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Contactless

SEPTA offers contactless payment across all modes, including Bus, Metro and Regional Rail. Riders can tap a contactless credit or debit card, or use a mobile wallet (such as Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay), to pay their fare for themselves and up to 4 other riders.

Contactless payment provides the same pricing and benefits as the SEPTA Key Travel Wallet, including free transfers on Bus and Metro when using the same payment method.

How to Use Contactless on Bus and Metro

  • Tap your contactless card or mobile wallet at the reader and ride
  • Fares are the same as Travel Wallet
  • Includes two free transfers within 120 minutes
    • You must use the same payment method for free transfers

How to Use Contactless on Regional Rail

  • Tap in at the start of your trip and tap out at your destination. This ensures you are charged the correct zone-based fare
  • Tap at a faregate or platform validator, depending on the station. You must tap to open your trip prior to boarding the train
  • Conductors can verify that you tapped in, but cannot open a trip for you
  • If you forget to tap, you can purchase a Quick Trip onboard
  • When tapping a mobile wallet with the conductors for inspection, riders should have the mobile wallet open with the card used to tap on ready for presentation. This process is similar to using a mobile wallet to pay at a grocery store, but conductors are only checking to see if a trip is open

Multi-Rider (Paying for a Group)

Multi-rider allows you to pay for up to five riders using a single contactless card or mobile wallet.

  • Tap once for each rider
  • All riders must tap together when entering and all taps must occur within one minute of the first tap
  • Use the same payment method for all riders
  • Wait for the validator confirmation (green check and tone) between taps
  • Important for Regional Rail: All riders must tap in and tap out together. If not, you may be charged the maximum fare. The taps to open the trips occur prior to boarding the train

Helpful Tips

  1. Avoid card clash! Remove your card from your wallet before tapping
  2. Tap only one card or mobile wallet at a time to avoid charging the wrong card
  3. Wait for the validator confirmation (green check and tone) before tapping again. Do not tap more than once per rider
  4. Express Mode is available for Apple Pay use on all validators. 
  5. For Reduced Fare, Senior and SEPTA Access cardholders, these services require a SEPTA Key photo ID card to travel, so contactless payments won’t apply. Of course, you can use your bank card to load Travel Wallet on your Key card as applicable.

New Jersey and Amtrak Riders

Riders traveling to/from New Jersey (Trenton and West Trenton stations) on SEPTA cannot use contactless to tap to ride at this time. SEPTA is working to install validators at these stations. 

Amtrak e-ticket holders with the Amtrak app can add their e-ticket to Apple Wallet for easy access. When presenting an Amtrak e-ticket at a bar code scanner, SEPTA riders should tap on the ticket Lock Screen notification to prevent additional charges from occurring during the transaction. Android users should disable NFC before scanning their Amtrak mobile ticket.

Contactless & Multi-Rider FAQ

Charges, Receipts & Payments

You may see a temporary (pending) charge before your final fare is processed. Final charges are typically calculated at the end of the day based on your travel.

If your daily total exceeds $15, charges may appear as multiple transactions. Charges typically settle within 2–3 business days.

For Regional Rail trips without a tap out, charges may be delayed up to three days.

Use the Contactless Print Receipt tool at SEPTAKey.org, or call the SEPTA Key Contact Center at 1-855-56-SEPTA.

Contact the SEPTA Key Contact Center at 1-855-56-SEPTA.

For your security, do not share full card details over email or unsecured channels. The agent will guide you through the secure card detail process.

Multi-Rider

Yes. You can tap up to five times using the same payment method across one or more validators, as long as all taps occur within one minute.

No. All riders must be paid for using the same contactless card or mobile wallet.

All riders must tap together. Missing a tap may result in incorrect or additional charges.

Wait for the validator confirmation (green check and tone) before tapping again. Do not tap more than once per rider.

Regional Rail

You may be charged the maximum fare.

Conductors can verify that a trip was opened when you tapped in, but they cannot open a trip for you. You must present the same payment method used to tap.

No. Conductors cannot open a contactless trip. You can purchase a Quick Trip onboard.

If all riders do not tap out together, some or all riders may be charged the maximum fare.

Cards, Wallets & Declines

Both can be used for contactless payment. Mobile wallets use a secure, tokenized version of your card number instead of your physical card details.

For the best experience, always use the same card or mobile wallet when tapping during a trip.

Card clash occurs when multiple contactless cards or mobile wallets are detected at the same time. To ensure the correct payment method is charged, tap only one card or mobile wallet at a time. If using a mobile wallet on your phone, keep it separate from other contactless cards to help avoid card clash.

Your bank may have declined a recent transaction or there may be an unpaid fare.

Wait 30–60 minutes and try again, or contact your bank or the SEPTA Key Contact Center.

A card may be hotlisted if a previous fare was declined or unpaid.

SEPTA cannot remove the block—access will be restored automatically once the charge is successfully processed by your bank.

Declines can occur due to bank security settings, unpaid fares or unsupported transactions.

Try again after a short wait, use another payment method, or contact your bank or the SEPTA Key Contact Center.

Express Mode for iPhone and Apple Watch

With Express Mode enabled for debit or credit cards, riders don’t need to wake or unlock their iPhone or Apple Watch or even open any apps to pay and ride on SEPTA — all users have to do is hold their Apple device near a reader to securely pay with Apple Pay. 

Once a user has chosen which debit or credit card they’d like to use with Express Mode, they can simply tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to an enabled reader to ride. 

Security & Privacy

Riding SEPTA with Apple Pay takes full advantage of the privacy and security built into iPhone and Apple Watch. Apple never tracks users’ journeys, and when customers add a credit or debit card to Apple Wallet, the card information is encrypted and securely stored in the Secure Element, an industry-standard, certified chip designed to store the information safely on the device. If a user’s iPhone or Apple Watch is misplaced, the owner of the device can promptly use the Find My app to lock and help locate the device. 

iPhone and Apple Watch Express Mode FAQ

You will need iPhone SE, iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus, or later, with iOS 12.4 or later, or Apple Watch Series 1 or Series 2, or later, with watch OS 5.2.1 or later.

Yes. Just make sure that you have added a payment card to your iPhone and Apple Watch and enabled Express Mode. You can add a card to Apple Watch with the Apple Watch app on your iPhone. Remember to use the same device to tap on and off when paying with Apple Pay.

Only one card will ever be charged at a time. To ensure that only your chosen payment method is charged, always keep your physical cards separate from your Apple devices when paying to ride SEPTA using Express Mode.

No. Express Mode can only be used on SEPTA. Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode will still be required when using Apple Pay at other locations.

No. You can only use a credit, debit or pre-paid card to pay with Express Mode using Apple Pay.

Express Mode is available on bus, Metro and Regional Rail.  

No, contactless follows the same pricing and rules as Travel Wallet.

You may be able to use your Express Mode cards on your iPhone even when your device needs to be charged. With compatible iPhone models, you might be able to use power reserve with some cards that have Express Mode turned on for up to five hours when your iPhone needs to be charged.

To see the cards available for use with power reserve, press the side button or the Home button when your iPhone needs to be charged. However, pressing the side button or Home button often may reduce the power reserve significantly. If you turn off your iPhone, this feature won’t be available.

No. Apple does not charge any fees when you use Apple Pay.

Apple Pay is a service provided by Apple Payments Services LLC, a subsidiary of Apple Inc. Neither Apple Inc. nor Apple Payments Services LLC is a bank. Any card used in Apple Pay is offered by the card issuer.

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