Why Are Contactless Payments Skyrocketing While ATM Usage Plummets? The Untold Shift Reshaping Your Wallet in Q2!

Ever wonder if your wallet is going the way of the dinosaurs? Turns out, in Q2 of 2025, contactless payments are sprinting ahead like a Tesla on Ludicrous Mode, while the trusty old ATM is taking a nosedive—down 11% from last year. According to the Bank of Ireland’s latest data, consumers are swapping PIN pads for fingertips and taps, with eCommerce contactless card transactions climbing 2%, proving that digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay have become as essential as your morning coffee. And biometric logins? They’re skyrocketing 26%, making passwords feel as outdated as dial-up internet. With over 1.7 million ‘tap and go’ payments recorded on a single day, it’s clear that the future of banking is fast, frictionless, and finger-printed. So, what does this shift mean for businesses and entrepreneurs still clinging to cash? Time to rethink your game plan, folks. LEARN MORE

Contactless payments rose while ATM usage fell in Q2 when compared to the same period in 2024 according to the latest data from Bank of Ireland.

In Q2 2025, eCommerce contactless card transactions (digital wallets, Apple Pay/Google Pay) increased by 2%, whilst contactless ‘tap and go’ payment levels remained the same compared to Q2 2024.

Over 1.7 million contactless ‘tap and go’ payments took place on 31 May, with over 830,000 eCommerce contactless card transactions made on 27 June, making those the busiest days for both these types of digital transactions.

While contactless payments continue to rise, the number of ATM transactions fell 11% in Q2 2025 compared with the same period last year.

This continues the decline in ATM transactions (also 11%) in the first three months of 2025 as the popularity of digital banking grows.

Meanwhile, biometric logins to the mobile banking app have also continued to grow in popularity, up 26% for Q2 2025 compared to the same three months in 2024.

A biometric login is a security method that verifies a user’s identity using unique biological traits like fingerprints, facial features, or voice patterns, instead of passwords or PINs.

Nearly 12.5 million biometric logins were recorded in total during April, May, and June, with the volume of logins via the traditional ‘3 of 6’ PIN relatively flat.

On Thursday, 1 May over 1.6 million logins were recorded across Bank of Ireland’s iOS and Android mobile apps, the busiest login day in Q2. Total logins to the mobile app increased by 3% for Q2 2025 from Q2 2024.

Ciaran Coyle, BOI’s Group Chief Operating Officer, said: “There is a steady trend in consumers increasingly engaging with digital payments options, as the ease and flexibility of making both eCommerce transactions and digital wallet payments suits their busy lives.

“We continue to invest in and enhance our digital banking services offering payment speed and security around the clock.”