A division of Metrolinx, an agency of the Ontario Government, PRESTO is the fare payment transit service for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
A division of Metrolinx, an agency of the Ontario Government, PRESTO is the fare payment transit service for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
Have questions about PRESTO Contactless? Get the answers to some of our most asked questions here.
Transfer rules are the same as a PRESTO cardFor example, you will receive a 2-hour free transfer on TTC and 3-hour transfer on GO TransitVisit the Use PRESTO section to learn more about the transfer rules for each transit agency.
When tapping your contactless credit or debit card to pay your fare or transfer, the PRESTO device will show an "Accepted" screen(For example, on TTC if you are tapping within the two-hour transfer window, you will not be charged another fare.)
An unpaid fare will appear in your contactless credit or Interac debit card transaction history if you used a card to travel but we were unable to charge a fare to that cardThis can happen if you used a card that did not have enough funds to pay your fare
Unpaid fares for credit card:
If you have an unpaid fare associated with your credit card, the PRESTO system will automatically try to collect that fare from your method of payment for up to 30 days
For credit cards, sign in through the PRESTO website or app and follow the steps online to pay your unpaid fareYou will need to pay that fare with the same card the unpaid fare is associated with, before you can use that card again to travel with PRESTO
Unpaid fares for debit cards:
For debit cards, the PRESTO system will automatically try to collect your fare from your account for up to 7 daysYou can also pay your unpaid fare at any time by tapping your card on a PRESTO deviceIf you are taking a trip at the same time, you need to tap to pay your unpaid fare, wait a few seconds and then tap again to pay your fare for the new trip
Once your unpaid fare is paid, either by you or by the PRESTO system automatically collecting the fare, you can use that card again to travel
Yes, customers with a credit card added to Apple Pay can use Express Mode in Apple Wallet to pay their transit fare without unlocking their iPhone at any Transit Agency that uses PRESTO Payment devices (excluding OC Transpo)This includes subway stations, buses, streetcars, and available taxis
Express Mode in Apple Wallet does not currently support Interac® debit cards
The PRESTO system will record your trip each time you use your card to travel, and by the end of the day, your card will be charged the total fare amount for your trip(s) taken that day
On your credit card statement, your charges will be listed as “PRESTO” followed by the type of charge (such as fare, inspection, unpaid fare) and a series of letters/numbersExamples for credit: PRESTO FARE/A1B2C3D4E5, PRESTO UNPD/A1B2C3D4E5, PRESTO INSP/A1B2C3D4E5
On your debit card, your charges will be listed as “PRES” followed by a series of letters/numbers Examples for debit: PRES/A1B2C3D4E5
We recommend you register and add your debit or credit card to your PRESTO account to see the last 180 days of transaction history for your cardIf you don't add your card to your PRESTO account, you'll only be able to see the last 7 days of transaction history.
Each person travelling will need to use a separate credit card, debit card, mobile wallet or PRESTO card to tap on and off for their trip.
If you use a physical credit or debit card to tap on, you cannot tap off with a mobile wallet, even if your mobile wallet is connected to the same card you used to tap onIf you do use a different payment method to tap off, it will be recognized as the start of a new trip
If you tap off with a different card than the one you use to tap on, the PRESTO device will read that as you tapping on again with a different card and you will be charged another fare
If you see a ‘Multiple Cards Detected’ or ‘Try Another Card’ error message after tapping on the PRESTO device, try one of the following:
Take your card out of your wallet, purse, or phone case before tapping
Hold your card still against the PRESTO device until the device screen change
No, contactless credit and debit cards can only be used to pay an adult fareYouth, Post-Secondary Student and Senior discounts are available using a physical PRESTO card or a PRESTO card in mobile walletChild discounts are only available with a physical PRESTO cardSee our Fare Types page for more details
If you forget to tap off on a PRESTO device, your card will be charged a fare for the longest trip on the transit route you used
Your contactless credit, Interac debit or mobile wallet card may not work for one of these reasons:
Not an accepted form of contactless paymentMake sure you’re using an accepted payment methodFor example: some credit and debit cards can’t be tapped on a fare device, but they can be added to a mobile wallet
Some iPhone models (8 and earlier) may experience an error message when tapped on a PRESTO deviceIf you tap an older Apple device with PRESTO contactless and see a message saying that multiple cards were detected, simply tap your device again and the PRESTO device should accept your tap.
If there is an unpaid PRESTO fare associated with your card, you will not be able to use it to travel with PRESTO until you pay that fareYou may also need to verify your card with PRESTOIf you’re experiencing an issue with a credit or debit card, you can sign in to your PRESTO Account with your card details on the PRESTO App or website for more information
Your card may also be blocked from working on the PRESTO system if you have failed three fare inspections
When you tap a contactless card to take transit, at first the PRESTO system just checks to see if you are using a valid cardThe charge for the amount of your fare takes some time to be processed through our system and make its way to your bankAt that point, the actual balance on your credit/debit card is checked and if you did not have enough funds to pay your fare, an unpaid fare is assigned to your cardIf you are asked to present your card to a fare inspector, their inspection device will show an unpaid fare on your card
Even if you have insufficient funds in your account, you will still see a green checkmark when you tap on a PRESTO deviceTo avoid any unpaid fares on your credit or debit card, make sure you have enough funds to pay your transit fare before your trip
