Meanwhile, spending on transport jumped by 18%, or €34 million, month-on-month.
Card spending in restaurants increased by 20%, or €65 million, as indoor dining restarted in late June.
And in-store spending was up 4%, or €122 million, month-on-month and accounted for 58% of all point-of-sale spending in July. In annual terms, in-store spending was 12%, or €371 million, above July 2020 levels.
The latest daily data to 23 August show continued strong growth in spending in the accommodation, restaurant and transport sectors.
Credit and debit-card spend
Detailed monthly data for July 2021 show that total card spending, including ATM withdrawals, equated to €7.2 billion, an increase of 3%, or €195 million, compared with June.
In annual terms, an increase of 10%, or €627 million, was recorded compared with July 2020.
Average daily spending has declined slightly in August, with spending to 23 August 2% (€97 million) below the same period in July.
Point-of-sale spending was 2% higher in July compared with June, at €6.1 billion. In annual terms, point-of-sale spending was 12% higher than in July 2020.
ATM withdrawals increased by 5%, month-on-month, to €1.2 billion – the third consecutive month of growth.
However, ATM withdrawals remained subdued compared with pre-pandemic levels, down 30% on the 2019 monthly average.
The volume of card transactions, excluding ATM usage, grew in July, with the number of transactions increasing by 3%, or 3.9 million, compared with June.
In annual terms, this represents an increase of 15% compared with July 2020. In nominal terms, the average value of all transactions remained flat at €43 per transaction.
Total card expenditure outside Ireland increased by 33%, or €58 million, to €235 million in July. In annual terms, this is 32% higher than levels observed in July 2020. Additionally, this represents the highest point since the introduction of COVID-19 restrictions.
Sectoral card spending
Total retail spending decreased in July 2021, down 2% from June. However, this represents a 5% increase over spending in July 2020.
Spending on hardware experienced the largest monthly decrease, falling by 7%, or €35 million, while groceries remained largely static at €1.3 billion, down 1%.
Following a significant contraction in spending at the beginning of the year as public-health measures were introduced, the transport and accommodation sectors have now recorded five and six months of consecutive growth, respectively.
Social spending rose by 12% compared with the previous month.
Entertainment spending
Entertainment spending also experienced strong growth of 11%, or €21 million.
The latest daily data to 23 August show increases in most sectors, with spending in the accommodation, restaurant and transport sectors showing particularly strong growth.
Total online expenditure remained stable in July 2021 at €2.6 billion – an increase of 1% over June. This represents an increase of 13% in year-on-year terms.
Online spending accounted for 42% of all point-of-sale spending in July, a sixth consecutive monthly decline from the high of 57% in January 2021.