Tap and pay everywhere

I’m just back from 12 days in Ireland and wanted to point out that I only used cash once .

Well, don't leave us all hanging in suspense, where/what did you need to use cash?

We were there in April for a 14 day RS tour. I used Google Pay everywhere, except I think one time the restaurant didn't have a touchless device and I had to use a physical card. Hardly ever used cash but I'd never travel without a small amount of local cash.

I wouldn't say Ireland was VERY expensive, though. But hotels in Dublin were pretty expensive. We ate quite a few good meals in pubs, which seemed pretty fair priced. Beer prices similar to a brewpub back home. Everything less expensive than Switzerland...

This reminds me of a question I've been meaning to ask the forum. Maybe I should post it elsewhere. I'm surprised that tap and pay for small items is now so common in Europe. Don't the merchants there have to pay fees like the U.S. merchants do? I understand that there are downsides to dealing with cash, but...

Putting 50 cents on a credit card for using a public restroom just seems ridiculous. And then my credit card bill is pages long after a European trip.

joe32f:
I arrived by train at a tiny station and had planned to walk to my hotel, but the heatwave had begun and I saw a taxi-van waiting.
I asked the driver , who said he was booked by others, if he could drop me off at my hotel on the way.
He said yes, cash only.
I gave him a ten euro note for the five minute drive.
The other passengers were ok with me joining them.
Worth every penny in the heat!

I also wondered about charges merchants must be incurring for the smaller purchases….it didn’t seem to be a problem.

And…..it is a VERY expensive place overall!

We were shocked at how expensive it was when we were there in May. Almost as bad as Switzerland, but without the excellent transportation infrastructure.

Don't forget a lot of the expensive feel comes from the currency exchange rate, which is pretty bad right now. We aren't foodies and avoid swank hotels, and grocery prices seem really cheap to my eye. But we live in rural Oregon, where gas is expensive and food is high.

I live in Atanta, and I am shocked by the cost of eating out.here. Not unique to Europe. We spent a week in Switzerland in January, did not think it outrageous!

Tap and pay is everywhere. You can even use it to give donations in churches.

I'm surprised that tap and pay for small items is now so common in Europe. Don't the merchants there have to pay fees like the U.S. merchants do?

The fees in Europe are quite small in comparison to those in the US. EU and UK regulators cap payments fees in general at 0.3% whereas in the US the fees are uncapped but often averaging around 2.5%.

When you weigh up the costs and inconvenience of dealing with cash and finding an ever decreasing number of banks to pay it into it's easy to understand why card payments are preferred.

Thank you, JC. I appreciate knowing the numbers.

We were in Ireland in March--Dublin, Galway, and Cork. I would say that our payment experiences were pretty evenly divided between paying cash and paying with a card. Seemed like pubs, cafes, coffee houses, taxis we used primarily cash.

We were in County Carlow 2 years ago, and ate at a local pizza restaurant, assuming we could use a card to pay, only to find out later it was cash only. My sister and friend had not exchanged any $, but fortunately my spouse and I had cash. Small towns, local restaurants may not be as card friendly as you might think! The tiny shop just outside our B&B also was cash only.

What about Northern Ireland? Anyone know? I have heard that some shops and pubs like cash (pounds).

Yes, Northern Ireland is pretty much contactless payment everywhere. I can't remember the last time I needed to use cash there. However, I would get a small amount to have with you just in case.

Just from booking lodging and reading restaurant menus, I can see that Ireland will be quite an expensive trip compared to other places we've been, on par with Switzerland, I think. I did notice that restaurant menu prices were lower in Northern Ireland restaurant menus. A couple bargains I've noticed so far. A few venues offer free admission to caregivers (not like, Scotland, however, which seems to have free admission everywhere for caregivers) Also, the Heritage Card turns out to be quite a deal if one is going to lots of castles and other historic sites. There is quite a list of places where it is honored. We are going to purchase the card at the first place we stop.

Regarding cc use. What always has amused me is that the percentage fee to the merchant is the same regardless of the purchase amount. So the fee for a $2 item is minuscule.

Incidentally, at least a third of the places we are staying, which is mostly BnB type places, want cash for payment.