That the electronic purse was unusable anywhere outside Ennis didn't help. The cards have done slightly better in places without human attendants, like car parks. That seems to demonstrate the central problem with electronic purses. People like using cash. For instant value-exchange it's hard to beat.
Chances are, never.
The real clue to the less than enthusiastic uptake for the electronic purse may lie in the idea's surprising origins. The brave new world vision sold to consumers actually began with a bank that decided, in 1990, that handling cash was a huge expense it would rather do without. NatWest's audacious solution was to turn cash into a product. Now, after years of expensive trials, costly marketing and unenthusiastic consumers, Mondex appears to be pausing for thought. Belief in the electronic purse is still strong in some quarters.