Every credit card you can get in Ireland

Six providers sell credit cards to consumers in the Republic of Ireland in 2026: AIB, Bank of Ireland, PTSB, An Post Money, Avant Money and Revolut. That is the whole market.

It is a small market by design. Ulster Bank and KBC left Irish retail banking, American Express does not issue consumer cards here, and no new challenger has arrived to undercut on rate. What has changed is that Revolut now sells a credit card in Ireland, which is the first genuinely new entrant in years.

Everything below was checked against the providers’ own published rates on 1 August 2026. Rates are variable and change without much warning.

Every credit card available in Ireland, 2026

Provider	Card	Purchase rate	Representative APR	Annual fee
AIB	CLICK Visa	9.11%	13.8%	None
AIB	Platinum Visa	11.84%	17.0%	None
AIB	Brown Thomas Visa	Not published	20.5%	None
AIB	Student Visa	14.85%	20.5%	None
AIB	‘be’ Visa	16.79%, or 14.16% above €5,000 spend	22.9%	None
AIB	Ascent Visa	9.48%	34.7%	€120
Bank of Ireland	Platinum	13.79%	19.6%	€76.18
Bank of Ireland	Affinity	14.57%	20.2%	None
Bank of Ireland	Student	14.54%	20.2%	None
Bank of Ireland	Classic	16.12%	22.1%	None
Bank of Ireland	Aer Credit Card	14%	22.7%	€78
PTSB	ICE Visa	16.50%	22.53%	None
An Post Money	Classic	16.8%	22.9%	None
An Post Money	Flex	16.8%	22.9%	None
Avant Money	Reward+	16.8%	22.9%	None
Avant Money	Everyday+	20.8%	22.9%	None
Avant Money	One Card	Not published	22.9%	None
Revolut	Revolut Credit Card	13.34%	17.99%	None

Every one of these also carries €30 a year in government stamp duty, except the Avant Money cards, where Avant charges the €30 and refunds it the same day.

Picks by what you actually need

Lowest ongoing rate: AIB CLICK Visa

9.11% on purchases, 13.8% representative APR, no annual fee, €16,000 minimum salary. Nothing else in the Irish market is close if you sometimes carry a balance. There is no rewards programme and no 0% intro period; it is a plain cheap card.

Revolut’s card is the runner-up at 13.34% and 17.99% APR.

Longest 0% on a balance transfer: An Post Money Classic

12 months at 0%. For comparison, Avant Money One Card runs 9 months, Bank of Ireland 7 months, PTSB and Revolut 6 months.

Two things to watch. None of the Irish issuers publishes a balance transfer fee, which is unusual against the UK market where 1% to 3% is normal, but absence from a fee schedule is not the same as a written guarantee, so confirm it before you move a large balance. And no provider lets you transfer from a card they already issue, so an AIB-to-AIB move is not possible.

Longest 0% on purchases: An Post Money Flex

9 months at 0% on new purchases. The Irish banks all run 3 to 6 months. Flex also lets you move credit into your own current account at 5.9% fixed for 24 months, which is priced like a small personal loan rather than a cash advance.

Travel and flights: Bank of Ireland Aer Credit Card

The only Irish credit card that earns Avios. You get 25 Avios per €100 of general spend, 100 Avios per €100 on Aer Lingus base fares, plus two return European flights a year if you spend €5,000 or more, two lounge passes, two Fast Track passes and worldwide travel insurance. The fee is €78 a year, billed at €6.50 a month.

Below €5,000 of annual spend it stops making sense. And do not use it abroad, because Bank of Ireland charges 2.25% on non-euro transactions, the highest of the Irish banks.

Cashback: Avant Money Everyday+ or AIB Platinum

Avant Money Everyday+ pays 5% at selected grocery retailers for the first 12 months, capped at €25 cashback a month, dropping to 1% after year one. Treat it as a one-year deal.

AIB Platinum pays 0.5% once you spend over €5,000 in a year, capped at €225 per 12-month period, and needs a €40,000 salary.

Avant Money Reward+ takes a different approach: it refunds 25% of the purchase interest you are charged, up to €24 a statement. That only pays if you carry a balance. Clear your statement in full and it is worth nothing.

Students: AIB Student Visa or Bank of Ireland Student

AIB’s requires an AIB Student Plus account and three months of banking history, and runs at 14.85%. Bank of Ireland’s caps the credit limit at €600 minimum with free travel insurance and no account fee, at 14.54%.

Both are for full-time third-level students. Neither has a salary requirement.

Credit building or a poor credit record

There is no credit-builder credit card in Ireland. No Irish issuer sells a secured card, a subprime card or a “guaranteed approval” card, and any site telling you otherwise is describing a product from another market.

If you have been refused, the realistic options are a prepaid card for spending, a credit union loan to build a repayment record, or fixing whatever is on your Central Credit Register file and reapplying later. Every Irish issuer checks the Central Credit Register on applications of €500 and above.

