Contactless Payment FAQs
Metro services:
You will notice a single charge to your bank account, so any journeys you make on one day will be combined into a single daily (end of operating day) payment charge (of either £2.30 or £4.00). Payment will be requested from your bank in the early hours of the following morning after your day of travel.
The date your payment appears on your bank statement will not be the same as the date you travelled. At the earliest, we request the payment the day after you travelled. Also, it may take a number of working days for your bank to process the payment. If you are unsure about charges on your account, you can log into the customer portal where you will see your transaction history and the journeys associated with each transaction.
Multiple payments may be debited from your bank account on the same day. Customers who travel on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday may experience this because most banks don’t process payments over the weekend.
Payments and refunds made to/from Translink charges should appear on your bank statement as follows:
- “Translink Fare Charge” - a payment to Translink for travel or a refund from Translink for a previous travel payment
- “Translink Unpaid CP” – a payment to Translink for a previous outstanding charge (via method of presenting your card to the reader while blocked for travel)
- “Translink Unpaid CNP” – a payment to Translink for a previous outstanding charge (via automatic unpaid fare recovery or web initiated unpaid fare recovery methods)
If you are using a UK issued Mastercard, you may notice a charge of £0.10 (10p) for your first tap each day. This is a pre-authorisation from your bank that validates your card. This charge is temporary and Translink will not take payment for this amount. It will be automatically reversed when the related daily travel payment is made. For an International issued Mastercard this pre-authorisation is £1 and for Maestro cardholders this pre-authorisation is £20.
If you purchased paper ticket(s) from the driver, you will notice a charge to your bank account in near real time for the value of tickets purchased.
Ulsterbus services:
You will notice a charge to your bank account in near real time for the value of tickets purchased.
The date your payment appears on your bank statement will not be the same as the date you travelled. At the earliest, we request the payment the day after you travelled. Also, it may take a number of working days for your bank to process the payment. If you are unsure about charges on your account, you can log into the customer portal where you will see your transaction history.
Multiple payments may be debited from your bank account on the same day. Customers who travel on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday may experience this because most banks don’t process payments over the weekend.
Payments and refunds made to/from Translink charges should appear on your bank statement as follows:
- “Translink Fare Charge” - a payment to Translink for travel or a refund from Translink for a previous travel payment
- “Translink Unpaid CP” – a payment to Translink for a previous outstanding charge (via method of presenting your card to the reader while blocked for travel)
- “Translink” Unpaid CNP” – a payment to Translink for a previous outstanding charge (via automatic unpaid fare recovery or web initiated unpaid fare recovery methods)
Ulsterbus Citystopper services:
If you buy a paper ticket(s) from the driver the above Ulsterbus payment information applies to you.
If you choose to ‘Tap On Only’ for your own travel within the Metro operating area the above Metro payment information applies to you.
Important Information about delayed journey data:
Please note for ‘Tap On Only’ mode, there may be occasions when your journey information is delayed in reaching our systems. You will see this on the ‘journey’ tab in your customer portal account as a ‘Late Tap’.
This delayed journey data may be charged separately or aggregated into another days’ travel and will always be in accordance with the adult single fare or adult daily capped fare.
Your contactless payment card or device should be held within a few centimeters of the contactless symbol on the driver’s ticket machine.
The ticket machine will validate your card while you are still holding it so, you do not need to take your hand off the card when presenting it to the reader.
You will be able to review your contactless journey /payment transaction history by accessing a customer account online (using your physical card details), from where you will also be able to raise a support query in relation to your travel account.
When you log into the portal you will also be advised if you are on Translink’s ‘Deny List’. If you are on the Deny List, this means that there is an unpaid fare on your account. It is your responsibility to resolve the problem on your account, in order to be removed from the Deny List and use contactless to travel again. If you attempt to travel when on the Deny List the driver’s ticket machine will show a red light and you will have to pay for your journey by another method e.g. cash or Smartlink, dayLink or mLink.
Customer support is also available from Translink staff in the Ticketing Department or Contact Centre (Tel: 028 90 66 66 30) with authorised account access. Logging onto the customer portal gives you the option to raise a query on your account, which will also be actioned online by a member of Translink staff.
Yes, we also accept contactless payments on enabled smart device wallets such as Apple Pay or Google Pay. Your smartphone or smartwatch must have NFC Mobile Wallet payment capability enabled. You need to ensure there is enough battery charge on your device to complete your payment. If using a smart device, you may need to ‘wake up’ your device or authenticate it to activate and enable contactless payment.
Yes, you will be issued with a paper ticket(s) if you pay by contactless onboard Ulsterbus.
