Subway Goes Contactless: Pay with Phones, Debit & Credit Cards

The head of the Government, Jorge Macri, He made sure that they put under his management “innovation and technology so that there are more comforts and facilities when you travel,” citing that From Monday, the City has made it possible to pay subways with cell phones, debit and credit cards.

“In the campaign I said, during my administration, that we were going to change the payment method for the subway so that the SUBE was not the only method. Now we add innovation and technology so that there are more comforts and facilities when you travel,” he said.

The multi-payment system will benefit more than 700 thousand daily commuters who use Subway and Premetro lines and it allows cell phones, bank cards and other cards with near field payment technology (NFC) to be used for payment​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

“We are ending SUBE’s monopoly and opening up the game to private companies so they can compete and improve the service. Competition always generates opportunities and there are already offers and promotions for cards, banks that give you free trips. That is very good for the user because it makes it cheaper to travel with their cards than with the SUBE, without a bigger subsidy and without a bigger cost to the State,” said Macri.

The city is the first in the country to introduce multi-payment for passenger transport and one of the first in Latin America and is equal to New York, London, Rome and Rio de Janeiro, which are already in use.

The new system It meets passengers’ need for more payment methods and not only with the SUBE card, which will still be valid. From Monday, 81 of the 90 stations will have multi-payment turntables which will be clearly marked and completed in all of them.

This week the system was tested at the stations of Loria (Line A), Juan Manuel de Rosas (Line B), Retiro (Line E), Congreso de Tucumán (Line D) and Faculty of Law (Line H).. The system modernizes the travel experience and reinforces the City’s commitment to more inclusive and efficient transportation according to the needs of citizens and visitors.

Like on the subway, The multi-payment system will also be available on all 31 bus lines transferred by the National Government to the city, as the priority is to build a transport system at the level of world cities with quality services.

The City subway was the first in South America, on Sunday it will be 111 years old and it continues to innovate so that the user experience ‘ improve every day. This year, the new CBTC train control system was implemented on the D line to improve safety and manage frequency. And work is being done on upgrading stations and new cars on line B.

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The keys

Will it be possible to use cards from all banks?

In the first stage, Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards from all banks or related to virtual wallets can be used. Also devices with NFC technology with cards enabled by each bank for this use, with any compatible wallet, such as Gpay, ApplePay, MODO, among others.

Is there a procedure or prior registration required to use these new payment methods?

There is no need to do any procedure, just use the special conversion tables to use these new payment methods.

Is the ticket price the same regardless of the payment method used?

The full rate is being paid, currently $757. With these new payment methods, you will also be able to take advantage of an unusual fare for frequent subway passengers, with discounts of 20, 30 and 40% for more than 20, 30 and 40 trips respectively, while the same card used and payment method (digital or physical). In addition, virtual banks and wallets will add advertising.

Do testers need to have internet? How do you verify that the payment has been made?

Everything works offline and in less than two seconds the verifier reads the payment made. The user can see the spend on their card at the end of the day.

Can passes and subscriptions be added?

The special benefits and rates will be available only on the beneficiary’s SUBE card.

How are passes for pensioners, people with disabilities and social statuses without a SUBE card managed?

Passes and subscriptions are now integrated into the SUBE card. To learn how to manage these benefits, you can go to https://buenosaires.gob.ar/subte/tarifas-pases-y-abonos/pases-y-abonos

Can banks apply their own promotions outside of travel aggregation?

Yes, banks and virtual wallets use their own advertising according to their commercial policies.

Can I pay for several trips at the same time with the same card?

You can pay for 10 times a day and up to 4 times an hour with the same card.

Does the mobile phone have to have special technology?

Mobile phones must have NFC technology to be able to pay through them with Visa or MasterCard cards.

Can you pay with a Smartwatch too?

Yes, as long as they have NFC.

How many trips can the user make without money on the debit card?

You can only travel one day without money on your card. On the second day the system blocks it until the bank reports it as regular.

Can payments be made with cards issued outside of Argentina?

Yes, as long as they are the brands mentioned above.

Are the SUBE network discounts still valid?

Yes, passengers will be able to use the SUBE card to access the benefits of the SUBE Network (with discounts for journeys within two hours: 50% on the second ticket and 75% from the third). This benefit will not work with the new payment methods.

Can SUBE be used at multi-payment devices?

No, the SUBE can only be used on common turntables that do not support multi-payment.