Canonical URL: https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/miconex-payzone-local-gift-cards-ireland-distribution/ --- description: Miconex and Payzone expand Irish Town & City Gift Card distribution. What 3,000 sales outlets change, where cards can be spent and the business behind the deal. title: Miconex gift cards reach 3,000 Payzone locations in Ireland image: https://giftcard.news/images/social/v1/miconex-brings-local-gift-cards-3-000-payzone-locations-ireland-3ac65526dcb9d069333ec3c9cd9c9817.jpg --- 1. [Home](https://giftcard.news/) 2. [Gift Cards](https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/) # Miconex brings local gift cards to 3,000 Payzone locations in Ireland Miconex's Payzone partnership adds a national sales channel for Ireland's locally restricted gift cards. More than 3,000 outlets can sell the cards, while redemption stays with… By [Emma Carter](https://giftcard.news/author/emma-carter/) August 18, 2026 4 min read Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fmiconex-payzone-local-gift-cards-ireland-distribution%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Miconex%20brings%20local%20gift%20cards%20to%203%2C000%20Payzone%20locations%20in%20Ireland "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fmiconex-payzone-local-gift-cards-ireland-distribution%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Miconex%20brings%20local%20gift%20cards%20to%203%2C000%20Payzone%20locations%20in%20Ireland%20https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fmiconex-payzone-local-gift-cards-ireland-distribution%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "WhatsApp") ![Miconex, Payzone and local retail representatives at the gift card partnership launch in Drogheda](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/miconex-brings-local-gift-cards-3-000-payzone-locations-ireland-retail-representatives-w1280.webp) Representatives mark the Town & City Gift Cards and Payzone partnership in Drogheda. Photo: Miconex. Photo: Miconex [Miconex](https://giftcard.news/company/miconex/) has added a national retail sales channel for its Irish Town & City Gift Cards through a partnership with [Payzone](https://giftcard.news/company/payzone-ireland/), announced on 18 August 2026\. The companies say the cards are available through more than 3,000 Payzone locations, placing locally restricted spending products in convenience stores, newsagents and supermarkets. [\[S01\]](#article-source-1) The expansion tackles distribution rather than changing what the cards are for. A gift tied to a town is easier to sell if buyers can obtain it during an ordinary shopping trip. The commercial bet is that familiar retail counters can turn support for local businesses into an actual purchase. ## A national sales network for locally restricted spending The cards are digital, purchased in values from €10 to €250 and added to a digital wallet through Miconex's Love Local app. They use [Mastercard](https://giftcard.news/company/mastercard/) infrastructure, but redemption is limited to businesses registered for the relevant local programme. [\[S01\]](#article-source-1) Sales and redemption are separate networks. Buying the card from a Payzone shop does not automatically make that shop an eligible redemption location. The card's local restrictions determine where its value goes. Miconex chief executive [Colin Munro](https://giftcard.news/person/colin-munro/) described the aim as "putting Town & City Gift Cards where people want to buy them". The companies estimate an additional €1 million of community spending over three years. That figure is their forecast, not spending already generated by the partnership. [\[S01\]](#article-source-1) ## Why Miconex is investing in this route to market Miconex developed its first city-wide gift card programme in Perth in 2015\. The Scottish company now says its Town & City Gift Card and Downtown Gift Card programmes operate in more than 200 places across the UK, Ireland, Canada and the United States, with over 27,000 participating businesses. Its role includes programme setup, technical support and materials for local operators. [\[S02\]](#article-source-2) The Irish business had an established base before Payzone arrived. Miconex reports €17.4 million of Irish card sales in 2025, across a network of 16 programmes, up 65% on the previous year. Those are historical company-reported figures for Ireland, not results from the new distribution agreement. [\[S02\]](#article-source-2) The relevant business decision is how to build on that base. Selling a town-branded product requires both a useful choice of local merchants and a convenient place to buy it. Adding an existing retail network addresses the second requirement without requiring each local programme to establish its own network of sales counters. Miconex also estimates that corporate purchases accounted for half of sales across its wider network in 2025\. That network-wide estimate