The Donegal Town Gift Card records almost €500,000 in sales in 2025

Donegal Town is celebrating after achieving a record year of sales for its local Gift Card.

The Donegal Town Gift Card recorded almost half a million in sales in 2025. Donegal Town Business Focus Group upgraded their paper Shop Local Vouchers to the high-tech physical and digital Donegal Town Gift Card in late 2024 as part of efforts to build on the shop local ethos developed in the town, reduce administration of the paper vouchers and keep more money local.

Over 60 businesses in Donegal Town accept the Donegal Town Gift Card, including shops, restaurants, hotels, salons and services. Mastercard-backed, there is no commission for registered businesses to accept the card, driving local footfall and spend.

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The Donegal Town Gift Card is part of the multi-award-winning Town & City Gift Cards initiative from fintech Miconex that is active across Ireland, with €17.4m in sales in the country in 2025, an increase of 65% on 2024. Miconex has estimated that the €17.4m will drive 335,000 specific visits to high streets in Ireland in 2026, based on estimates of 3 trips into town per gift card.

Raymond Rooney, Donegal Town Business Focus Group, said: “Our paper Shop Local vouchers were successful but very manual, and as a business group with no dedicated administration resource, the paper vouchers became too much for us to operate. We wanted to take our shop local initiative to the next level in Donegal Town with a high-tech system that was working well in other areas of Ireland.

“It was an easy switch. Customers like how easy and convenient the Donegal Town Gift Card is, and as a result, the cards are redeemed more often and quicker. Donegal Town businesses are delighted with how streamlined the Donegal Town Gift Card is – they’ve gone from waiting 4-6 weeks for payment with our paper programme to getting paid straight away. The ease of use and ability to drive more revenue encourages more businesses to want to accept the card.

“€450,000 in sales in 2025 for the Donegal Town Gift Card is a strong result. Every euro is ring-fenced into Donegal Town, helping local businesses to keep their doors open, employing local people. The cards are very popular with locals throughout the year who use it for gifts for friends and family, teacher gifts, competition prizes and incentives, and as employee rewards in line with the Small Benefit Exemption. We’d like to thank everyone that purchased the Donegal Town Gift Card in 2025.”

Colin Munro, CEO of Miconex, said: “As part of the award winning Town & City Gift Cards initiative, the Donegal Town Gift Card is making support for local simple. As the ultimate ‘shop local’ Gift Card, recipients can spend their Donegal Town Gift Card on anything from a round of golf to a round of drinks, filling the tank to filling the fridge, all supporting local businesses. This unbeatable local choice and unrivalled support for local makes the Donegal Town Gift Card an ideal employee reward or gift.”