All Aboard: How to Use Your Phone to Pay for the Subway, Bus, or Train - PCMag

Many bus, train, and subway systems astir the satellite present fto you wage for tickets utilizing your phone. On an iPhone, that means you tin usage Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. On an Android phone, you tin pat into Google Wallet (or Samsung wallet connected a Samsung phone). But however bash you acceptable up and usage your telephone truthful that it works arsenic a wide transit outgo method?

There are a mates of methods disposable here. You tin adhd an existing transit paper to your phone. Each clip you acquisition your question fare, the wealth is taken from that card. But this means you person to support purchasing oregon topping disconnected your transit paper to adhd much funds to it. An easier option, and 1 progressively supported by much wide transit systems, is to usage your default outgo method to acquisition the fare. This means you don’t person to fiddle with transit cards arsenic the wealth is taken straight from your recognition card, debit card, PayPal account, oregon different outgo method already acceptable up connected your phone.

To wage for your fare, you simply pat your telephone connected the scanner successful the autobus oregon bid terminal, and the wealth is automatically taken from your account. In a subway, you past participate done the turnstile. On a bus, you tin past simply instrumentality your seat. This tap-and-pay process works connected iPhones, Android phones, and Samsung phones done their respective outgo and wallet systems.

Use Your iPhone

(Credit: Apple)

Set Up Apple Pay

To bash this connected an iPhone, you archetypal request to set up Apple Pay if you haven’t already done so. On your iPhone, unfastened the Wallet app and pat the positive (+) motion successful the upper-right corner. Then take Debit oregon Credit Card and pat Continue. Add your recognition oregon debit paper either by scanning it with your telephone oregon by manually entering your name, number, and expiration date. Enter the remaining details, specified arsenic the CVV code. You past validate your paper done email, text, oregon a telephone telephone to the bank. After you participate the validation code, your paper volition beryllium approved and added to the Wallet app for usage via Apple Pay. Use the aforesaid steps to adhd much cards if you wish.

Choose a Card for Transit

If you’ve added much than 1 recognition oregon debit card, you present request to prime 1 to usage arsenic your explicit transit card. This means that you’ll beryllium capable to usage this paper to wage for transit fare without having to authenticate the transaction with Face ID, Touch ID, oregon passcode. To bash this, spell to Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay. In the Transit Cards section, pat the introduction for Express Transit Card and past pat the paper you privation to use.

Use Your iPhone to Pay for Transit

With Apple Pay acceptable up and a circumstantial paper selected arsenic the Express Transit Card, you tin present wage for your fare. Place your iPhone connected oregon adjacent the scanner connected the bus, astatine the subway turnstile, oregon astatine different associated transit spot. The transaction should automatically spell done with ocular and audible confirmation connected your telephone arsenic the outgo is taken from your card.

To cheque your caller wide transit outgo arsenic good arsenic different transactions, unfastened the Wallet app connected your iPhone. Tap the paper utilized arsenic the Express Transit Card and swipe down the surface to presumption the latest transactions. Tap a circumstantial transaction to spot its past and different details.

Android Phone

(Photo illustration by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Set Up Google Wallet

The mobile outgo concern connected Android has been a confusing one. That’s due to the fact that Google has revamped and renamed its outgo process implicit the years to the constituent that 3 antithetic apps person been floating about—Google Pay, GPay, and Google Wallet. So, which of these bash you usage for wide transit payments?

Google Pay, oregon GPay, is inactive disposable successful the US and Singapore for peer-to-peer payments and to presumption your caller transactions. Otherwise, GPay has fundamentally been replaced by Google Wallet. US and Singapore users volition inactive spot some apps connected their Android phones, though Google Wallet is the 1 you’d enactment with straight to acceptable up your outgo methods.

Google Wallet should already beryllium installed connected your phone. If not, drawback it from Google Play(Opens successful a caller window). Open Google Wallet and pat the fastener for Add to Wallet. At the adjacent screen, prime the enactment for Payment Card. Next, enactment up your recognition oregon debit paper successful the framework to scan it oregon pat the enactment for Enter details manually to adhd your recognition accusation yourself. Fill retired the remaining details, specified arsenic the expiration day and CVV code. Confirm and prevention your paper details. Accept the slope terms.

Once you verify your individuality to the slope done a substance oregon email, your paper is acceptable to use.

The paper is automatically enabled for Tap to Pay truthful that you tin usage it astatine wide transit scanners without having to authenticate the transaction with facial oregon fingerprint designation oregon passcode. Tap the nexus for How to pat to pay to spot however the process works. When finished, pat Done.

Use Your Android Phone to Pay for Transit

Now that your recognition oregon debit paper is acceptable up successful Google Wallet and Tap to Pay is enabled, you tin wage for your fare. Place your Android Phone connected oregon adjacent the scanner astatine the autobus oregon subway. The transaction volition automatically spell done with confirmation connected your telephone arsenic the outgo is taken from your card.

To cheque the caller outgo and different transactions, unfastened the Google Wallet app. Select the paper you usage to spot its astir caller transaction. Tap the Details fastener astatine the bottommost and prime Activity to spot the latest transactions. Tap a circumstantial transaction to presumption much accusation connected it. You tin besides presumption the latest transactions done the Google Pay oregon GPay app.

Samsung Phone

(Credit: Samsung)

Set Up Samsung Wallet

Similar to Google’s outgo methods, Samsung’s process and app has undergone immoderate changes. Originally known arsenic Samsung Pay, the app is present called Samsung Wallet. Incorporating each the features of Samsung Pay, Samsung Wallet is designed to grip each your outgo transactions.

If the Wallet app isn’t already connected your Samsung smartphone, download it from Google Play(Opens successful a caller window). Open the app and pat Continue. Sign successful with your Samsung relationship and past assistance the app the indispensable permissions.

Next, acceptable up your verification method, specified arsenic fingerprint recognition.

You’ll past beryllium asked if you privation to usage Samsung Wallet for contactless payments. Select the enactment for All the time and past corroborate that you privation to regenerate Google Pay with Samsung Pay arsenic your default app for contactless payments. After that, you’re deposited astatine the Quick Access screen. Tap the Add fastener to adhd a outgo card.

At the adjacent screen, take the enactment for Payment cards and past prime Add outgo cards. Add your recognition oregon debit paper by scanning the paper fig oregon entering the numbers manually. Fill successful the expiration day and CVV codification and past hold to the presumption of service. Verify the paper done substance message, email, oregon telephone telephone to the bank.

The paper is added. Make definite the enactment is checked for Set arsenic default transit card. Tap Done. Tap the paper to presumption its details.

Use Your Samsung Phone to Pay for Transit

With your outgo method present acceptable up and a paper acceptable up arsenic the default for transit, you tin wage for transit fare. Place your Samsung Phone connected oregon adjacent the scanner astatine the wide transit location. The transaction volition automatically spell done with confirmation connected your telephone and the outgo taken from your card.

To cheque the latest outgo and different transactions, unfastened the Samsung Wallet app connected your phone. Select the paper you usage for wide transit to spot the astir caller transaction. Tap the introduction for Recent Transactions to presumption your transit history.