments & Federation Ireland (BPFI).
Contactless payment volumes and values up by 6.8 per cent and 12.6 per cent respectively in 2025, compared to 2024.
The number of cash withdrawals fell by 7.1 per cent year on year to 82.2 million in 2025, while the value of withdrawals fell by 4.2 per cent to €12.2 billion
Over 1.6 billion contactless point-of-sale payments (POS), valued at over €30 billion, were made in shops, restaurants and other retail outlets in 2025.
Contactless payments accounted for 88.7 per cent of all POS card payments in 2025 with more than 60 per cent (62 per cent) of all contactless payments made using mobile wallets such as Apple Pay or Google Pay, rather than cards.
Conversely, the number of cash withdrawals fell by 7.1 per cent year on year to 82.2 million in 2025, while the value of withdrawals fell by 4.2 per cent to €12.2 billion.
Speaking about the data, Gillian Byrne, head of payments, BPFI said: “The report highlights the continued popularity of contactless payments among Irish consumers, which accounted for almost 90 per cent of all point of sale (POS) card payments made in shops, restaurants and other retail outlets in Ireland last year.
Notably, of the 298 contactless payments made per person in Ireland on Irish cards in 2025, 159 were made through mobile wallets, highlighting how smartphones are becoming the preferred payment method over physical cards for many Irish consumers.”
She continued: “On the other hand, while contactless payment activity continues to grow, cash withdrawal activity, including ATMs and cashback in shops, has declined.
"The number of cash withdrawals using cards fell by 7.1 per cent year on year to 82.2 million in 2025, while the value of those withdrawals fell by 4.2 per cent to €12.2 billion.
This trend was reflected across the country, with the value of cash withdrawn falling in every county except Donegal, where the value was unchanged.
The contrasting trends in contactless payments and cash withdrawals are also evident in the relative value of transactions. For every €1 in cash withdrawn in 2025, €2.46 was spent in contactless payments, up from €1.70 in 2023.
Noting trends within in-person service sectors in particular, Ms Byrne said: “Cards are increasingly replacing cash as the means of payment for in-person services, such as eating out and drinking (restaurants and bars), personal care (barber and beauty shops) and medical care (including doctors, dentists, and opticians).
Card spending on these in-person services increased significantly between 2023 and 2025, increasing from €7.4 billion to €8.9 billion and accounting for 18.7 per cent of in-person card payments in 2025.”
“Looking more closely at restaurants as an example, spending in general restaurants and fast-food restaurants grew by 21.9 per cent and 20.7 per cent, respectively, between 2023 and 2025, with a combined value of almost €4.5 billion in 2025.
Similarly, European Central Bank surveys indicate that cards and mobile apps accounted for 39 per cent of payments in restaurants in 2024, up from 15 per cent in 2019, while the cash share of payments in restaurants fell from 84 per cent to 57 per cent over the same period.”
"While cash will continue to play an important role for consumers, the convenience and security of contactless and mobile wallet payments are likely driving the growth in their adoption among Irish consumers," she said.
