PRESTO is an electronic payment system that makes travelling on transit faster and easier by eliminating the need for tickets, tokens, passes and cash.

PRESTO works across local transit services in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) and Ottawa, making paying for your trip simple, convenient and secure.

PRESTO allows users to pay for their travel using an electronic fare card that replaces the need to use cash, tickets, tokens or passes on public transit.

Creating a PRESTO account helps protect your card balance. If your card is ever lost or stolen, the money can be transferred to a replacement card. You can't do that with any other form of transit payment.

You can have money automatically loaded to your card when your balance falls below minimum amount that you set.

You can use your PRESTO card across 11 transit agencies in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) and Ottawa area.

By using PRESTO you're also eligible for discount fare trips on participating transit services.

Yes, your PRESTO card can be used on any of the 11 participating transit agencies in Ontario, including OC Transpo in Ottawa. Visit Paying for Transit to see the full list of PRESTO transit agencies.

Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area cards issued prior to 2013 will not be accepted on Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO).

You can purchase a card online or in person:

• Order a card online: your card will be mailed to you within 7-10 business days. You must add at least $0.05 to your card balance or a weekly/monthly transit pass. You can choose to either create a My PRESTO Account or have your card not associated with an account.
• Buy a card in person: at a Customer Service Outlet or at a Ticket Vending Machine (TVM) or a Fare Vending Machine (FVM). Your card is ready to use immediately, and can be added to your My PRESTO Account online within 24 hours. The card will be activated already and you are encouraged to create a My PRESTO Account in order to access the benefits of having an account.
  When you buy or reload a card at a Shoppers Drug Mart or other in-person Customer Service Outlets, at a Ticket Vending Machine at GO and UP Express stations or online, you must load at least $0.05. At Fare Vending Machines at TTC subway stations, you must load at least $5.00.

The date on the back of the card is the date the card was manufactured. Some older cards have an expiry date, but PRESTO cards no longer expire. You may continue to use your card even after the indicated expiry date and your balance will remain on the card.
In addition, PRESTO and our Transit Agency partners are not liable for any damaged, defective or expired cards.

We know how important your personal information is to you. PRESTO is committed to keeping your information confidential.

We never sell our customers’ personal information and we ensure that staff that handle personal customer information receives the necessary training so that you can be confident your information is protected and used appropriately. This applies to all PRESTO and Metrolinx employees and agents.

Your information will only be shared with third parties in a very limited number of serious circumstances in accordance with PRESTO’s Privacy Policy and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) where:

• there are immediate and compelling concerns about an individual’s health or safety; or
• required to comply with laws, regulations, or court order; or
• an investigation is underway concerning a potential fraud or criminal offence.

In these rare situations, you can be assured that any request for information is considered very carefully to protect your privacy. Any disclosure of your personal information is compliant with PRESTO’s Privacy Policy and the requirements of FIPPA and only the minimum amount of information is provided.

Our Privacy Policy ensures that your information is protected at all times.

Under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), in certain circumstances, Metrolinx may share personal information of its PRESTO customers in response to a reasonable request from a police officer, special constable, or transit safety officer (“officers”). Each request for information from such officers is reviewed by the Metrolinx Privacy Office to ensure that Metrolinx’s response is compliant with our Privacy Policy and with FIPPA.

Metrolinx produces an annual PRESTO Privacy Transparency Report summarizing the number of law enforcement requests it has received for that year..

PRESTO Privacy Transparency Report – 2021

Punching a hole in your PRESTO card will damage the antenna and chip, rendering it useless. In addition, PRESTO and our Transit Agency partners are not liable for any damaged cards.

If the card is damaged you will be responsible for buying a replacement card for the cost of $6.

You can get a replacement PRESTO card and transfer your balance from the old card to your new card. First, you need to purchase a new card online or in person at a Customer Service Outlet or Ticket Vending Machine.

Once you get a new card, please do not register it, or add a monthly pass. This will be done automatically as part of the transfer process. When you are ready to transfer the balance from your old card to your new card, log in to your My PRESTO Account, click on Report Lost/Damaged card and follow the instructions.

For more information, please visit our Reporting a Lost or Damaged Card page.