New data has found that Monaghan has the highest percentage of cash transactions, while Dublin and Carlow lead the country in contactless payments.

That's according to BPFI (Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland) analysis of Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) data.

Overall, contactless payments have grown strongly in recent years, with cash withdrawal activity - including ATMs and cashback in shops - declining.

During 2025, there were 298 contactless payments per person in Ireland on Irish cards, up from 279 in 2024, according to CBI data.

The number of cash withdrawals using cards fell by 7.1% year-on-year to 82.2 million in 2025, the data showed, while the value of those withdrawals fell by 4.2% to €12.2 billion.

Dublin accounted for 29% of the value and 31% of the number of cash withdrawals in 2025, similar to the county's share of population.

County by county

At a county level, the value of cash withdrawn fell in 2025 in each county, except Donegal, where the value was unchanged.

The largest percentage drop was in Kilkenny, which saw cash withdrawal values drop by 7.6%.

The contrasting trends in contactless and cash withdrawals are seen in the relative value of transactions.

As an indicator for cash replacement, BPFI looked at the value of contactless payments per euro withdrawn in cash.

Overall, for every €1 in cash withdrawn in 2023, €1.70 was spent in contactless payments.

That ratio increased to €2.09 in 2024 and €2.46 in 2025.

Cash replacement at county level varies significantly, with Dublin and Carlow both recording more than €3.10 in contactless payments per €1 in cash withdrawn.

At the other end of the scale, seven counties had €1.60 or less in contactless payments per €1 in cash withdrawn.

The lowest ratio was in Monaghan where only €1.11 was spent in contactless payments per euro in cash withdrawn.

Mobile wallet and contactless

There were 178 mobile wallet payments per capita in Ireland in 2025, up from 150 a year earlier. Mobile wallet volumes increased by 18.8% to more than 972 million transactions valued at more than €20 billion, 25.3% more than in 2024.

Dublin had the highest number of contactless and mobile wallet payments per capita in Ireland at 403 and 256, respectively, in 2025.

The county accounted for 38.9% of all domestic contactless payments with 632 million transactions, and 41.3% of mobile wallet payments with almost 402 million transactions.

Carlow had the second highest number of contactless and mobile payments per capita at 346 and 194, respectively.

Limerick was third highest with 311 contactless and 187 mobile wallet payments per capita.

By contrast, Roscommon had the lowest contactless and mobile usage, at 143 contactless and 67 mobile wallet payments per capita. It was the only county in which fewer than half (47.1%) of contactless payments were made with mobile wallets instead of cards.

In four counties (Dublin, Cork, Kildare and Limerick), mobile wallets accounted for at least 60% of contactless payments

Gillian Byrne, head of payments, BPFI said: “While cash will continue to play an important role for consumers, the convenience and security of contactless and mobile wallet payments are likely driving the growth in their adoption among Irish consumers. 

“Whether people opt to pay using card, smartphone, watch or indeed cash, of most importance is that it remains an individual choice and that the payments sector continues to innovate and adapt to the changing preferences of consumers.”