Leap Card in Ireland: which card to get, how to top up and the 2027 fares

In Dublin, a journey of up to 90 minutes on a Leap Card costs €2 on the adult card and €1 on the Young Adult or Student card. Both discount cards are ordered online only, with a photo, and neither is sold at the airport. If you are 19 to 25, the Young Adult card comes by post. If you are 26 or over, you can only apply for the Student Leap once your course has started. Until yours arrives, you use the adult Leap, which takes a €5 refundable deposit and a minimum €5 top-up when you buy it.

Which card is yours

The discount depends on your age and, from 26, on your course.

The Young Adult and Student cards(opens in new tab) charge half the adult Leap fare across the TFI (Transport for Ireland) network: buses, trains and the Luas, Dublin's tram. Both take a €5 refundable deposit and €5 of minimum credit. Only the person whose name and photo are printed on the card may use it. Anyone can use an adult Leap, paying the adult fare.

The Young Adult card expires on your 26th birthday. If that birthday falls during your course, the Student Leap becomes your card from that date, as long as your course meets the conditions.

People under 19 have child and student cards with their own rules, on the card types page(opens in new tab).

Applying for the Student Leap

You send the application in one go, with every document. Incomplete applications are rejected. Proof of enrolment is a letter from your school confirming full-time status and course length, with a header, a footer and an official stamp or signature. International students can upload their admission letter in English. Online courses do not qualify. If the application is rejected, your payment is refunded automatically.

Once the confirmation email arrives, you collect the card from a Student Leap agent(opens in new tab). Bring your student card and a document that shows your age. No English language school is on the agent list. Nearly every agent is the students' union of a university or college. In Dublin, the only agent outside an educational institution is the Dublin Bus office at 59 Upper O'Connell Street. Galway also has TMB, on New Dock Street.

At the airport

The adult Leap and the Leap Visitor card are sold at WH Smith in Terminal 1 and at the Spar in Terminal 2. Away from the airport, the adult Leap is sold by more than 2,000 agents(opens in new tab), including many PostPoint shops and every post office.

TFI buses accept the Leap. TFI publishes the list of routes serving the airport(opens in new tab), run by Dublin Bus, Go-Ahead Ireland and Bus Éireann. Dublin Bus routes 16, 19, 24 and 41(opens in new tab) go to or through the city centre, and the 41 runs around the clock. With a Leap, the trip costs the €2 long fare, or €1 on a Young Adult or Student card. In cash it costs €2.60, in coins only. Drivers do not take notes or give change, and the bus does not accept bank cards or tap-to-pay. If you arrive with no Leap and no coins, you can buy a €2.60 Travel 90 ticket at the Wright's Food Fayre shop by the entrance to the Transport Zones. The shop takes cards and notes. It is valid for 90 minutes on Dublin Bus routes only.

Aircoach and Dublin Express are commercial companies. On the TFI list of commercial operators(opens in new tab), the Young Adult and Student discount on Aircoach applies to online bookings only, and on Dublin Express to the TFI Go app(opens in new tab) only.

The Leap Visitor card(opens in new tab) is a card for tourists. It costs €8 for 24 hours, €18 for 72 hours and €24 for 7 days of unlimited travel on Dublin city buses, the Luas, the DART and Dublin commuter rail. The time period starts on first use. It has no student discount, is not valid on Bus Éireann buses, and cannot be refunded or replaced.

What it costs in Dublin

The fares below are Leap fares. The 2027 column is the table approved by the NTA, the National Transport Authority, in the increase announced on 3 September 2026(opens in new tab).

In cash, a Dublin Bus journey costs €2 on the short fare and €2.60 on the long fare today, rising to €2.70 and €3 with the increase. Paying cash means no 90-minute transfers and no caps, because both are Leap features.

The 50% Young Adult and Student discount stays after the increase. The TFI announcement says the new fares come into effect in January 2027. The NTA fares determination(opens in new tab), the document with the fare tables, says they take effect "during 2027", after the timing is agreed with operators. Neither source gives a date.

How to use it in Dublin

On the bus, you tap the card on the reader on the right-hand side as you board. On the Luas, the DART and commuter rail, you tap on when you start and tap off when you finish(opens in new tab). On the Luas, you tap on before boarding. Travelling without tapping on can cost you a €100 standard fare(opens in new tab) plus the fare, reduced to €45 if you pay within 14 days. If you forget to tap off, the Leap charges the maximum fare.

TFI 90 is the standard fare. Your first tap charges the fare, and any journey you start within the next 90 minutes is free. It covers Dublin Bus and Go-Ahead Ireland city buses, the Luas, and the DART and commuter rail within Zone 1, and you can combine all three. You still tap the card each time you board. Xpresso buses and Nitelink, the night bus, are not covered by TFI 90.

