Contactless payment hits milestone after recent launch
Credit card tap milestone comes after launching on GO, Brampton, MiWay & Oakville Transit.
Sep 26, 2022
More than 100,000 credit card taps have been made to pay for GO, Brampton, MiWay and Oakville Transit.
This milestone was recently hit following the launch of the new fare payment option on Aug. 11.
This is all part of Metrolinx’s work to bring even more fare payment options to transit customers.
Paying with your credit card
Customers travelling on GO Transit, Brampton Transit, MiWay and Oakville Transit can now pay their fare by tapping their credit card — like a Visa card — on a PRESTO device using contactless payment options.
PRESTO contactless payment allows customers to pay their adult fare on participating transit agencies with just a tap of their credit card, including those cards on your phone or watch.
Don’t forget to tap off
Customers travelling on GO Transit and UP Express must remember to tap off at their destination and in the same way you tapped on.
Setting a default trip between two specific destinations is currently only available using a PRESTO card.
If you tap on with your credit card, you must tap off with the same credit card. If you tap on with your phone or watch, you must tap off with the same phone or watch using the same card set up in your mobile wallet.
This avoids any possible duplication of fare payment – no one likes to pay twice for one trip.
For journeys with other transit partners (other than GO and UP), you just need to tap once when starting your trip.
Avoiding card clash
Customers using their credit card or PRESTO card should make sure to only tap their preferred payment method onto a PRESTO device to pay.
The easiest way is to take out the card they want to pay with out of their wallet, purse or phone case when tapping onto a PRESTO device to pay.
This avoids a situation called “card clash” and ensures that only one card is charged.
When travelling on GO Transit or UP Express, customers must remember to tap off at their destination, in the same way they tapped on.
If you tap on with your credit card, you must tap off with the same credit card. If you tap on with your phone or watch, you must tap off with the same phone or watch using the same card set up in your mobile wallet.
This avoids any possible duplication of fare payment – no one likes to pay twice for one trip.
If you’re experiencing issues, contact the PRESTO Customer Contact Centre at 1-877-378-6123.
What’s the right payment option for you?
Be sure to check the price before tapping onto a device.
It may differ by individual transit agency and customers may get a discount when they use a PRESTO card.
Here are a few examples to help you know which fare payment option might work best for you:
Price: Customers tapping their credit cards (physical and on mobile wallets) to hop on GO Transit and UP Express will get the discounted PRESTO price. The price of your fare (and any discounts) is set by individual transit agencies, so be sure to check with the transit agency you are travelling on before you tap.
Transfers: When transferring to another local transit agency, be sure to check ahead if they accept PRESTO contactless payment credit options. If not, you will have to use a PRESTO card or another payment method upon transferring.
Co-fare: Transit riders travel free between GO Transit and most local transit agencies. If you tap with your credit card in the first part of your transit journey on GO, you may not be eligible for the co-fare discount if that connecting agency doesn’t accept contactless payment. In this case, using a PRESTO card may still provide the most benefits and savings to customers.
If you tap with your credit card between GO Transit and a transit agency that also offer contactless credit payment (either MiWay, Oakville, or Brampton Transit), the co-fare discount will be automatically applied when you tap your credit card to transfer.
Discounts: A PRESTO card, e-tickets or physical tickets may continue to offer the best value for frequent riders. Some savings, such as youth, student and senior discounts, may only be available for PRESTO card users.
Learn more about contactless payment, visit the official PRESTO website.
by Heather Glicksman Metrolinx communications senior advisor