| Service (click for more details) | Typical use | Need to establish track record | Government stamp duty | Ireland only or international usage |
| ATM Card | Withdraw cash from ATM machine. Limits on the amount drawn in one transaction and/or in one day may apply. ATM card may also be used as an identifier for certain over-the-counter transactions at your bank. | No. All cash transactions are checked at the time of withdrawal | €2.50 per annum | Normally International. Before using abroad, confirm with your bank that it has international usage. |
| Cheque card | Used in combination with a cheque book. Provides a guarantee to the payee of a cheque. The maximum amount of the cheque should not exceed €130 to avail of the guarantee. Guarantee does not apply if multiple cheques are used to purchase an item over €130. Little used nowadays - will likely be phased out. | Yes. You will normally not be able to get a cheque book unless you have a track record with a bank. | None | Ireland only |
| Debit Card (Laser) | Used to charge goods and/or services to your current account. Normally limited to €1500 per transaction | Yes. You may not be able to get a cheque book unless you have a track record with a bank. | €2.50 per annum | Normally International. Before using abroad, confirm with your bank that it has international usage. Not as widely accepted abroad as credit cards. |
| Combo card | A card that combines the functionality of ATM card and Debit Card (Laser), and may also include Cheque card - all in a single card | Yes | €5 per annum | As above. |
| Cheque Book | A cheque book allows you to write cheques. Normally, you would not write cheques to pay for goods over the counter - they delay the process, and are less acceptable in many cases. If your bank gives you a cheque book, they will also give you a Laser card if you ask them. Cheques are useful for paying occasional bills where the payee does not accept cards. School fees are a typical example. Sadly, many practitioners in medical, dentistry, and related fields do not accept cards - so cheques or cash must be tendered. Cheques are heavily used for business-to-business transactions. Personal cheque books normally have 25 cheques or less. Business cheque books may have substantially more. Business cheques may be printed in rolls or fanfolds for computerised printing. | Yes | €0.50 per cheque. In some banks this charge is payable when the cheque-book is issued. Other banks apply the charge when a cheque is presented | Must not be used outside Ireland |
| Direct Debit | Direct debits are used for recurrent payments which are charged to your account. These may be for varying amounts (E.g. phone bills, electricity bills, etc) or fixed amounts (insurance premiums, subscriptions, etc.). The payment is initiated at the request of the payee through his bank | No | None | Ireland only. A version extending to Eurozone was launched November 2009, and will eventually supersede the Irish Direct Debit |
| Standing Orders | Standing orders are used for regular payments of fixed amounts. The payment is initiated by your bank by reference to a diary. Typically used for payment of rents, parent funding of students, payment of insurance premiums, payment of charitable donations. | No | None | Ireland only. |
| Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) | This is the means by which your salary/wages are paid directly into your account. An EFT may be created by you if you use an online banking system to make a payment. | No | None | Normally Ireland only Some banks offer EFT to other Euro countries from online systems. These will be created by a separate system from the normal EFT |
| Lodgements | Lodgments and Giros are the means by which paper transactions (Cheques, Drafts, etc.) are credited to your account | No | None | Ireland only |
