DUBLIN — A new report from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) reveals that mobile wallets have become the dominant method for contactless payments in Ireland. According to the latest data, mobile wallet payments, made via smartphones and smartwatches, accounted for 58.2% of all contactless transactions during the first half of 2025. This marks a significant increase of nearly 20% compared to the same period in 2024.
The trend highlights a broader shift in consumer behavior, as contactless payments themselves continue to be the preferred method for point-of-sale (POS) purchases. The report found that contactless payments made up an impressive 87.9% of all POS card transactions in the first six months of the year. In total, Irish consumers made almost 454 million mobile wallet payments during this period, utilizing services like Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Over the 12 months leading up to the end of June, the total value of contactless POS payments reached €28.3 billion from 1.6 billion transactions.
The BPFI Payments Monitor also highlights regional differences in payment habits. Dublin leads the country in mobile wallet adoption, with the highest number of contactless and mobile wallet payments per capita, at 392 and 238 respectively. By contrast, Roscommon had the lowest per capita rate for contactless payments at 139.
Gillian Byrne, Head of Payments at the BPFI, noted that the growing popularity of mobile wallets over physical cards is a clear indication of a “shift in consumer preference.” She added that this surge in digital payment adoption has contributed to a decline in cash usage, with less than half of all POS payments in Ireland being made in cash in 2024.
