The Smart Card

On the Shannon and the Shannon–Erne Waterway one small plastic card does a lot of work: it pays for locks, opens the service blocks and runs the pump-outs, showers, washing machines and shore power at public harbours. It is the Waterways Ireland Smart Card, a prepaid card loaded with units.

What a card costs

Cards come with 10 units for €6.35 or 20 units for €12.70 (Waterways Ireland FAQ, shop). That works out at about 64 cent per unit.

What it pays for

Waterways Ireland's price list in units (checked October 2026):

The card also opens the service-block doors; the price list has no charge for the toilets themselves. On the Shannon you can also pay the lock-keeper €1.50 in cash instead of 2 units (Shannon boater information). On the Shannon–Erne Waterway the locks only work with a card.

How much will you need?

A rough count for a week from Carrick-on-Shannon with a crew of four: six or eight locks, one or two pump-outs, a shower each every other day and some shore power in the evenings. That is roughly 40 to 60 units, or two or three 20-unit cards. A trip through the Shannon–Erne Waterway adds 16 units each way for the locks. Keep a spare card on board: running out at a lock console on a Sunday evening is no fun.

There is a card reader in every service block that shows how many units are left (boat-owner information).

Where to buy one

• Online from the Waterways Ireland shop (in euro or sterling), well before you travel.
• Along the waterways: many shops, pubs, filling stations, tourist offices and marinas sell them. Several hire bases do too, so ask at check-in. Waterways Ireland keeps the list of sellers by waterway.

Seller lists go out of date; if you are relying on one shop, ring first.

Tips from the jetty

• Shore power: the pillars take the card and use up units as you draw power, 1 unit per 2 kWh. An electric kettle or heater gets through a unit an hour; the boat's gas and engine-charged batteries are often enough.
• Winter: from November to March electricity and water at public moorings are switched off, and most Shannon service blocks close. Waterways Ireland asks boaters not to buy power in advance before the supply is switched off (Special Marine Notice 1/2026, Marine Notice 107/2026).
• Pump-outs: read the instructions on the unit first, then open the deck cap and have the hose ready before you insert the card.
• Other waterways. Waterways Ireland also lists card sellers on the Erne, the canals and the Barrow, so expect some service blocks there to take the card. The canal locks themselves are hand-worked with a lock key, canal boats need a permit, and Lower Bann locks are paid per passage in pounds.

Prices and units are set by Waterways Ireland and can change; the FAQ has the current list.