Commuters in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) can now use their American Express cards for tap to pay trips on eligible PRESTO devices for GO Transit and Union Pearson (UP) Express.
"As more of our Cardmembers return to public transit, we are excited to help make their commute easy and convenient through contactless payment," said Kerri-Ann Santaguida, vice president and general manager of Global Merchant and Network Services at American Express Canada. "We are thrilled to bring more payment options to transit commuters."
To mark the functionality, American Express Canada is offering a limited-time Metrolinx offer through the end of 2022 where eligible American Express cardmembers can receive a one-time $5 statement credit when spending $25 in qualifying transit fare purchases at designated PRESTO devices at GO stations and UP Express transit locations when using their registered contactless enabled American Express ® Card.
Tap to pay sees increased use
The tap to pay option grown in use by GTHA transit customers. In late September, the government of Ontario information stating customers on GO Transit, MiWay in Mississauga, Brampton Transit and Oakville Transit utilized the tap to pay option using credit cards more than 100,000 times since August.
In 2021, a pilot program on UP Express allowed customers to pay by credit and debit card. This past August, the option was extended to the entire GO Transit network, Brampton, Mississauga and Oakville transit systems and in 2023, the province will further expand new payment options to more transit agencies across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, including payment by debit.
"We are thrilled to see that our customers are adopting these new credit card and digital credit options to pay their fare on GO Transit and UP Express," said Phil Verster, president and chief executive officer at Metrolinx. "With a tap on and off of their credit card, or the credit card on their smart watch or mobile phone, customers now have even more choice and convenience when choosing public transit."
