Frequently Asked Questions: Fares

You can obtain a METRO Q® Fare Card, METRO Day Pass or METRO Money Card at any of the following:

• METRO RideStore locations
• METRO Online RideStore
• Participating retail locations
• Select vending machines

You have the option of loading money on your card when you first obtain it. Reload options vary by fare card and location.

Additional payment options to ride METRO can be obtained through other sources.

More details can be found on the All About Fares page.

The METRO Q® Fare Card and METRO Day Pass both function as debit cards for riding METRO. You can continually load and store money on either of them – and then money will be deducted each time you pay your fare.

METRO Money Cards come preloaded with certain dollar amounts and can’t be reloaded.

If you have a registered METRO Q® Fare Card or METRO Day Pass and would like to check its balance, visit the Reload Your Fare Card page for more information, or do any of the following:

• Call METRO Customer Service at 713-635-4000
• Visit any METRO RideStore location
• Look at the fare validator screen after tapping or waving your card to pay your fare

You can do any of the following:

• Call METRO Customer Service at 713-635-4000
• Visit any METRO RideStore location
• Look at the fare validator screen after tapping or waving your card to pay your fare

When you first obtain your card, you’ll be given the option to register it.

If you lose a registered card, your card balance is protected and you should report the loss immediately by calling Customer Service at 713-635-4000.

If you lose an unregistered card, any money you stored on the card can’t be recovered.

You can register your METRO Q® Fare card or METRO Day Pass online at the time of purchase from the METRO Online RideStore. You'll need to check "Register your card" before adding the card to your cart for checkout. If you didn’t register your card when you first obtained it, call Customer Service at 713-635-4000 or visit any METRO RideStore location.

Yes. To set up auto-reload, you need to have a registered card. If you didn’t register your card when you first obtained it, call Customer Service at 713-635-4000 or visit any METRO RideStore location.

Once your card is registered, you can set an auto-reload amount between $5 and $500 by signing into your account on the fare card account sign-in page.

If you need assistance with this process, call Customer Service at 713-635-4000.

No. METRO fare cards can only pay one fare at a time. If you attempt to tap your card twice, a red light will flash and the words “No Passback” will appear on screen. The red light indicates you’ve already paid your fare. This prevents your card from being charged twice.

Yes. However, for security reasons, this may only be done in-person at any METRO RideStore location:

• 1900 Main Street
• 1001 Travis Street
• Northwest Transit Center
• Fannin South Transit Center

Paying your fare with a METRO Q® Fare Card entitles you to METRO’s 5 for 50 offer – you’ll be credited with five free trips after you’ve tapped your fare card and had a fare deducted from it 50 times.

When you pay your fare with a METRO Day Pass, after the fare amount is deducted from your card three times in the same day, you’re entitled to unlimited use of these services for the rest of the day:

• Local bus
• METRORail
• METRORapid
• METRO curb2curb

Yes. The life of a METRO Q® Fare Card is eight years. This includes cards issued to:

• Non-students under the age of 65 
• Seniors 65 years or older

Cards issued to elementary, middle and high school students are valid for eight years, or through the date of high school graduation – whichever comes first.

Cards issued to college students are valid for two years.

If your card was registered, you have balance protection. Call Customer Service at 713-635-4000 as soon as possible to get your card turned off. 

To replace your card and recover the funds, please stop by any METRO RideStore location:

• 1900 Main Street
• 1001 Travis Street
• Northwest Transit Center
• Fannin South Transit Center

If your card wasn’t registered, there’s no way to recover the funds that were stored on the card at the time it was lost or stolen.

More information about METRO RideStore locations can be found on the All About Fares page.