The short fare covers journeys of roughly 2 to 3 km. If you are unsure whether to pay the short fare or the 90-minute fare, the NTA advises asking the driver(opens in new tab).

Fare caps(opens in new tab) limit what you spend. A day runs from 4:30am to 4:29am the next day. A week runs from 4:30am on Monday to 4:29am the following Monday. The caps cover Dublin Bus and Go-Ahead Ireland city buses, the Luas, the DART and commuter rail in Zone 1, and Xpresso counts too. Nitelink and the Bus Éireann and Go-Ahead Ireland commuter buses do not count. Once you reach a cap, you keep tapping and the charge is zero.

Topping up and registering

The Leap Top-Up app(opens in new tab) tops up instantly: you pay on your phone and hold the card to it. It works on an iPhone 7 or newer and on Android 6 or newer with NFC, the contactless reader. The app also shows your balance and your last five transactions. You can also top up at agents and at Luas ticket machines.

A top-up made on the website has to be collected. You tap the card on a Luas validator, a DART validator or gate, at an agent, or in the app. The Leap website says up to 36 hours in one place and up to 48 hours in another before the credit is ready.

If your balance is lower than the fare, the card still covers the journey and takes the difference from the deposit. After that, it only works again once you top up. Auto Top-Up(opens in new tab) refills the card when the balance drops below €10. It needs a European bank account in the SEPA zone, the euro payments area. Our post on opening a bank account in Ireland(opens in new tab) compares the options.

Register the card(opens in new tab) with its 14-digit number, 24 hours after you buy it. Only registered cards are replaced if lost or stolen, and only registered cards can be refunded.

Outside Dublin

The Leap works on city buses in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.

In Cork, TFI 90 and fare caps reached city buses in July 2026. The fare is €1.70 adult and €0.85 Young Adult or Student. The caps are €5.10 a day and €20.40 a week for adults, and €2.55 and €10.20 for Young Adult and Student cards. The caps cover city buses only. The NTA kept these amounts for 2027.

In Galway, Limerick and Waterford, a Leap journey costs €1.35 or €1.55 for adults, depending on the zone, and €0.65 or €0.80 on a Young Adult card. The fare capping page(opens in new tab) lists only Dublin and Cork. All three cities have 1-day, 7-day and monthly tickets on the Leap. With the increase, the two zones become a single fare of €1.70 adult and €0.85 Young Adult, the same as Cork.

When you leave

You apply for a refund(opens in new tab) online, and only registered cards qualify. The money is paid by bank transfer to an account in the SEPA zone. If you have no SEPA account, you can donate the amount to one of the charities on the Leap list. The deposit is refunded only if the card has a positive balance. In its terms and conditions(opens in new tab), the NTA says it aims to process refunds within 30 working days. Apply before you close your European bank account.

An expired card, such as a Young Adult card after your 26th birthday, has 6 months to claim a refund.

What we could not confirm

The Student Leap agent list(opens in new tab) does not say whether students' unions serve students from other institutions. Only MTU in Cork and ATU Donegal state that they serve their own students only.

The Young Adult page(opens in new tab) says the card is posted to your home address. It does not say whether a hostel address is accepted.

If you are still deciding

With a Young Adult or Student card, transport in Dublin costs at most €12 a week today and €13.80 after the increase. With the adult Leap, it is €24 and €27.60. If you are 26 or over, the discount depends on your course's weekly hours. Our post on choosing an English school(opens in new tab) covers how to ask the school, and the cost of living(opens in new tab) post works out the difference over a full course.

If you have already decided

1. At the airport, buy the adult Leap at WH Smith in Terminal 1 or the Spar in Terminal 2, with a €5 deposit and at least €5 of credit. The TFI routes that accept it are on the airport routes list(opens in new tab).
2. Install the Leap Top-Up app(opens in new tab) to top up and check your balance.
3. A day after you buy it, register the card(opens in new tab).
4. If you are 19 to 25, apply for the Young Adult card(opens in new tab) as soon as you have an address where you can receive it.
5. If you are 26 or over, ask your school for a letter stating the weekly hours and length of your course, with a header, a footer and a stamp or signature. From your course start date, apply for the Student Leap(opens in new tab) and collect it from a Student Leap agent(opens in new tab).
6. On the Luas, the DART and commuter rail, tap on and tap off. The penalty rules are on the TFI fare evasion page(opens in new tab).
7. When you stop using a registered card, whether that is the adult card once your discount card arrives or every card before you leave, apply for a refund(opens in new tab) to a SEPA account.

Sources

Verified on 12 October 2026.

