Topping up leap card online

DebDynamite

Hi all

I’m not sure if i’m missing something here re topping up my Leap card, so help would be greatly needed!

I got on a Dublin Bus this evening to go home, and used my card. The display said I only had 50c left. I said i’ll top up at home online so i’ll have credit for morning (I normally top up in a shop, but there’s no shop around where I get on/off the bus).

Had a look online to top up before going to be and it seems the only way to top up a card is to either use the app or choose a load location. I have an iPhone and the app is not compatible with that so no an option, and there’s no shop around me where I get my bus. What is the point of topping up online if you have to go to a load location anyway?

Is the only way for me really to have to walk quite a distance in the morning to top up my card? I also have no change, so it’s not an option to pay on the bus. I’m quite sure I topped up online a couple of years ago, so not sure if i’m missing something.

I find it so hard to believe in 2019, topping up a leap card is so inefficient!

Dravokivich

If there's no Leap device for you to use, how do you think the card is going to be updated?

StreetLight

You can still make a full journey with your 50c. As long as your balance is positive, you can do it with 1c.

28064212

If you don't have easy access to a load point or the topup app, then turn on auto-topup

Xterminator

+1 for auto topup in your case. make sure card is registered so even if you lose it credit is retained.

machaseh

This is why you get an android phone and not iphone.

is_that_so

28064212 wrote: »

If you don't have easy access to a load point or the topup app, then turn on auto-topup

Yep this is the best option but OP should be aware that the minimum is €30.

coylemj

If you sign up for auto topup, how is the new credit put on the card? I mean, the machine on the bus can't give it to you so where do you pick it up?

I have an Android phone and do my topping up at home so I'm not asking out of necessity.

goingnowhere

Autotop up requires a minimum balance to be held on the card

You tag on, go through the minimum balance

System adds the auto top up credit

That night the back end is told and issues a DD on your back account for the amount

There is limit to the frequency of auto top up to ensure you don't have fun with the system

coylemj

goingnowhere wrote: »

Autotop up requires a minimum balance to be held on the card

You tag on, go through the minimum balance

System adds the auto top up credit

That night the back end is told and issues a DD on your back account for the amount

There is limit to the frequency of auto top up to ensure you don't have fun with the system

That's what happens in the background, we understand all that.

My question was/is..... how does your card pick up the topup if you're only using buses?

Dravokivich

coylemj wrote: »

That's what happens in the background, we understand all that.

My question was/is..... how does your card pick up the topup if you're only using buses?

It doesnt puck up topup. It pulls topup. The setting is in the card.

beauf

Dravokivich wrote: »

It doesnt puck up topup. It pulls topup. The setting is in the card.

I've no idea what that means. Is it not the same thing.

coylemj

Dravokivich wrote: »

It doesnt puck up topup. It pulls topup. The setting is in the card.

Pulls it from where? The machine on the bus has no uplink while it's out on it's route. And even if the card has a flag to say that auto topup is enabled, how does a machine with no data link know if the last debit worked so the card can be loaded with the topup?

goingnowhere

The card has a flag set
aka auto top up enabled
and also
last date/time of auto top up

If the card goes through the balance limit and the last update date/time is long enough ago the balance is increased by the set amount and the last/date time is updated

The bus/train/luas reader then submits to the back office it credited the card and the back end DD's you

beauf

goingnowhere wrote: »

The card has a flag set
aka auto top up enabled
and also
last date/time of auto top up

If the card goes through the balance limit and the last update date/time is long enough ago the balance is increased by the set amount and the last/date time is updated

The bus/train/luas reader then submits to the back office it credited the card and the back end DD's you

Thanks. That explains it.

It basically assumes the Leap card will auto topup.

Dravokivich

beauf wrote: »

Thanks. That explains it.

It basically assumes the Leap card will auto topup.

It doesnt assume a topup. The card tells the device, to top it up, once the balance breaches a threshold. That's what I meant by it "pulls" a topup.

beauf

Pull isn't a very clear way to explain it.

So the bus auto topup the card, once the auto topup flag is set on the card and the cards balance is low.

Dravokivich

beauf wrote: »

Pull isn't a very clear way to explain it.

So the bus auto topup the card, once the auto topup flag is set on the card and the cards balance is low.

Not if you were to think of distributing information/updates through technology, which is commonly referred to as Push/Pull. If something is sent to you, it's a push, if you take something it's a pull. Which is what the Auto Topup function does, it takes credit.

There's a threshold of 10 euro. The auto topup happens once the card goes below it. After the timeframe mentioned above by goingnowhere expires.

beauf

I meant pull in its own.

Its need the context that its pulling credit from the bus, not the back end.
This gets updated on your online account once the bus connects back at the depot. Completing the loop.

Never occurred to me that this was how it happened.
I never understood how auto top up solved the issue of online top ups for bus only users, until now.

Geuze

I don't want to start a new thread, so I will ask my query about topping-up a Leap card here.

Suppose the following:

• smartphone is not enabled for NFC.
• you live outside Dublin, so no Luas or DART ticket machines nearby
• IE and BE stations nearby, with regular ticket machines
• you don't want to go into a retail shop to top-up
• you use BE city busses fairly often

Can it be done? Can it be done with regular IE or BE ticket machines?

When I look at the list of "load locations", I see many bus companies listed for on the bus loading, but not BE!!

bk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121848351#Comment_121848351

If the IE ticket machines are in a station with a commuter route, then I think it should do Leap card topups. I don't think BE machines do.

If they don't then your options are:

• Online topup and selecting to pick it up on the bus the next day.
• Auto-top up, I'd recommend this, makes it much easier to use.

Geuze

Thanks.

When you say:

• Online topup and selecting to pick it up on the bus the next day.

Will that work on a BE city bus?

I don't see them listed on the list of load locations................

Glaceon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121848600#Comment_121848600

No, because they use ancient ticket machines with no online connectivity. Same as Dublin Bus.

bk

Apologies, yes, it looks like you can't pick up the online top-up on BE buses, I thought you could as I've picked up the likes of daily passes on BE buses before.

I'd say the best bet is auto-topup if you can afford the high topup amount.

Geuze

BE Expressway is listed as a load location.

I presume they have different machines than PSO busses.

I have started the Auto Top-Up process.

Glaceon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121849505#Comment_121849505

They do, Expressway has had its own ticketing system for a couple of years now.

Geuze

I tried the BE ticket machines in Ceannt station, nothing.

But one of the two IE ticket machines has a Leap card reader, and I was able to yop-up.