Smart phones and watches now dominate €26.7bn contactless payments in Ireland

Nine of every 10 card payments in retail are now contactless, with most of these through mobile wallets

More than half of all contactless payments are now made using ‘mobile wallets’ on devices like phones and watches.

Contactless payments now make up almost nine out of every 10 card payments in shops, restaurants, and retail outlets, with more than 1.5bn contactless payments made in 2024.

The Banking & Payments Federation Ireland’s (BPFI) Payments Monitor published on Monday shows that the value of contactless point of sale (POS) payments was €26.7bn in 2024, with an average of 296 contactless payments per person, with an average value of €17.52.