Nine in ten transactions in Irish pubs, bars and nightclubs are now contactless, according to payment data from Clover, the point-of-sale platform owned by Fiserv. Cash accounted for just 5% of transactions in the nighttime economy in 2026.

The figures show the sharpest retreat from cash anywhere in the Irish payments mix. They put hard numbers on a shift that directly affects how licensed venues and retailers staff tills, manage float and design service flow at the counter.

Ireland-wide, 83% of all payments in 2026 were contactless, up from 80% in 2024. Chip and PIN covered 11% of transactions. Cash fell to 5% of all transactions, a drop of 20% since 2024.

"Consumers increasingly expect seamless, secure payment experiences, while businesses need technology that helps them meet those expectations efficiently and at scale," said Lara Byrne, senior vice president, Direct Merchant Business at Fiserv.

"With more than 80% of retail purchases and almost 90% of pub transactions now made using contactless payments, it's clear that convenience has become the norm," Byrne said.

What does the shift mean for operators?

The nighttime economy leads the trend. Pubs and nightclubs process 90% of purchases via contactless, and only 5% of their transactions in 2026 used cash. That gap has practical consequences: venues can speed up service at peak hours, cut cash-handling time and reduce reconciliation costs, but they also bear higher card-processing fees on nearly every sale.

Retail shows the same direction at a slightly lower intensity:

• 81% of retail purchases are now contactless — four out of five transactions.
• Cash accounts for just 3.3% of retail transactions.

Where does cash still hold on?

The data draws a clear line between everyday and higher-value spending. Contactless dominates routine purchases, but the average non-contactless card transaction reached €203.09 in 2026, against €28.89 for contactless. Customers still turn to chip and PIN, or other authenticated card methods, when the basket value rises — a pattern merchants should reflect in their checkout options for larger purchases.

For hospitality businesses, the message is operational. With contactless at 83% of all payments and cash down to a residual 5%, the cost of maintaining cash infrastructure — floats, banking runs, secure storage — now sits against a shrinking share of revenue. Operators negotiating POS contracts with providers such as Fiserv's Clover will want processing rates priced against a mix that is almost entirely card-based.

Expect the gap to keep widening: contactless volumes rose three percentage points across all payments between 2024 and 2026, and the nighttime economy, already at 90%, shows where the rest of the market is heading.