Sydney commuters can use credit or debit cards to tap on and off trains

Sydney commuters can carry one less card as of today. You can now “tap on and off” at the Opal reader with your Visa, Mastercard or American Express credit or debit card. Or if you’d prefer, you can use the digital wallet on your smartphone or smartwatch to replace how you use your Opal card.

This is an extension of trials that have allowed commuters to use their credit or debit cards to tap on the Manly F1 ferry since July 2017 before it was extended to all public ferry and some light rail services in Sydney in March 2018.

With Australia’s widespread adoption of contactless payments to make purchases, these Opal advancements are complementary to how we use our contactless payments for most small, everyday transactions.

“94% of Visa’s face-to-face transactions in Australia are contactless, and we’re seeing more people frequently using their mobiles to pay, particularly for daily purchases such as transport,” said Visa’s head of product Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific Axel Boye-Moller.

As well as convenience, there are other perks of using your credit or debit card in place of your Opal. If you have a rewards or frequent flyer credit card, you’ll earn points per $1 spent on your everyday train costs.

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Source: Sydney commuters can use credit cards to “tap on” trains | finder.com.au