Please note, a ticket will not be issued onboard Ulsterbus Citystopper services if you choose to ‘Tap on Only’ within the Metro operating area and do not ask the driver for a specific Ulsterbus paper ticket.
You’ll be able to review your contactless transaction history by accessing the customer portal
Yes, you can buy multiple paper tickets and pay for yourself, friends and family, but BEFORE tapping your card on the reader you must ask the driver for all tickets required for travel and tell the driver that you want to pay using contactless.
All customers can also continue to use cash or pre-paid ticket options such as mLink or dayLink/Smartlink smartcards.
Yes, where contactless payment is available you can buy multiple paper tickets and pay for yourself, friends and family. Before tapping your card on the reader you must ask the driver for all tickets required for travel and tell the driver that you want to pay using contactless.
All customers can also continue to use cash or pre-paid ticket options such as mLink or dayLink/Smartlink smartcards.
If your card or device is declined when we submit for payment it will be added to a ‘deny list’ on the driver’s ticket machine, which means your card or device will be prevented from being used for travel on our services until any unpaid fares have been paid in full and we have received a successful authorisation from your bank.
There are 3 options to unblock your card or device and remove it from the ‘deny list’:
- Tap at Reader: Please present your card or device to the driver’s ticket machine reader. The card or device presented will still be blocked, so you will need to use another payment method to pay for that journey if you wish to travel at that time. Presenting your card or device in this scenario will trigger an attempt to collect any unpaid fares and will seek an authorisation from your bank. Once you have paid your unpaid fare, wait at least 15 minutes before travelling again.
- Web Initiated Unpaid Fare Recovery: You can make a payment for an unpaid fare via your online account on the customer portal. Once you have paid your unpaid fare, wait at least 15 minutes before travelling again.
- Automatic Unpaid Fare Recovery: Translink will automatically make further payment requests to your Bank for unpaid fares up to 30 days after you have travelled. If the payment is made you will be able to use your card or device again for travel.
There are two ways to use a contactless payment card or device on Ulsterbus services:
- You can purchase any paper ticket (including adult, child, yLink, half-fare concession tickets) and for friends or family who are travelling with you. You may purchase tickets for different destinations on that route in the same transaction. Tell the driver BEFORE you present your card as to what bus ticket(s) you wish to buy and the current relevant Ulsterbus fare(s) will be charged, based on the total value of tickets you purchase.
Note: you will not be able to top up a smartcard, such as Smartlink and i-Link on board the bus using this contactless payment method. For further information about topping up smartcards, please refer to Tickets and Travel Cards
OR
- Pay for your own travel onboard Ulsterbus Citystopper services within the Metro operating area by simply tapping on and not asking the driver for a specific ticket.
There are currently only two adult fare options for travel onboard Ulsterbus Citystopper services (within the Metro operating area only), using contactless payment:
- An adult single fare of £2.30 for your first bus journey, on any day within the Metro operating area only.
- An adult daily capped fare of £4.00 when you make two or more journeys on one within the Metro operating area only.
You must tap with the same contactless card or device for all your journeys on one day to receive the daily capped fare. If you use two different contactless cards or devices for separate journeys in the same day the daily capping discounts will not work as the system has no way of knowing that both belong to you.
It is important to note that the £2.30 fare is a ‘flat’ fare charged regardless of the distance of your journey onboard an Ulsterbus Citystopper service. You need to decide if contactless is a good value option for travel based on your own individual journey pattern.
Occasionally a contactless payment card will not be accepted for travel, even though it has been used in the past to travel on Metro / Ulsterbus services.
This could be because:
- Your card issuer has declined payment.
- You have unpaid fares linked to your card (your card is on the deny list).
- Your contactless payment card is damaged or has expired (you will need to contact your bank or card issuer).
There are two ways to use a contactless payment card or device on Metro services:
- Pay for your own travel onboard Metro services using contactless payment:
- An adult single fare of £2.30 for your first Metro journey of the day.
- An adult daily capped fare of £4.00 when you make two or more Metro journeys on one day.
It is important to note that the £2.30 fare is a ‘flat’ fare charged regardless of the distance of your journey onboard a Metro service. You need to decide if contactless is a good value option for travel based on your own individual journey pattern.
OR
- You can purchase any paper ticket (including adult, child, yLink, half-fare concession tickets) and for friends or family who are travelling with you. You may purchase tickets for different destinations on that route in the same transaction. Tell the driver BEFORE you present your card as to what bus ticket(s) you wish to buy and the current relevant Metro fare(s) will be charged, based on the total value of tickets you purchase.