is not an Irish consumer market share. It nevertheless helps explain why an additional everyday retail channel is strategically interesting: consumer gifting can complement employer-funded rewards. [\[S02\]](#article-source-2) ## What Payzone brings, and what it gains Payzone Ireland is a payments and services business backed by [AIB](https://giftcard.news/company/aib/) and [Fiserv](https://giftcard.news/company/fiserv/). It says it has operated for more than 20 years and processes millions of transactions annually. Its broader activities include retail payments, parking and toll services, and payment tools for organisations. [\[S03\]](#article-source-3) Its existing merchant relationships are the asset relevant to this deal. Payzone's retail network already distributes electronic services across sectors including utilities, transport and telecommunications. Its offering connects service providers with shops that can handle customer transactions at an established counter. [\[S04\]](#article-source-4) The gift card agreement adds another product to that distribution model. For Payzone, the opportunity is greater usefulness and activity across its network. For participating shops, it is another reason for a customer to visit the counter. These are commercial incentives supported by the structure of the service, rather than measured gains established by the launch announcement. ## Three numbers that describe different things Scroll left or right to see all columns __Three numbers that describe different things__ | Measure | Figure | What it represents | | ------------------------- | ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Gift card distribution | More than 3,000 locations | Payzone outlets included in the announced sales channel [\[S01\]](#article-source-1) | | Overall Payzone footprint | More than 3,500 stores | The wider network described on Payzone's company page [\[S03\]](#article-source-3) | | Irish gift card sales | €17.4 million in 2025 | Miconex's reported historical Irish card sales [\[S02\]](#article-source-2) | These figures should not be added together or read as counts of card-accepting merchants. They describe distribution, corporate network reach and sales value respectively. The partnership's significance for the gift card industry is the combination of broad access and deliberately narrow redemption. A national payment network can distribute a product whose commercial purpose is to keep spending in a particular place. More selling locations create an opportunity to capture that demand. The subsequent transactions at registered local businesses will determine how much of the opportunity becomes useful trade. ## In this article ### Companies * [AIB](https://giftcard.news/company/aib/) * [Fiserv](https://giftcard.news/company/fiserv/) * [Mastercard](https://giftcard.news/company/mastercard/) * [Miconex](https://giftcard.news/company/miconex/) * [Payzone Ireland](https://giftcard.news/company/payzone-ireland/) ### People * [Colin Munro](https://giftcard.news/person/colin-munro/) ### Sources and documents * [\[S01\] Town & City Gift Cards and Payzone partnership to bring shop local boost to Irish communities](https://mi-cnx.com/news/town-city-gift-cards-and-payzone-partnership-to-bring-shop-local-boost-to-irish-communities?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Miconex * [\[S02\] About Miconex](https://mi-cnx.com/about-miconex?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Miconex * [\[S03\] About Payzone Ireland](https://www.payzone.ie/about-us?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Payzone Ireland * [\[S04\] Payzone retail payment network](https://www.payzone.ie/business/retail-payment-network?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Payzone Ireland Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fmiconex-payzone-local-gift-cards-ireland-distribution%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Miconex%20brings%20local%20gift%20cards%20to%203%2C000%20Payzone%20locations%20in%20Ireland "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fmiconex-payzone-local-gift-cards-ireland-distribution%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Miconex%20brings%20local%20gift%20cards%20to%203%2C000%20Payzone%20locations%20in%20Ireland%20https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fmiconex-payzone-local-gift-cards-ireland-distribution%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "WhatsApp") ![Portrait of Emma Carter](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/emma-carter-editorial-portrait-w320.webp) About the author ## [Emma Carter](https://giftcard.news/author/emma-carter/) Journalist — Retail & E-commerce Emma Carter covers retail, e-commerce and the gift card shopping experience for Gift Card News. From reading to building ## Your next move in gift cards. Tell us what you’re building. We’ll help you explore suitable providers. 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