Ireland is Now Open to Americans. What Should you Expect?

This is the day we have been waiting for ever since our plane took off from Dublin Airport on March 18, 2020. Americans will soon be able to vacation in Ireland for the first time in over a year!

We have been waiting to write this post for about 10 days because the details were not clear, and we wanted to make sure the government would not change its mind as a result of the increase in the 7 day rolling average case count in Ireland. We now think it is likely the date will be honored since we are so close to the published date.

So what is the magic date, you ask? July 19! You heard me right. Americans will be able to vacation in Ireland again on Monday! Music to the weary ears of travel lovers all over the country. 

So what do you need to know and do in order to visit Ireland after Monday? Here is what we know so far from the guidance released by the Irish government:

• As of the publishing of this post, on July 19th non essential travel to The Republic of Ireland from the United States will be possible.

• Travel will stay open as long as the U.S. does not get added to the EU “Emergency Brake” list. This is a mechanism put in place to stop travel from countries/regions where there is a sudden outbreak of COVID-19.

• People arriving in Ireland must fill out a Passenger Locator Form online before arriving - the system is entirely online. Make sure you do this because the fine is probably equal to the budget for most of your trip.

• Americans must provide proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to skip the mandatory testing and quarantine procedures. Your CDC issued vaccination card should be proof enough to enter the country.

• Those who are not vaccinated will need to provide negative test results from a test taken within 72 hours of arrival in Ireland and then quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. You can test out of quarantine with a second test after 5 days in Ireland. This quarantine is at a government approved hotel and at the visitors expense.

• You still need a negative COVID-19 test taken three days or less before your arrival back in the United States at the end of your trip. Rumor has it may change soon. 

---

Things to Keep in Mind Before your Trip

After reading that, here are some things you should keep in mind as your plan for trip to Ireland for sometime in the second half of 2021:

Vaccinated vs. Unvaccinated Travelers

If you are not vaccinated, and don’t have the time or money for a 14 day quarantine, stay home and start planning for 2022 at the earliest.

If you are vaccinated, make sure you pack your vaccine card in your carry on. There is an electronic system for EU residents, but Americans cannot use the system. I would not be surprised if there was an electronic verification system for Americans later in the year, but your paper card will be good enough for now. 

Mask Requirements & Physical Distancing

Capacity limits and mask mandates are still in place across the island. This means you may have to wait in longer lines and make reservations for everything from cafes and pubs to restaurants and hotels. It also means you will have to watch where you are standing and you must stay 2 meters away from anyone else. 

If you have thrown away all or most of your masks, it may be time to buy more or another box of disposable masks. Even if you are fully vaccinated, you will be required to wear a mask when you are indoors in Ireland. This may be an inconvenience if you have returned to not wearing a mask around town, but I think it is a small trade off to be able to travel again after a long wait.

Airline Tickets & Rental Cars

Having flown a couple times over the last 2 months, it seems I have been paying a little bit more for the same routes I fly a couple times a year. I was curious if tickets to Ireland would follow this same pattern. To my surprise, it seems like airfare is consistent with previous summer and fall ticket prices. I did the most research for flights in the fall, and found round trip tickets for as low as $500 in economy and $1,500 in business class. Not too bad!

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is the price and availability of Rental Cars. Cars may be hard to find and could be expensive. Just like in the United States, Irish rental car companies sold a large portion of their fleets during the pandemic and as demand increases so will the price. In October of 2018 we paid €663 for an 8 day rental, excessive damage waiver (top shelf insurance), and a GPS. I ran a test search for October 2021 as I was writing this post, and the price for just the car in the same class we rented in 2018 was €617. CRAZY!

You Must Plan Ahead

As I mentioned earlier, you have to fill out a passenger locator form before touching down in Ireland. On this form, you must list all of the places you are going to stay during your trip. This means that traveling in Ireland during 2021 will not be able to be the spur of the moment kind of trip. Make sure you have accommodation reservations for your entire trip before you leave. Tourist attractions, restaurants, and potentially even pubs are looking at putting restrictions in place. This means you will need to think a little ahead of time while planning your itinerary. 

So Should you Visit Ireland in 2021?

With all of that information in mind, should you visit Ireland in 2021? At the end of the day, this comes down to your comfort level being around a lot of strangers during this COVID-19 time. If you are vaccinated, feel safe being on a plane for 5-10 hours, and you feel safe being out and about at home, then I think you could plan on visiting Ireland in the back half of this year and have a great time! If you are not vaccinated or will not wear a mask for a long period of time, then I would save your money and start planning for late 2022.

So how about you? Will you be traveling to Ireland in 2021, or waiting for 2022 or beyond?

One Island, Two Currencies: Money in Ireland

Disclaimer: This post contains referral links to products we use and love. We appreciate when you use our links because the compensation we get helps us run this site at no additional cost to you.

---

I’m going to take a shot in the dark and say that if you are going to Ireland, you may want some money to spend. In this post we will cover some of the common things you will need to know about getting and spending money while on your trip. 

What Currency do I Need for my Trip?

The currency or currencies you will need in Ireland depends on your itinerary. 

