Three Major Irish Banks Launch Zippay: Pay Anyone With Just a Phone Number

Three of Ireland's biggest retail banks have today begun rolling out Zippay, a new service that lets customers send, request, and split payments using just a mobile number, no IBAN required.

AIB, Bank of Ireland, and Permanent TSB (PTSB) are all introducing Zippay directly within their existing mobile banking apps, meaning customers will not need to download a separate app or top up a digital wallet. The rollout is phased, and it may take up to a week before all eligible customers see the feature appear in their app.

How it works

Once enrolled, customers can send money to, or request money from, other Zippay users at any of the three participating banks. Bank of Ireland and PTSB both allow customers to manually enter a mobile number, with country code, for someone not already saved as a contact. AIB requires the recipient to be saved in the sender's phone contacts.

Before any payment is confirmed, a masked version of the payee's name is displayed, for example "Jo** Smi**", allowing the sender to verify they are paying the right person. All three banks stress that customers should stop immediately if the name shown does not match the intended recipient.

Zippay is powered by Nexi, a third-party technical provider named by both AIB and PTSB. Bank of Ireland refers to a "trusted service provider" in its public-facing material but does not name them directly.

Limits and fees

There are no transaction fees at any of the three banks. The key limits are consistent across the board: customers can send up to €1,000 per day and request up to €500 per individual request. Payments can also be split among up to 30 people, with up to €500 requested from each. Payment requests expire after 30 days if not acted upon.

Who can use it

Eligibility varies slightly by bank. Bank of Ireland and PTSB require customers to be aged 16 or older, holding an active personal euro current account in the Republic of Ireland. AIB's published material currently states the minimum age as 12. Business accounts are not supported at launch across any of the three banks.

PTSB customers will need version 12.10 or later of the PTSB app installed.

A few things to keep in mind

Customers who bank with more than one of the participating institutions should be aware that only one default receiving account can be set across all enrolled banks. If the default is set with a different bank, some features, such as request money and split payment, may not be available within that bank's app, though sending money will still work.

Bank of Ireland has confirmed that other financial institutions may join Zippay in future, suggesting the network could expand beyond the current three banks.

Customers who prefer not to use the service can unenrol through their banking app settings at any time.