A Smart Trip card can only be on a single device at one time. You may have Smart Trip cards on your Android phone and Wear OS smartwatch as long as they are two separate cards.
Android users, Smart Trip for Google Wallet is here, making it possible to use your phone to pay, anywhere Smart Trip is accepted.
Add a new Smart Trip card ($2 new card fee) in Google Wallet, then quickly purchase stored value to pay-as-you-ride or a monthly pass for unlimited rides.
Pair Smart Trip in Google Wallet with the Smart Trip app to transfer an existing plastic card to your mobile phone and unlock more features of your Smart Trip, including card registration, balance protection and making purchases with your Smart Benefits.
Smart Trip in Google Wallet is available for regular, full fare and Senior travelers.
Add a Smart Trip to your Google Wallet
Android Phone
Make sure you have:
- Android operating system version 5 or newer
- NFC capable phone
- Google Wallet
- Credit Card in Google Wallet
- Open Google Wallet
- Select "Add to Wallet" and then "Transit Pass" and then Smart Trip Washington D.C.
- Select "Add Money" then enter desired "Amount to Load" ($4 minimum)
Transfer your plastic Smart Trip card to Google Wallet
Once you transfer your physical card to Google Wallet, the physical card will be disabled and will no longer work.
- Open your Smart Trip app and log in
- Choose the card you wish to transfer, then tap "Transfer Card to Google Wallet"
- Hold your Smart Trip card to the back of your Android phone
- Tap the "Save to phone" button
- Your Smart Trip card is now available in Google Wallet
Add value or a pass in Google Wallet
- Open the Google Wallet app
- Tap your card, then find your Smart Trip
- Tap "Add money or pass"
- Choose to "Add money" or "Add a pass" and decide the value or pass to add
- Review and confirm your purchase
Use your Smart Trip card with Google Wallet
Android phone:
- Turn your phone screen on
- Hold your phone near the Smart Trip reader
Wear OS smartwatch:
- Launch the Google Wallet app on your Wear OS smartwatch
- If you have a Pixel Watch, simply double click the crown to open Google Wallet
- Hold your watch to the card reader. Wait until you get a blue checkmark.
Do this every time you board a bus, train or ferry, including when you transfer. On most buses and stand-alone readers, you will be shown the amount of your transactions and your balance (or expiration date of your pass). Be sure to tag on every time you board (you may need to tag off for some agencies). Keep your phone handy in case an inspector asks to see your fare If you have trouble tagging, you might try to move your phone around as different phones have their antennas in different places.
Yes, you can use Google Pay to purchase a new Full Fare Smart Trip card, pay fares, add Stored Value or Passes, and view value/products available on your Smart Trip card.
- Yes, everything on the plastic card will be transferred to the Smart Trip card in Google Pay.
- Any partially-used passes will be transferred with the remaining number of active days available.
- Any pending autoloads to the plastic card will be transferred as pending autoloads to the Smart Trip card in Google Pay. You will need to tap your Android Phone at a fare machine, faregate or bus farebox to load the product to the Smart Trip card in Google Pay.
A Full Fare plastic card containing the Transit Link Card (TLC pass for MARC, MTA, or VRE), Personal Care Attendant (PCA), or VRE Parking pass cannot be transferred.
No, if the Android phone is completely dead, it will not work for fare payment. Your phone must be turned on and be awake.
No, the Smart Trip card in Google Pay can be used for fare payment without internet access (Wi-Fi). However, notifications require internet access, and may be delayed based on connectivity status.
- Immediately - When purchasing a new pass or stored value on a Smart Trip card in Google Pay, using the SmarTrip app, the value will be added to the Smart Trip card immediately.
- Immediately - When purchasing a new pass or stored value on a Smart Trip card in Google Pay, the pass or value will be added to the Smart Trip card immediately.
- Immediately - When transferring a plastic Smart Trip to a Smart Trip card in Google Pay, all passes and values that were on the plastic card will be available on the Smart Trip card immediately.
- Delayed - All other purchases in the SmarTrip app (setup Auto Reload on plastic or virtual, value purchased for plastic cards) will require the standard delivery times of 4 hours rail, 2 days bus.
- Delayed - All purchases from the Smart Trip website will require the standard delivery times of 4 hours rail, 2 days bus.
Metro's policy of "no refunds" applies to the Smart Trip card in Google Pay as well as plastic Smart Trip. The process and policy for Relocation Refunds (customers outside of the 100-mile radius as indicated by the Tariff) is the same as for plastic Smart Trip cards.
Use of Smart Trip Card in Google Pay
Yes, as long as the phone will power on and screen will awaken, Smart Trip in Google Pay can be used to pay the fare.
Smart Trip is considered a "Transit Card" in Google Pay. Google Pay will allow you to have an unlimited number of Smart Trip cards in your Google account (Gmail), but only one Smart Trip card can be active at a time. All Smart Trip cards will be linked to the same Google account.
No, each person would need a separate phone with Smart Trip in Google Pay. Google Pay will only allow one active Smart Trip card per Google account on a phone.
About 2 - 3 inches, similar to a plastic Smart Trip. Some phone models work best positioned closer to or further from the Smart Trip target. While this FAQ uses the word "tap" with respect to Android phone-to-target interaction, the Android phone does not need to touch the SmarTrip reader on the fare collection equipment. The Android phone should be presented to the reader with the screen face-up. Different Android phone manufacturers have their NFC antenna in different places, some at the top of the phone and some at the middle of the phone. You should check with the specifications of your specific phone model on the location of the antenna.
The Android Phone will display a check mark indicating that it successfully communicated with the fare payment device target. If the Android Phone cannot complete its communication with the target, it will display a red exclamation mark with the message "Something went wrong".
The check mark will be displayed regardless of whether there was sufficient value on the Smart Trip card to pay the fare. The fare gate or farebox will show the appropriate message regarding successful/unsuccessful fare payment.
Customer Support - In stations/on Buses
Station managers should not handle or touch a customer's Android phone. Card readers have been moved to the outside of the station manager kiosks so that a plastic or Smart Trip card in Google Pay can be tapped to the reader by the customer. The station manager can view the display on the Station Console.
Everything that can be viewed for a plastic Smart Trip card will be available for a Smart Trip card in Google Pay, including card balance, passes, and Smart Benefits. Station managers will not have access to any customer account information associated with Smart Trip cards in Google Pay, nor customer Android Phone or personal identifiable information.