Monthly Card Payment Statistics

The monthly card payment statistics provide data in relation to credit and debit card transactions undertaken by Irish resident households. The data includes the monthly value and volume of transactions across both credit and debit cards by Irish households. The data is collected from issuers of credit and debit cards and specifically from reporting agents that are resident in Ireland (including established foreign branches).

The aggregate data is further broken down into, remote and non-remote card spending; contactless and mobile wallet card spending; sectoral card spending; domestic and non-domestic card spending; regional card spending in Ireland; and cash withdrawals. A breakdown of the number of credit & debit cards currently issued to Irish residents is also provided.

Monthly Card Payment Statistics - May 2026 

• The total value of card spending amounted to €10.06 billion, representing a month-to-month increase of 3.70 per cent (€0.36 billion). Transaction volumes totalled 261.57 million, up 6.98 per cent from April. On an annual basis, both value and volume demonstrated robust growth, rising by 7.72 per cent and 8.34 per cent respectively.

• Domestic card spending increased in May. In value terms, spending stood at €8.29 billion, up 2.97 per cent (€0.24 billion) from April. In volume terms, transactions totalled 220 million, an increase of 6.68 per cent. Year-on-year performance remained strong, with value and volume increasing by 7.24 per cent and 7.26 per cent respectively. Chart 1 shows the growth of domestic card expenditures over the years. The average domestic transaction fell to €37.69, down 3.46 per cent from April (€39.04). When compared to May 2025, the value stood at €37.70, the average domestic transaction decreased by €0.01. For context, the Consumer Price Index (CPI), as reported by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), increased by 3.6 per cent year-on-year.

• Domestic card spending can be split into point of sale (POS) and online payments. In May, the value of POS payments stood at €4.31 billion, increasing by 6.56 per cent from April. The value of online payments totalled €3.98 billion, decreasing by 0.64 per cent month on month. On an annual basis, both channels recorded consistent growth, with POS payments rising by 6.04 per cent and online payments increasing sharply by 8.57 per cent.

• Domestic POS spending can be further broken down into contactless and within that mobile wallet (NFC) payments. In May, contactless payments reached €2.89 billion, an increase of 8.76 per cent from the prior month. NFC payments, a subset of contactless payments, amounted to €2.08 billion, which presents a monthly increasing of 10.15 per cent. Both segments exhibited strong annual growth, with contactless increasing by 14.13 per cent and NFC payments rising by a notable 25.65 per cent.

• In May, non-domestic spending amounted to €1.77 billion, up by 7.27 per cent from April. Transaction volumes reached 41.58 million, increasing by 8.57 per cent. Year-on-year, both value and volume recorded solid growth, increasing by 10.07 per cent and 14.45 per cent respectively.

• Non-domestic spending can be categorised into POS and online payments. In May, POS payments amounted to €539.53 million, up 11.24 per cent from April. Online payments stood at €1.23 billion, increasing by 5.62 per cent month on month. Year-on-year, both categories displayed modest annual growth, with POS rising by 9.75 per cent and online payments increasing by 10.22 per cent.

• Total cash withdrawals in May amounted to €1.08 billion, a robust increase of 4.15 per cent from April. Transaction volumes totalled 7.23 million, increasing by 5.70 per cent. When compared to May 2025, both value and volume fell, dropping by 6.42 per cent and 9.00 per cent respectively. Despite with this year-on-year decrease in value and volume, average withdrawal amount increased by 2.84 per cent (€4.14) and reached €149.97.  

Sector Analysis

In May, overall card spending increased month on month, with most sectors recording solid growth. In particular, spending rose in Retail (5.51 per cent), Services (1.71 per cent), and Social (5.68 per cent). This increase may have been partly supported by seasonal spending patterns ahead of the summer period.

In terms of Domestic POS spending, most sectors contributed to growth, with Retail leading at 6.12 per cent (€169.19 million), followed by Social at 12.31 per cent (€77.68 million), and Services at 3.11 per cent (€18.45 million). Miscellaneous was the only sector to decline, falling marginally by 0.03 per cent (€17,809).

For Domestic Online payments, the overall decline was driven by Services contracting by 0.58 per cent (€17.21 million), Social falling by 5.33 per cent (€16.60 million), and Miscellaneous decreasing by 2.89 per cent (€4.51 million). Retail stood out as the sole growth driver, expanding by 2.09 per cent (€12.47 million).

