Cash or card in Dublin — what do locals actually use?
Card is the default in Dublin. Contactless payment — tap your Visa, Mastercard, or phone — works in virtually every pub, restaurant, café, and shop in the city. Even market stalls and street food vendors at places like the Dún Laoghaire Farmers' Market or the Richmond Street spots usually have a reader. The Leap Card handles all public transport, so you won't need coins for buses or the Luas tram. Keep maybe €40–€60 in cash for edge cases: the occasional traditional pub that hasn't updated its system, coin-operated luggage lockers at Connolly or Heuston stations, or tipping in situations where you'd rather not add it digitally. ATMs are plentiful along O'Connell Street and Grafton Street; use your bank's network machines rather than the standalone Euronet or Cardtronics units, which charge steep withdrawal fees. Nobody here fumbles for notes at a bar anymore.
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