How to Add a Transit Card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet

Many cities across the United States now let you use your phone to pay for public transit — buses, subways, commuter rail, and light rail — instead of carrying a physical transit card or fumbling for exact change. The technology is called contactless payment. And it works by holding your phone near a small reader at the fare gate or on the bus. The payment happens in less than a second.

Whether you have an iPhone or an Android phone, the process involves adding your transit account to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Each city has its own transit system and its own process for setting this up, but the general steps are similar across major cities.

In New York City, the transit system is called OMNY and works with any contactless card or phone. You can tap any credit card, debit card, iPhone, or Android phone at OMNY readers on the subway or buses. No special transit card app is needed for basic use in New York — your phone's built-in payment system handles it automatically.

In Chicago, the transit system uses Ventra cards. You can add a Ventra card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet through the Ventra app. Once added, you tap your phone at the reader at CTA turnstiles.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, Clipper is the transit card system. The Clipper app lets you add a Clipper card to Apple Wallet and manage your balance from your phone.

In Boston, CharlieCard digital is available for some fare payment. Washington DC's Metro uses SmarTrip, which can be added to Apple Wallet and Google Wallet through the SmarTrip app.

The common thread is that most major transit systems have a phone app that creates a virtual transit card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Once added, you do not need to open any app to pay — your wallet handles it automatically at the reader.

Adding money to your digital transit card is done through the transit system's app or website, just like reloading a physical card.