Do I need cash in Ireland, or can I use cards?

The Republic of Ireland is firmly card-first. Contactless is near-universal across shops, cafes and transport, and Apple Pay and Google Pay are widely accepted. Visa and Mastercard work almost everywhere; Amex is less consistent.

Keep a little euro cash for the corners that stay cash-friendly: rural pubs, small village shops, farmers markets and the occasional small vendor. In Dublin and the cities you will barely touch it.

The one thing that catches visitors out on the island of Ireland is the border. The Republic of Ireland uses the euro, but Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom and uses pounds sterling. There is no hard border and you can cross without stopping, but your currency changes, so plan for both if your trip spans it.

Cards work on both sides regardless, which smooths things over, but any cash you carry needs to match the side you are on: euros in the Republic, pounds in the North.

When a card terminal or ATM asks whether to charge in dollars or euros, always choose euros (or pounds in the North). Dollars trigger dynamic currency conversion at a rate about 3 to 8% worse than your own bank's. Decline it every time.

For the little cash you need, use an ATM attached to a real bank (such as AIB or Bank of Ireland) rather than a standalone kiosk. For the wider picture, see the Ireland money guide.

Common questions

Quick answers.

More on Ireland

The little money things nobody warns you about.

• Renting a car in Ireland, and the credit-card catchIreland is the country where the sentence people rely on, my card covers the rental, is least likely to be true. It is also the one where the answer depends on your specific card rather than on any general rule.
• Taxis in Ireland, and the FreeNow appIrish taxis are metered, honest and set by a national regulator, so there is nothing to haggle over. Install FreeNow, know that Dublin airport has no train, and round up to tip. Here is how it works.
• Tipping in IrelandIreland tips more than most of Europe but less than the US: 10 to 15% at a restaurant, and nothing at the pub bar. Here is what you actually owe, and what to check on the bill.
• Bringing your dog or cat to Ireland.Ireland is a common EU destination for US pet owners, and it runs on the single EU pet-entry process: microchip, rabies in the right order, and an EU health certificate on a 10-day clock. No quarantine, no rabies titer. Ireland adds exactly one thing the big EU countries do not: a timed tapeworm treatment for dogs. Here is what that means, and the local parts worth knowing.
• Do US citizens need a visa or ETIAS for Ireland?Short answer: no visa, and no ETIAS. Ireland sits outside the Schengen Area, so Europe's coming authorization does not touch it. The one wrinkle is Northern Ireland, which is a different country. Here is what actually applies.
• Staying connected in Ireland.Ireland covers its cities and towns well and its far west less so. The thing most likely to catch you out is not a mountain, it is an invisible border: drive north from Donegal and your plan may quietly stop working.
• What does getting sick in Ireland cost a US visitor?Ireland is where a true fact about the health service becomes a false assumption about your bill. Public inpatient charges really were abolished. They were abolished for people entitled to public health services, and a US visitor is not one of them.