Share this article There was an 'extraordinary' jump in contactless payments in December and throughout 2020 - but the banking industry says cash will never fully go away. Over €1 billion worth of contactless transactions were recorded in Ireland in December, the first time that monthly figure has been reached. Figures from the Banking & Payments Federation (BPFI) show there were nearly 2.1 million transactions per day in the lead-up to Christmas. The average value of a payment also increased to €17.36. Brian Hayes, the Chief Executive of BPFI, told Newstalk Breakfast last month's figures are part of a trend. December saw 'extraordinary' jump in contactless payments