Metrolinx is bringing even more fare payment options to customers on GO Transit, Brampton Transit, MiWay and Oakville Transit.

Starting Aug. 11, customers travelling on GO Transit, Brampton Transit, MiWay and Oakville Transit will be able to pay their fare by tapping their credit 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.

After a successful test run this past year on UP Express, more customers will have new and easy ways to pay their adult fare on more transit agencies in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

With the successful pilot on UP Express coming to an end, the program has had over 28,500 credit fare payments since March 2021 and over 6,000 debit fare payments since October 2021 made using these contactless payment options. UP Express will move from pilot to launch and continue to offer customers the option of paying with both their credit and debit cards.

How to tap

Customers 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.

Transactions

Don’t wait for those monthly bank statements – trip and transaction history will be available at the end of the day on the PRESTO website or app. Anonymous users can see a week’s worth of transaction history, but customers will have more robust records by creating a PRESTO account.

Tried tapping with a credit card and the PRESTO device indicates that the payment was not accepted? Customers should first try adding the card to their mobile wallet on their watch or phone in order to pay. 

If you are still experiencing issues, please contact the PRESTO Customer Contact Centre at 1-877-378-6123.

Before you tap, always determine the payment option that’s right 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) are 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.

PRESTO bringing more options to customers across the region

Coming next, Metrolinx will be adding debit payment as well as rolling these new payment options to more transit agencies across the region in a phased manner.

In the meantime, to learn more about contactless payment, visit the official PRESTO website.