Costs & access
Two cards, very different cover: which one do you hold?
These two cards get discussed as if one were a smaller version of the other. That is true for GP visits and misleading for everything else.
Need to be seen today? Video or phone appointment with an Irish-registered GP, €39.
Book a GPThe single sentence version: a GP visit card covers the consultation with your GP and nothing else. A medical card covers the consultation and most of what follows from it — prescriptions, hospital charges, community services. For anyone on regular medication, that difference is the whole story.
Side by side
The practical difference between the two cards
GP appointment at your registered practice
- GP visit card
- Covered
- Medical card
- Covered
GP out-of-hours co-op
- GP visit card
- Covered
- Medical card
- Covered
Prescribed medicines
- GP visit card
- You pay, subject to the Drugs Payment Scheme cap
- Medical card
- Covered, apart from a small charge per item
Public inpatient and emergency department charges
- GP visit card
- Not covered
- Medical card
- Covered
Community services such as public health nursing and some therapies
- GP visit card
- Not covered
- Medical card
- Generally covered
Dental, optical and aural treatment schemes
- GP visit card
- Not covered
- Medical card
- Covered in part
Maternity and infant care scheme
- GP visit card
- Available to everyone
- Medical card
- Available to everyone
| What you need | GP visit card | Medical card |
|---|---|---|
| GP appointment at your registered practice | Covered | Covered |
| GP out-of-hours co-op | Covered | Covered |
| Prescribed medicines | You pay, subject to the Drugs Payment Scheme cap | Covered, apart from a small charge per item |
| Public inpatient and emergency department charges | Not covered | Covered |
| Community services such as public health nursing and some therapies | Not covered | Generally covered |
| Dental, optical and aural treatment schemes | Not covered | Covered in part |
| Maternity and infant care scheme | Available to everyone | Available to everyone |
Where the money actually goes
If you are otherwise well and see a GP twice a year, a GP visit card removes almost all of your health costs. If you take two or three regular medicines, the picture changes: without a medical card you fall back on the Drugs Payment Scheme, which caps a household's approved prescription spend at €80 a month. With a medical card you pay a small charge per dispensed item instead, subject to a monthly family cap.
Charges and thresholds change with each Budget. Treat the figures here as the current position and confirm the exact amounts on citizensinformation.ie or hse.ie before relying on them for a financial decision.
Who gets a card without a means test
- Everyone under 8 and everyone aged 70 and over qualifies for a GP visit card, regardless of income (over-70s income limits apply to the full medical card).
- People in receipt of certain carer's payments qualify for a GP visit card.
- Some people qualify on hardship grounds even when income is above the line — the assessment allows for rent or mortgage, childcare and travel-to-work costs.
That last point is the most commonly missed. The threshold is applied to net income after allowable expenses, so households that assume they earn too much are sometimes eligible. Applying costs nothing but time.
What neither card covers
Private online consultations are outside both schemes. So are most private physiotherapy, most private consultant appointments, and cosmetic or lifestyle services. If your card covers the care you need and your practice can see you in a reasonable time, use the card — that is the cheaper and better-connected route, and we say the same to patients who contact us.
When people still choose to pay privately
The usual reasons are timing and geography: the surgery cannot offer an appointment for a week, the problem is time-sensitive (a sick certificate, an interrupted medication, an infection getting worse), or the person is working away from home. A €39 online consultation with an Irish-registered GP solves the timing problem. It does not replace having a registered GP, and we always write back to your own practice where you consent to that.
Frequently asked questions
Can I hold both a medical card and a GP visit card?
No. They are alternatives. If you qualify for a medical card you will be issued that, since it is the broader entitlement.
Does a GP visit card cover my prescriptions?
No. It covers the consultation only. Medicines fall under the Drugs Payment Scheme, which caps approved household prescription costs at €80 per month.
Can I use my medical card for an online GP appointment?
Not for a private service such as ours. The card covers care from your registered GP and the out-of-hours co-op.
How long does a card application take?
Straightforward online applications are often decided within a fortnight; assessments needing further documents take longer. Apply as early as you can rather than when a bill arrives.
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This article is general health information for people in Ireland and is not a substitute for individual medical advice. If you have an urgent or severe symptom, contact your GP, an out-of-hours service, or call 112 or 999.
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