After a rollout on Transit, SEPTA is expanding contactless payment options to Regional Rail starting on Friday, April 4.
This means customers on all modes – trains, buses, subways, and trolleys – can easily “tap on using their credit or debit card, or mobile wallet.”
SEPTA Board Chair Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. said:
“Deploying this technology systemwide is a major achievement. With this expansion to Regional Rail, SEPTA is the first commuter rail network in the country to accept contactless payments.”
Regional Rail riders can now simply tap any credit or debit card, in physical form or through mobile wallets “using Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay, at a turnstile or platform validator.”
Customers must tap on and tap off, just like the SEPTA Key Card.
Regional Rail contactless fares are the “same as the current Travel Wallet fares.”
SEPTA launched contactless payment technology on Transit in September 2023.
Since then, SEPTA has generated “$31 million in revenue from contactless payments.”
SEPTA Interim General Manager Scott A. Sauer said:
“This technology makes SEPTA more convenient for customers who may not want to plan their trips in advance, purchase a physical Key Card, or use cash to pay their fares – just tap and go. Increasing efficiency will help us continue to rebuild our ridership and support the major events coming to Philadelphia in 2026.”
Customers paying for Regional Rail or Transit with Apple Pay “can also use Express Mode.”
With Express Mode, riders do “not need to wake or unlock their iPhone or Apple Watch to ride on SEPTA – just hold the device near a reader to securely pay with Apple Pay.”
Any validator with credit card icons displayed on the screen “is ready to accept contactless payments.”
Customers are encouraged to “separate their credit/debit cards, Key Card, and phone to ensure the correct account is charged.”
As clarified in the update, customers traveling to or from New Jersey on SEPTA “cannot use contactless payments at this time.”
SEPTA is working to install validators at these stations.
