Opal card

Opal card
LocationNew South Wales, Australia:
Launched
  • Adult cards: 7 December 2012
  • Child/Youth cards: 6 April 2014
  • Senior/Pensioner cards: 3 November 2014
  • Concession cards: 2 February 2015
  • School student cards: January 2016
  • Contactless payment trial: 6 July 2017
  • OpalPay: 15 December 2017
Technology
ManagerTransport for NSW
CurrencyAUD ($250 maximum load)
Stored-valuePay as you go
Credit expiry12 years
Auto rechargeAvailable for registered cards
Validity
  • Ferries: 7 December 2012
  • Trains: 14 June 2013
  • Buses: 30 September 2013
  • Light rail: 1 December 2014
Retailed
  • Online
  • Telephone
  • Retailers
Variants
  • Adult
  • Child/Youth
  • Senior/Pensioner
  • Concession
  • School student
  • Employee
Websitetransportnsw.info/tickets-opal/opal

Opal is a contactless smartcard fare collection system for public transport services in the greater Sydney area. Operation of the Opal system is managed by Transport for NSW. First launched in late 2012, Opal is valid on Transport for NSW's metro, train, bus, ferry and light rail services that operate in Sydney and the neighbouring Central Coast, Hunter Region, Blue Mountains, Illawarra and Southern Highlands areas. Opal equipment was designed from the start to support a variety of cards, but launched with the captive Opal cards.

Opal cards are the standard method of paying for fares on the Opal system. The card is a credit card-sized smartcard which includes a microchip and internal RFID aerial, allowing the card to communicate with readers. The microchip enables value to be loaded onto the card, as well as allowing the journey details to be recorded and the appropriate fare deducted from the stored value on the card. Passengers 'tap on' and 'tap off' any services whenever they travel through the public transport network.[1] Opal cards can also be used to pay for fares on selected third party transport services via a facility known as OpalPay.

After a gradual rollout from 2017, the Opal system has accepted contactless payment via credit and debit card and linked devices with the same fares and benefits as an adult Opal card since 2019.

  1. ^ "On what services can I use the Opal card?". transportnsw.info. Transport for NSW. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.