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Apple Pay With Express Transit Mode Goes Live for D.C. Metro Riders

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Apple Pay with Express Transit mode today appears to have gone live for the Washington Metro.

MacRumors reader Errin submitted screenshots showing the SmarTrip fare card ready for public transport use in the Wallet app on iPhone. Several Twitter users have also shared news of the card appearing in the Wallet app for them, too.


Riders in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area should now be able to add their reloadable SmarTrip fare card to the Wallet app, and simply hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near a contactless payment reader at Metrorail stations or on Metrobus buses to pay their fare.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced in December 2019 that ‌Apple Pay‌ with Express Transit would be coming to the Washington Metro this year.

Express Transit mode allows for tap-and-go payment, eliminating the need to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode. The device does not need to be waked or unlocked, either.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
Related Forum: Apple Music, Apple Pay/Card, iCloud, Fitness+

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Top Rated Comments

I
incoherent_1
75 months ago

while nyc still hasn't fully rolled out...
Don’t worry, WMATA still hasn’t rolled out 19th century features like “being on time” or “not catching on fire” so NYC still has the lead...
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
T
tny
75 months ago

Have any Feds tried this yet? Do you have to use Apple Pay as the funding source for your SmartTrip card? What if you get a stipend from work for commuting, does that still work if you add it to your Wallet?
A friend just added his, and it shows stored value and smart benefits as separate balances, right in the Wallet
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
C
Canyonero
75 months ago
Still waiting on Chicago which was announced forever ago. Looking at our Ventra app that still hasn’t been updated to support the X/11 displays, I don’t have high hopes though.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jon20001 Avatar
Jon20001
73 months ago

Question for anyone using this, if you lose your phone or format/install iOS from scratch can you "re-add" your card using the new card number from the wmata site?
Just got through a hell of a time after upgrading to iPhone 12Pro. The SmartTrip card did not transfer over during the transfer/new phone setup process. I called WMATA customer service (quick to answer, very good techs), who suggested that I purchase a new SmartTrip card through the SmartTrip app, and install on the phone. They then transferred over any credit from the old card. In hindsight, I believe it was because the pass was still on my Apple Watch. My suggestion -- remove your SmartTrip card from all devices before upgrading to a new phone or restoring an old one.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Le Big Mac Avatar
Le Big Mac
75 months ago

Any tips or known requirements on transferring a card? I tried to transfer my DC SmartTrip card, but my iPhone 8+ wouldn’t read the chard when I placed in the card as the Wallet depicts.
Have you registered your card online with WMATA? I didn't succeed until I changed my phone number to my home rather than mobile number.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
avatar77 Avatar
avatar77
75 months ago

I imagine millions of us will be modifying their transit benefits, the new option is so much better. I'm wondering though, how hard will it be to reach my watch to the metro parking lot card readers?
This is a really good question. Since my job provides transit benefits but not parking, I will probably keep using the card for parking if using my watch is too much of a...uh...stretch (sorry). Then again, since I'm likely not setting foot again on Metro this year, I've got a few months to see how things work for everyone.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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