Five Catholic churches in Dublin are trialing ''contactless card machines''. It's in an effort to counteract the decline in cash donations.
According to the Times Ireland, there's been a decrease in donations, down from €3.1 million in 2016 to €2.4 million in 2017.
A spokesperson from the archdiocese has been speaking to the paper. She said: 'we are piloting a new payment method in a small number of churches, with card machines in place at the back of the church. It will allow parishioners to make a contactless contribution.'
'We plan to roll out the ability for the majority of parishes to accept card based payments using a parish payments system.
'This will cover many transactions and will enable parishioners to sign up for recurring contributions.'
The pilot scheme will be rolled out in five churches. However, there are plans to try it in more parishes in the coming months.
A similar system is in place in the Church of England.
The Telegraph reports that if 500 parishioners attend a service, the church is likely to generate £875 more.
SumUp told The Telegraph that the churches using the technology saw their donations double within four months.