In terms of non-domestic POS spending, Social recorded the strongest growth at 13.32 per cent (€20.36 million), followed by Services at 15.68 per cent (€18.41 million), and Retail at 7.76 per cent (€16.41 million). Miscellaneous fell by 19.95 per cent (€674,808).

For non-domestic online payments, Services led the growth at 9.22 per cent (€52.77 million) and Retail expanded by 5.24 per cent (€20.19 million). Social was the only sector to decline, falling by 4.42 per cent (€8.45 million).

Merchant Analysis

Service Station spending increased, reflecting higher fuel prices and geopolitical pressures

Despite strong month-on-month growth in Retail overall, the Automotive sub-sector recorded only a slight increase of 0.45 per cent. This was primarily driven by Service Stations and Automated Fuel Dispensers, which denote fuel purchases. Month on month, spending in these categories increased by 0.40 per cent and 1.24 per cent, respectively. Compared with May 2025, spending rose by 10.50 per cent (€37.37 million) and 14 per cent (€5.22 million), respectively. 

However, annual increases in expenditure do not necessarily imply higher fuel quantity purchased, as average pump prices in Ireland increased over the period.  AA Ireland[1] reports that average petrol prices rose from €1.76 per litre in May 2025 to €1.91 per litre in April 2026, before easing to €1.82 per litre in May 2026. Overall, fuel prices increased by 3.41 per cent between May 2025 and May 2026. Both automated fuel dispensers and service stations recorded a 5 per cent rise in average transaction values. Chart 2 shows monthly expenditure at automated fuel dispensers and service stations from 2024 to 2026. Higher fuel prices, which peaked in March 2026, likely contributed to higher nominal spending.

Seasonal demand supports clothing store spending

In May, clothing spending rose strongly as households began preparing for the summer period. The Clothing sub-sector increased by 10.08 per cent month on month, with growth recorded across several categories: Family Clothing Stores (13.15 per cent), Men's and Women's Clothing Stores (10.35 per cent), Sport Apparel Stores (6.73 per cent), and Shoe Stores (12.52 per cent).

In nominal terms, the largest increases were recorded in Family Clothing Stores and Men's and Women's Clothing Stores, where spending rose by €15.67 million and €10.57 million, respectively, compared with April. On an annual basis, spending in Family Clothing Stores increased from €131.23 million to €134.90 million, while spending in Men's and Women's Clothing Stores was slightly lower than a year earlier, falling from €114.35 million to €112.70 million.

Spending in Sport Apparel Stores also increased, rising by €3.04 million (6.73 per cent) month on month. This growth is consistent with seasonal shopping pattern, as households prepare for warmer weather and summer holidays. Year on year, spending in this category increased from €40.71 million to €48.16 million.

The strongest relative growth was observed in Shoe Stores, where spending increased by 12.52 per cent, or €2.82 million, compared with April. This rise may reflect stronger seasonal demand for summer footwear.

Accommodation spending surged in Services

In May, one of the key drivers of growth in Services was Accommodation spending, which increased by 14.71 per cent (€44.76 million) from April.  The main contributor of this increase was non-domestic spending, which increased by 24.89 per cent, up 35.14 million from the prior month. In comparison to May 2025, overall spending rose by 8.61 per cent. The Accommodation sub-sector alone accounted for 62 per cent of the month on  month increase in Services.

The strongest contribution in nominal terms came from Hotels, Motels, and Resorts, where spending reached €305.36 million in May, up 14.78 per cent compared with April. This increase likely reflects a combination of seasonal factors, including the beginning of the summer travel period and stronger domestic and international tourism demand.

Within the Accommodation sub-sector, the largest relative growth rate was recorded in Campgrounds, where spending rose by 48.12 per cent (€5.02 million) month on month. This sharp increase may also point to the effect of better weather and greater demand for outdoor leisure activities, particularly as households began to shift towards summer-related travel and recreation.

Explanatory notes

• The collected data relates to cards issued to Irish resident households’ only
• No breakout between credit and debit card activity is collected
• Within Cash withdrawals, this includes both ATM cash withdrawals and “cashback” transactions at Point of Sale terminals
• The data collection includes some changes in the reporting population that arises following the entry and exit of resident reporting agents in the market
• Full reporting requirements for this dataset

Explore Monthly Card Payment Data in Open Data Format

Previous Related Data Sets - Discontinued 

See Also

• Daily Credit and Debit Card Statistics
• Previous Monthly Credit and Debit Card Data