Friday Roundtable: ORCA Tap to Pay Begins on Monday
On Thursday, Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine announced Tap to Pay will launch across the ORCA system on February 23, 2026. Tap to Pay, also known as open payments, will allow passengers to tap a credit/debit card on the ORCA reader to pay the fare. Digital credit/debit cards are also supported using Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay. ORCA soft-launched open payment support on the RapidRide G Line earlier this month.
Today's announcement reflects years of work by our transit agencies across Puget Sound coming together with one shared goal: making transit simpler and more accessible to the people we serve" said Christina O'Claire, ORCA Joint Board Chair and King County Metro Mobility Division Director.
ORCA readers will now display the logos of supported cards and digital payment servicesThis announcement is a significant milestone for the next generation ORCA system. Over the past few years, ORCA has introduced several new features enabled by a redesigned backend system. In 2022, it launched the myORCA.com website and mobile app. In 2024, ORCA and Sound Transit announced the ability to save and access ORCA cards in Google Wallet. Open payment support is widely seen as an essential feature, especially with the expected influx to visitors to the region during the FIFA World Cup games this summer. ORCA will also pilot a 3-day PugetPass during the World Cup.
Tap to Pay will be supported by transit agencies across the region, except for on the following services:
- Seattle Monorail
- Washington State Ferries
- King County Metro DART, Community Vans, Metro Flex
- Community Transit DART, Zip Shuttle
- Pierce Transit SHUTTLE, Pierce Transit Runner
- Everett Transit Paratransit
Kitsap Transit Fast Ferries, Foot Ferries, and King County Water Taxi will support Tap to Pay within the next few weeks.
ORCA's Tap to Pay implementation will support Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express cards (physical and digital). Passengers will be able to transfer for free within a 2 hour period after their initial tap. All fares paid with credit/debit cards will be the full, adult fare. Passengers who wish to use discounted fares (Senior, Youth, ORCA Lift, etc), should continue to use their current payment method. The same card cannot be used to pay for multiple people in a group. Each passenger will need to pay with a different card or device. Passengers are encouraged to only tap one card on the ORCA reader. Tapping several cards (or a whole wallet) may result in charges on multiple cards.
Open Payment support launched on the G Line earlier this monthFare InspectionI'm a few days late, but it works!!
- Michael Smith (@mesmith35673.bsky.social) 2026-02-05T16:56:04.658Z
Unlike ORCA cards, credit/debit cards cannot be scanned by fare inspectors. Instead, passengers will be asked to provide the last four digits of the card used to pay their fare. Passengers who do not want to share this information with fare inspectors should use an ORCA card, cash, or another existing payment method. Fortunately, this is a temporary limitation. The ORCA team is working on implementing the necessary security enhancements to let fare inspectors scan credit cards directly.
Related websitesThis is an open thread.