Ireland sees one contactless payment made every second

Irish consumers make more than two million contactless payment transactions each month.

Visa Europe says it equates to one being made every second.

There have been more than one billion of these transactions across Europe in the last 12 months.

From the end of this month, the threshold for contactless transactions will increase here from €15 to €30.

Conor Langford, Country Manager Ireland, Visa Europe, said: "Contactless payments continue to go from strength to strength in Ireland as consumers see them as the fast, easy and secure way to pay. We’re delighted to move into the next phase of their adoption as we push to make contactless payments ubiquitous.

"This also forms part of our commitment to the Government’s National Payments plan to help boost the number of electronic payments in Ireland, which will enhance our national competitiveness."

Visa Europe said that €1 in every €3 of consumer spending in Ireland is now on a Visa card - Debit, Credit or Prepaid.