Dublin: how much does a top-up Leap Card cost?

Question

We're going to Dublin soon and I was thinking about getting a Leapcard. https://about.leapcard.ie/dublin

I think this are available at the airport (Spar in Terminal 2) but I can't find out how much the card itself costs of if a minimum deposit is required. All prices that I found are either for the Leap Visitor Card (Which we don't want) or the actual fares (which I already know). Is the card itself free (like the Boston Charlie Card)?

We were thinking of taking line 16 from the airport to Lower Abbey Street and the Lua from there. Would that count as a single trip? Do you have to tap in and out on the bus and tap in and out on the tram or do you only tap in at the beginng of the journey and tap out at the arrival stop?

Answer 1

A standard adult Leap Card has a deposit of €5 and minimum initial top-up of €5, for a total of €10 or more at the time you obtain the card. If you have a bank account in the SEPA area, you can get a refund of your €5 deposit and any remaining card balance when your trip is over. (Otherwise, you can have the refund sent to your choice of a few charities.)

Journeys of up to 90 minutes in Dublin then cost €2 regardless of the number of transfers you make. The Dublin Bus and Luas are included in that fare, though other carriers like Dublin Express and Aircoach are not. Per the 90-minute-fare page:

To get the TFI 90 minute fare, simply use your Leap Card as you normally would within 90 minutes. You must touch on every time you board a service to demonstrate you hold a valid ticket for each journey:

• touch on before each bus journey; and
• touch on before and touch off after each DART, train and tram journey.