Laser card spending hits €420m - before Christmas

CONSUMERS clocked up €420 million of Laser card transactions between late November and early December, as usage soared by a whopping 36% before the serious Christmas shopping even began.

A similar increase is expected in the use of credit cards, the Irish Payment Services Organisation (IPSO) said yesterday. But Ireland is still some distance from being a cashless society, the organisation added.

In Britain, officials said on December 29 that credit and debit card spending had overtaken cash spending for the first time.