You can purchase, store, and use digital copies of tickets for participating transit systems.
For some transit systems, you can use Google Pay to pay for transportation at the fare terminal with a supported credit or debit card saved to your phone. For others, you can purchase or save a ticket to Google Pay and use it at the point of entry. Find countries where this feature works.
Google Pay doesn’t work with all transit systems. Check your transit system’s website for more info.
Important: To use Google Pay to pay for transit, make sure your phone meets the necessary requirements.
Pay for transportation
Tip: Your transit system may work differently than others. For more detailed instructions, visit your transit system's website.
Step 1: Check ways to pay for your transit system
-
To find info on the different ways you can pay to ride, go to your transit system’s website.
-
If your transit system accepts contactless payments or mobile payment apps:
- If you haven’t already, add a payment method to Google Pay.
- When you get to the transit entrance, wake up your phone.
- Hold it to the card reader.
- Wait until you get a blue checkmark.
- If you need a ticket to ride your transit system: Follow the rest of the steps below.
Step 2: Buy a ticket
Through your transit system
- Use your transit system’s website or mobile app to buy a ticket.
- Save the ticket to Google Pay.
- If you don’t find “Save to Google Pay,” you can’t use your ticket with Google Pay. For more info, contact your transit system administrators.
Through the Google Pay app
- Open the Google Pay app
.
- At the top right, tap the photo of your card.
- From the bottom, swipe up.
- Tap Add a card
Transit.
- Choose your transit system.
- If you don't find your transit system, follow the instructions above in "Through your transit system."
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
Step 3: Activate your ticket
- Open the Google Pay app
- At the top right, tap the photo of your card.
- From the bottom, swipe up.
- Find and tap the ticket you want to use.
- Tap Activate.
Step 4: Use your ticket
- When you get to the transit entrance, wake up your phone.
- For some transit systems, you may need to unlock your phone and choose your ticket.
- Hold your phone to the card reader.
- Wait until you get a blue checkmark.
- For some transit systems, you may have to show your ticket to an attendant.
To turn on this setting:
- Go to Settings
.
- Tap Connected devices
- Turn on Require device unlock for NFC.
If you can’t find this option, you may need to update your phone to the latest version of Android.
Find, change, or delete your ticket
Find or show your ticket
- Open the Google Pay app
- At the top right, tap the photo of your card.
- From the bottom, swipe up.
- Find your ticket.
Switch to a different ticket
For some transit systems, if you don’t want to use the current activated ticket, go to the ticket you want to use and tap Activate. Your other ticket will be deactivated.
Tip: If you’ve used the ticket once, deactivating it won’t extend the ticket’s expiration.
Delete a ticket
Important: If you delete a ticket, you can’t get it back. You can delete expired tickets to remove them from your list.
- Open the Google Pay app
- At the top right, tap the photo of your card.
- From the bottom, swipe up.
- Tap the ticket.
- Tap More
Transfer ticket to another device
- Open the Google Pay app
- At the top right, tap the photo of your card.
- From the bottom, swipe up.
- Tap the ticket.
- Tap More
Find where you’ve used your ticket
- Open the Google Pay app
- At the top right, tap the photo of your card.
- From the bottom, swipe up.
- Find and tap the ticket. You can find the station names and dates and times of travel.
Fix a problem
Transit pass or ticket disappeared
If you remove your Google Pay app or clear your app data, you’ll lose previously stored transit tickets or passes. This can happen even if you reinstall the app. Contact your transit agency with your ticket number and ask if they can give you a refund.
- Open the Google Pay app
- At the top right, tap the photo of your card.
- From the bottom, swipe up
- Tap the ticket or pass you refunded.
- At the top right, tap More
.
- Select the first option, usually your transit system or ticket information.
- Find the "Ticket number" section.
Can’t activate ticket
If you have issues when you activate or deactivate your ticket, first:
- Try to activate or deactivate again.
- Check to make sure your device is online.
- Check if your device is rooted. Google Pay doesn’t work on rooted devices.
- Check that the ticket hasn’t already been activated.
- If nothing works, contact your transit system for help.
Can’t tap again after I tapped once
If you have a multi-use ticket and tapped once already, you can tap again after 10 minutes. If you have a single use ticket, you can only tap once.
CVC error when you try to purchase a ticket
Contact your bank.
Can't buy a ticket or add money via Google Maps
For select transit systems, you'll locate a banner in Google Maps that lets you know that you can use Google Pay on that transit system. To learn how to board that transit system with Google Pay, click the banner.
If you can’t buy a ticket or add money from the Google Maps app, open the Google Pay app and purchase a ticket or top-up from there.
Dispute a transit charge
Contact the transit authority’s customer service line.
Can’t find transit payments in the Google Pay app
When transit systems charge your credit or debit card, it usually takes one day for the charge to appear in your app. For some cards like Mastercard, charges may not appear for up to 5 days. For a current breakdown of your fares, check the transit authority’s app or website.
Can’t use WageWorks for transit
Wageworks Mastercard cards can be used for in-app purchases of tickets or passes and for balance with transit apps. However:
- Wageworks Visa cards aren’t currently supported.
- For tapping on payments terminals, Wageworks doesn’t yet support adding these cards to Google Pay.