Note: you will not be able to top up a smartcard, such as Smartlink and i-Link on board the bus using this contactless payment method. For further information about topping up smartcards, please refer to Tickets and Travel Cards
Yes, please make sure you have enough money in your bank account to enable you to pay for your journey. Insufficient funds will result in your contactless payment not being accepted and a red light will show on the ticket machine (as you will be on the Deny List), you’ll also hear an audible tone to indicate an invalid transaction. You will need to try another payment type or buy a ticket using cash.
If you have an overdraft facility on your bank account, you can become overdrawn - this is the same as when using a contactless card in a shop. It’s important that you understand that going overdrawn could result in you incurring bank charges such as overdraft fees.
Please also be aware that cards issued outside of the UK may incur currency conversion transaction fees applied by your bank or card issuer.
For more information, please check with your bank
If you are using a credit or debit card for your contactless payment, a ‘card clash’ could occur when more than one contactless card or smartcard is touched together on the ticket machine.
If the reader detects more than one card, it doesn't know which card to accept, which may result in:
- No card being read (a red light will be displayed which means your journey has not been paid for)
- Payment for travel being taken from the wrong card
To avoid this happening, please remove the card you want to use for travel from your wallet or purse to separate it from any other contactless cards before placing it on the ticket machine.
If you start your journey on Metro and complete your journey on Glider, you can purchase a paper ticket from the driver using Contactless.‘Tap On Only’ travel is currently available on Metro and is not available as yet on Glider.
If you start your journey on Glider and complete your journey on Metro, you can purchase a paper ticket using Contactless from a Ticket Vending Machine at a Glider halt.
Alternatively, mLink day ticketsand DayLink smartcards may be better value options for travel as they are accepted on both Metro and Glider services.
A paper ticket is not issued if you choose to ‘Tap on Only’ within the Metro operating area.
However, a paper ticket will be issued onboard Metro services if you ask the driver for a specific Metro ticket(s).
You’ll be able to review your contactless transaction history by accessing the customer portal
Contactless payment is available onboard all Metro and Ulsterbus services.
You must tap the same contactless card or device for all your journeys on one day to receive the daily capped fare. If you use two different contactless cards or devices for separate journeys in the same day, the daily capping discounts will not work as the system has no way of knowing both are related to you.
Contactless payment options are available on all Ulsterbus Citystopper services.
Contactless ‘Tap On Tap Off’ is not currently available for Rail passengers . However tickets can be bought, using contactless cards and devices at station ticket offices, Ticket Vending Machines or from a conductor on board the train.
Translink’s Metro bus services operate throughout Belfast/Greater Belfast along 12 main corridors to/from the City Centre; plus services to George Best Belfast City Airport, Royal Hospitals and between QUB University Square and Ulster University (Belfast & Jordanstown Campuses).
Translink Ulsterbus operate Express, Urban, Inter-Urban and rural bus services throughout Northern Ireland. Express services operate under the Goldliner brand throughout the province and on cross-border routes. Some inter-urban Ulsterbus routes to and from Belfast are designated as Citystopper services which pick up and set down in the Metro operating area.
Contactless is a quick, easy and secure way to pay for your travel onboard Metro and Ulsterbus as an alternative to cash.
Metro services: To pay for your own travel, simply tap once with your contactless credit or debit card, or smart device where you see the contactless symbol on the driver’s ticket machine reader. (Translink refer to this as ‘Tap On Only’ mode’).
To buy your bus ticket, or for a friend or family member(s) – up to and including £45 in any single transaction, please tell the driver what paper ticket(s) you wish to purchase BEFORE you tap your card or smart device on the reader where you see the contactless symbol . (Translink refer to this as ‘Retail Mode’).
Ulsterbus services: To buy your bus ticket, or for a friend or family member(s) – up to and including £45 in any single transaction, please tell the driver what paper ticket(s) you wish to purchase BEFORE you tap your card or smart device on the reader where you see the contactless symbol.
Ulsterbus Citystopper services within the Metro operating area: Both of the above Metro and Ulsterbus contactless payment options are available onboard.
No, you don’t need to register your contactless card or device before you travel. Simply use it as you would for any other contactless payment - making sure you have enough funds in your bank account to pay for your journey.
If you wish to, you can access the customer portal to view your payment and travel history. This is available through Translink’s customer web portal: https://mytranslinkaccount.cloudfare.co.uk
We accept Visa and Mastercard (including Maestro) contactless credit and debit cards. We do not accept any other payment brand card e.g. American Express. Pre-paid contactless cards can also be used. You’ll see the contactless indicator on your card, most new cards come with this facility but if you’re unsure, check with your bank or card issuer.