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Leap Cards can be purchased at Ticket Vending Machines in stations within the Short Hop Zone or online at www.leapcard.ie or in selected retail outlets. TFI Leap Cards are also available in many PostPoint outlets as well as all post offices nationwide.

The Leap Card can be used for rail travel between stations within the 'Short Hop Zone'. This Zone includes all stations in the Dublin area from Kilcoole to Balbriggan and Commuter Stations from Dublin City Centre to Kilcock and from Dublin Heuston to Sallins and Naas.

The Leap Card also works in the Cork Commuter area.   

Usage outside of the Short Hop Zone and Cork commuter Rail services will result in a Fixed Payment Notice of €100 plus the relevant unpaid fare.

Travel Credit works in a similar way to mobile phone credit. Every time you use the card to travel the cost of the journey is deducted. If there is insufficient no credit on the card it cannot be used for any further journeys until it is 'Topped Up' at a ticket machine or online at www.leapcard.ie.

There are no Top-Up facilities at Ticket Offices.

1. Place the Leap Card in the slot provided.
2. Select the Top-Up Amount from options shown on the screen
3. Insert the amount selected - Notes/Coins/Credit or Debit Cards accepted
4. Remove the Leap Card from the pocket as indicated on screen
5. Your Leap Card is now Topped Up and ready for immediate use

At the start of the journey, you need to 'Touch-On' using your Leap Card at a gate or validation pole. At the end of a journey you must 'Touch-Off' to ensure the correct fare is applied.

Touch-On - Identifies the origin of the journey
Touch-Off - Identifies the destination of the journey

If you don't Touch-On you are committing fare evasion.
If you don’t Touch-Off you will pay more.

Tagging on at our gate;

• Hold the Leap Card against the Smart Card reader on the gate
• If you have credit on your Leap Card, the gate will open and allow you to enter and start your journey
• Your current ePurse balance will appear on the display on the gate

Gates and Poles may on occasion fail to identify the Touch-On / Touch-Off. It is up to the customer to ensure the card has been read successfully. The two main reasons for card failure are:

1. Incorrect Positioning of Smart Card
If the Leap Card is not placed against the reader/'target' on the pole or gate, it will not be read. Ensure that the card is held steadily against the Card reading 'target' for at least a second.
Do not wave the card over the Smart Card reading target. Do not put the Smart Card into the horizontal paper ticket slot on a gate. 

2. Smart Card Interference
Remove the Leap Card from your wallet or bag before using it. Other Smart Cards you may have in your wallet or bag can cause interference with this card, which will make it inoperable.

At a ticket Machine in the station

Put your card in the 'pocket' and then follow the instructions on the ticket machine screen.

Online

Log on to www.leapcard.ie to view your account history and you will be able to view your card balance.

For information on schoolchild Leap Cards go to our ticket information section

A Leap Card is a reusable plastic smart card that can be used instead of paper tickets to pay-as-you-go for transport in Dublin. This card is used to store travel credit that is deducted as and when you use it when travelling on public transport.

Customers pay less with a Leap Card than when paying for single fares with cash on DART and Commuter rail services, Dublin Bus and Luas services.

Customers can register their Leap Card online, so if it's lost or stolen, no one else can use it.

For more information, go to leapcard.ie

The Leap Card system Caps a customers use of travel credit so that once you hit the cap value you can continue to travel as normal on the applicable transport operator, but no further travel credit will be taken from your card on their services.

Once you hit the Cap value for the day of the week, you should continue to use their Leap Card as normal when travelling. You should still Touch On and Touch Off as normal in order to have a valid card for inspection.

If you make lots of trips with your Leap Card on a daily or weekly (Mon to Sun) basis, a maximum Cap value will be applied to your travel credit spend.

For more information, go to Leap Card Capping.

The system adds up how much travel credit you have used on the applicable services you have travelled on for a given day or week and then it stops taking any more fares once the applicable Cap value is reached.

For more information, go to Leap Card Capping.

A Daily Cap runs from the first service of the day to the last service in that same day.

A Weekly Cap (Mon-Sun) runs from the first service on a Monday to the last service on a Sunday.

There are a number of benefits as follows;

• Leap Card will be protected against loss or theft (as long as you report it missing/stolen)
• You won't need to complete an online form for every online Top-Up
• You can view your card history and usage
• You can manage additional Leap Cards through your account (eg child's Leap Card)

If you have any queries or concerns then you can contact Leap customer care on 1850 824 824 and the team will investigate and liaise with you directly.

Leap card products can be used on the Cork – Cobh/Midleton routes.

Yes combined Rail and Bus Tickets are available on the Cork to Midleton route for more information please see our Fares Section.

Yes for more information please visit our Fares Sections.

Yes Leap epurse is now available in Cork for more information please visit our Fares Sections.

Yes, Annual cards are available on Leap cards in Cork.

Yes, see our Cork Smart Card section for further details on products available and applicable routes.

When you get close to a Daily or Weekly Cap you will only be charged the amount to bring you up to the Cap. After you have reached a Cap you will be charged €0.00 for subsequent travel that day or over the Week (Mon-Sun). Make sure you still 'touch-on' and 'touch-off' your Leap Card even when you have reached the daily or weekly cap.

You are responsible for ensuring that you Touch On your Leap card at a validation point before travelling, otherwise you will be issued with a Fixed Payment Notice.

You will be issued with a Fixed Payment Notice and the card will be confiscated.