Business

AIB and Bank of Ireland both sell business credit cards. AIB’s range covers a Classic Visa Business Card, an Executive Visa Corporate Card, a Premier Visa Corporate Card and a Visa Purchasing Card; Bank of Ireland offers a business credit card aimed at SMEs. The €30 stamp duty applies per card. Business card rates are quoted case by case, so you have to ask.

The €30 stamp duty, and how not to pay it twice

The Irish government charges stamp duty of €30 per year on every credit card or charge card account. It is a tax, not a bank fee, so no provider can waive it, though Avant Money charges it and then refunds it, which comes to the same thing for you.

How it works

• The rate is €30 per year, per credit card account. For charge cards it is €30 for each card issued on the account
• The chargeable period runs 1 January to 31 December
• Providers collect it in arrears. PTSB, for example, charges it on 2 January for the year just ended
• If you open and close a card inside the same period without ever using it, there is no charge
• Additional cardholders on the same account do not each trigger €30. Bank of Ireland, for example, allows up to three extra cardholders on a Classic account under a single annual stamp duty. Charge cards are the exception, and there the €30 applies to each card issued

Switching without paying twice

This is the bit that catches people. If you close a card and open one with a different provider in the same year, you should only pay €30 in total.

1. Pay the stamp duty to your old provider when you close the account
2. Ask them for a Letter of Closure, confirming the duty has been paid for that period
3. Give that letter to your new provider

If you change cards several times in the same period, you are only charged on the original account, but you need a Letter of Closure each time you close one. Without it, the new provider has no evidence and will charge you again.

How to apply, and what they check

Age and residency. You must be 18 or over and resident in the Republic of Ireland. Every issuer requires this.

Minimum income. €16,000 at AIB (CLICK, ‘be’, Brown Thomas) and Bank of Ireland (Aer, Classic, Affinity). €20,000 at PTSB. €40,000 for AIB Platinum and Bank of Ireland Platinum. An Post and Avant Money do not publish a minimum. Revolut requires you to be employed in Ireland with income paid into a Revolut, AIB, Bank of Ireland or PTSB account.

Credit check. Applications of €500 and above are reported to and checked against the Central Credit Register, so existing loans, missed payments and other cards are visible to the lender.

Proof of income. PTSB asks for three months of statements from your main current account. Others ask for payslips or statements depending on whether you already bank with them.

Timing. Bank of Ireland says most decisions come within 24 hours and publishes an application tracker. Revolut requires 30 days as an active customer before you can apply.

Applications are on file, not just agreements. The Central Credit Register records credit applications of €500 and above as well as the credit you already hold, so a lender assessing you can see applications you have made to other providers, including ones that were refused or withdrawn.

This is general information, not financial advice; what suits your own circumstances is a question for the provider or a regulated adviser.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best credit card in Ireland?

It depends entirely on how you use it. If you ever carry a balance, AIB CLICK at 9.11% costs you least. If you are moving existing debt, An Post Money Classic gives 12 months at 0%. If you fly Aer Lingus regularly and clear your balance monthly, the Aer Credit Card is the only card here that earns flights.

Can I get a credit card in Ireland with bad credit?

Not easily, and not from a specialist product, because none exists here. Every Irish issuer runs a Central Credit Register check on applications of €500 or more. If you have arrears or defaults showing, expect a refusal. A prepaid card covers day-to-day spending in the meantime, and a credit union loan repaid on schedule builds a record.

Is there a no credit check credit card in Ireland?

No. Credit checking is standard practice and the Central Credit Register check is part of how Irish lenders assess applications. Anything advertised as “no credit check” in Ireland is a prepaid card, not credit.

Is Revolut a credit card?

The standard Revolut card is a debit card; it spends money you already hold. Separately, Revolut now does offer an actual credit card in Ireland, at 13.34% variable and 17.99% APR, with a maximum limit of €10,000 and up to 6 months at 0% on purchases and balance transfers. You have to apply for it, and you must have been an active Revolut customer for at least 30 days.

What is the minimum income for a credit card in Ireland?

The lowest published thresholds are €16,000 at AIB and Bank of Ireland. PTSB asks for €20,000. Premium cards ask for €40,000. Meeting the minimum does not guarantee approval, because affordability and your credit record matter more.

How many credit cards can you have in Ireland?

There is no legal limit. In practice each account costs you €30 a year in stamp duty, each one shows on your Central Credit Register file, and every open credit line reduces what a lender will offer you for a mortgage. Most people have no reason to hold more than one.

Do I pay stamp duty twice if I switch credit card?

Not if you do it properly. Pay the duty to your old provider when you close the account, get a Letter of Closure, and give it to your new provider. Skip that step and you will be charged again.

Can I get an American Express card in Ireland?

No. American Express does not issue consumer cards to residents of the Republic of Ireland, and its International Currency Card excludes EU residents. Amex cards issued in other countries work here at merchants that accept them.