The analysis shows that consumers each made debit card payments worth, on average, €7,442 in 2015. That compares with about €5,388 per capita in ATM cash withdrawals.

While consumers spend more via cards than in cash, most consumers still rely on cash for low-value daily payments. BPFI estimates that:

the average cash payment in Ireland is €18, compared with about €50 for debit cards and about €80 for personal credit cards (€142 for business credit cards);
each adult makes, on average, 491 payments per capita in cash in a year, 148 debit card payments and 34 credit card payments.

Irish consumers’ traditional reliance on cash for low-value transactions is likely to lessen in the coming years with the wider availability of contactless cards - most banks here now offer contactless payments on debit and/or credit cards. The use of contactless cards should also be boosted by the doubling, at the end of October 2015, in the contactless card payment limits to €30.

Growth in electronic commerce is also helping to shift consumers from cash to cards. Credit and debit cards were used to pay for some €3,027 per capita in ecommerce (including online and phone) transactions in 2015, or representing about 29% of all card payment value.