Consumers appeared to be seeking out better value in their shopping habits last month, according to the latest Spending Pulse report from Bank of Ireland.
Overall debit and credit card spending by the bank’s customers was flat last month, however it saw a near two-and-a-half times increase in spending at charity and vintage shops compared to July 2025.
Card spending at discount stores rose by 43%, it said, while there was an 80% increase in spending at online marketplaces.
That was despite a 5% decline in online spending during the month.
The month’s hot weather also prompted a shift in consumer behaviour year-on-year, with spending on camping equipment up 55%, while spending in confectionery shops rose by 53%.
Meanwhile a mixture of cost-consciousness, weather and safety concerns may have contributed to declines in BoI card spending in some tourist destinations.
The bank noted sharp drops in spending in the United Arab Emirates, down 21.3% year-on-year, while spending in Australia and New Zealand also fell (31.4% and 14% respectively).
Other traditionally popular summer destinations also saw spending declines including; Spain (down 3.7%), France (down 3.7%), Portugal (down 3.4%) and the USA (down 2%).
Spending to the likes of Lithuania, Romania and Estonia rose, however.
In Ireland, meanwhile, Mayo’s historic All-Ireland win prompted a significant spike in spending in the county.
It recorded a more-than 1,000% increase in pub spending in Castlebar across the Sunday of the final and the Monday of the team’s homecoming celebrations.
Spending in pubs in Westport was up 350% during the same period, while spending in the rest of the county rose by 118%.
