EV charging and cinema splurge sees card spending rise

Restaurant spend up 10% year on year, says card spend trend

Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt at the Devil Wears Prada 2 European premiere in London. Entertainment spend in Ireland was up 6% over 12 months, partially driven by strong growth in cinemas with sales up 53% on May 2025. Picture: Ian West/PA 

A surge in expenditure on EV charging and trips to the cinema saw card spending in Ireland rise last month.

Discretionary activity spend among AIB card holders was up in May, with spend in restaurants (+10%), pubs (+5%) and fast food (+7%) all increasing year on year, according to the AIB Spend Trend for May, with overall spend for the month up 2%.