• Transport for Ireland, TFI Leap Card (operators, card types, Dublin caps and TFI 90, balance checks, registered cards). https://www.transportforireland.ie/fares/leap-card/(opens in new tab)
• Transport for Ireland, Changes announced to public transport fares from 2027 while free travel and key discounts maintained (average 15% increase, 50% discount kept, effective January 2027). Published 3 September 2026. https://www.transportforireland.ie/news/changes-announced-to-public-transport-fares-from-2027-while-free-travel-and-key-discounts-maintained/(opens in new tab)
• National Transport Authority, NTA Fares Determination 2026, version 3.0 (current and approved fares and caps for Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford, effective "during 2027", Cork TFI 90 and caps since July 2026). Published September 2026. https://www.nationaltransport.ie/publications/nta-fares-determination-2026/(opens in new tab)
• National Transport Authority, Dublin city bus network fares (distance-based short fare, ask the driver). Published 29 June 2023. https://www.nationaltransport.ie/news/dublin-city-bus-network-fares/(opens in new tab)
• TFI Leap Card, Young Adult and Student Card (ages 19 to 25, Student from 26, 15 hours a week, 25 weeks, school letter, application only after the course starts, €5 deposit and €5 credit, delivery by post, collection from an agent). https://about.leapcard.ie/young-adult-and-student-card-launch(opens in new tab)
• TFI Leap Card, TFI Leap Card types (deposit and minimum top-up, personal non-transferable cards, child cards). https://about.leapcard.ie/about/tfi-leap-card-types(opens in new tab)
• TFI Leap Card, Where to buy (more than 2,000 agents, PostPoint, post offices, Irish Rail machines, discount cards online only). https://about.leapcard.ie/about/where-to-buy(opens in new tab)
• TFI Leap Card, Where to collect your Student Leap Card (agent list and restrictions). https://about.leapcard.ie/about/tfi-leap-card-types/where-to-collect-your-student-leap-card(opens in new tab)
• TFI Leap Card, Leap Visitor Card (prices, services covered, validity from first use, airport shops). https://about.leapcard.ie/leap-visitor-card(opens in new tab)
• TFI Leap Card, TFI 90 Minute Fare (how it works, exclusions, Xpresso and Nitelink, Cork, short fare, forgetting to tap on the Luas). https://about.leapcard.ie/tfi-90-minute-fare(opens in new tab)
• TFI Leap Card, Fare Capping (day and week times, services covered, Dublin and Cork caps). https://about.leapcard.ie/fare-capping(opens in new tab)
• TFI Leap Card, Leap Top-Up App (compatible phones, instant top-up, balance, last five transactions). https://about.leapcard.ie/leap-top-up-app(opens in new tab)
• TFI Leap Card, FAQs (tapping on and off, collecting web top-ups within 36 or 48 hours, negative balance, registering with 14 digits, Auto Top-Up below €10). https://about.leapcard.ie/faqs(opens in new tab)
• TFI Leap Card, Card Refund & Replacement (refundable deposit, SEPA account, donation, Visitor card not refundable). https://about.leapcard.ie/card-replacement-refunds(opens in new tab)
• TFI Leap Card, Terms and Conditions (deposit covers a short balance, deposit refunded with a positive balance, SEPA account, 30 working days, Young Adult expiry at 26, 6 months after expiry, Auto Top-Up needs a SEPA account). https://about.leapcard.ie/terms-and-conditions(opens in new tab)
• Transport for Ireland, Bus services to/from Dublin Airport (TFI routes at the airport, Leap at WH Smith in Terminal 1 and the Spar in Terminal 2). https://www.transportforireland.ie/plan-a-journey/network-maps/tfi-routes-to-dublin-airport/(opens in new tab)
• Transport for Ireland, 50% discount for Young Adult and Student Leap card holders on commercial bus operators (Aircoach online only, Dublin Express TFI Go app only). https://www.transportforireland.ie/fares/50-discount-for-young-adult-and-student-leap-card-holders-on-commercial-bus-operators/(opens in new tab)
• Dublin Bus, Dublin Airport Hub (routes 16, 19, 24 and 41, €2.60 cash in coins only, no bank cards or tap-to-pay, Travel 90 ticket at Wright's Food Fayre). https://www.dublinbus.ie/journey-information/dublin-airport-hub(opens in new tab)
• Dublin Bus, Adult fares and tickets (Leap and cash short and long fares, reader on the right-hand side, drivers take no notes and give no change). https://www.dublinbus.ie/fares-and-tickets/adult(opens in new tab)
• Transport for Ireland, Fare evasion on TFI services (€100 standard fare plus the fare, reductions on the Luas and buses). https://www.transportforireland.ie/fares/fare-evasion-on-tfi-services/(opens in new tab)

Fares, caps and card rules change without notice. If you are reading this months after the verification date, check the original sources before you pay.