If your trip keeps you solely in the Republic of Ireland you will only need euro. One euro is made up of 100 cent. Commonly accepted notes are €5, €10, €20, and €50. Notes also come in denominations of €100, €200, and €500, but you may have a hard time finding vendors who accept those high bills. Coins are 1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, €1, and €2.

If you trip includes time in Northern Ireland, you will also need pound sterling. One pound is equal to 100 pence. Notes come in denominations of £5, £10, £20, £50, and £100. Coins come in 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1, and £2. 

How can I get the Currency I Need?

The easiest (and cheapest) way to get euros or pounds is withdrawing cash from an ATM. Always use a bank branded ATM both for the safety of your information, and to save a little bit of money. Bank ATMs in Ireland will not charge you fees because you don’t have their ATM card, so the only fees you might be charged are ones from your bank and maybe a fee for using your debit card abroad. If you are arriving at Dublin airport terminal 2, there are Bank of Ireland ATMs to the right as you exit baggage claim and there is a Bank of Ireland branch in terminal 1.

you can find a bank atm along many irish main roads like this one in greystones co. wicklow

If you are more comfortable bringing U.S. currency and exchanging it at an exchange service desk, be aware you will get charged a fee, and the exchange rate will not be as good as simply withdrawing money from an ATM. That being said, I do recommend you bring about $100 in cash you could exchange in an emergency. 

Can I use my Debit and Credit Cards in Ireland?

The answer to this question depends on the type of cards you have in your wallet. If your card is a Visa or Mastercard, they will be accepted at most places that takes cards. I recommend having one of each just in case. If you have American Express cards you may find some vendors that take them, especially in cities, but I would not count on them being accepted in Ireland. If you have a Discover card, leave it at home. No vendor in Ireland takes Discover. 

In addition to having the right type of card, make sure you have a card that does not charge foreign transaction fees. Getting charged 1%-3% per transaction adds up over the course of a two week trip. I recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred, but if you want a card without an annual fee try the Capital One VentureOne card.  

There are two other things you have to be aware of when using credit cards in Ireland. 

The first is that your card may not work in unmanned ticket machines unless you have a card with Chip-and-PIN capability. This is a slightly different technology than what is found in most U.S. Credit Cards. It is called EMV, and requires a 4-digit PIN to verify a transaction. This is different than the 4-digit cash advance PIN that may have come with your credit card. If you run into a machine that requires a PIN to use a credit card and your card does not have a PIN, use a debit card instead and you will be fine. I do not think it is worth applying for a new card with Chip-and-PIN for one trip. You can get along fine without one. I just thought you should be aware of something you may run into. 

Second, and this is something I ran into for the first time on our last trip, is that there are some places that can only take your card if you have the ability for contactless payment. Check to see if your card has contactless payment by looking for a symbol that looks like the semicircle wifi symbol turned on its side. If your card does not have that symbol, call your card issuer and see if they can send you a card with contactless payment technology. This is important because I ran into this while trying to buy AirCoach tickets at Dublin Airport. I did not have a contactless payment card at the time, and had to run back into the terminal to find an ATM. 

Do I Need to let my Banks know I will be Traveling?

Yes. There are two ways you can do this depending on your bank. There is a number on the bank of your card you can call to set up a travel notification on your account, or you might be able to set up a travel notification on your online banking portal. If your trip takes you to Northern Ireland, remember to include the United Kingdom on your list of countries in addition to the Republic of Ireland. 

you can set travel notifications on your chase online banking portal in the “things you can do” dropdown menu

One more thing. There are international collect numbers on the back of your cards. Write those numbers down in a couple of places. These are the numbers you need to call from Ireland in the event you lose your wallet or your cards stop working while abroad. I recommend keeping a backup credit card in your suitcase in the event you misplace your wallet.

Should I Pay in Dollars or the Local Currency?

You probably will not make very many transactions abroad with your debit or credit card before a clerk asks if you want to pay in dollars or euros/pounds. ALWAYS pay in the local currency. If you pay in dollars, you might get hit with dynamic currency conversion fees. Dynamic Currency Conversion is the process of the merchant converting the currency to dollars for you. This rate will probably be terrible, and you will probably get charged a fee for the service. I recently read an account of someone who was hit with a currency conversion fee of 4.8% because he chose to pay in dollars. Save yourself some money and pay in the local currency. Oh, and don’t forget to use a card with no foreign transaction fees. 

How can I See the Currency Exchange Rates?

There are a couple of phone apps that will give you up-to-date exchange rates. I use one called Currency because it works even when I don’t have data or wifi. I open the app once in the morning while I have wifi in our room, the app updates, and then I have an accurate exchange rate for day.

What about Travelers Cheques?

Don’t waste your time. I doubt you will find anywhere in Ireland that will take them. 

In Conclusion

I hope that answers some of your more pressing questions about money in Ireland. It is not that much different than withdrawing and spending money at home, you just have to jump through a couple extra hoops. If you have any other questions about money in Ireland, please leave them in a comment below or on our Facebook page. I will try to get back to you as soon as I can. Promise!

In the meantime, Happy travels!