Ways to Pay

To add a card to your iPhone or Apple Watch, open the Apple Wallet app and tap the plus "+"" icon. Select "Clipper card" and follow the instructions to add a card and add value. See the Apple Pay How-To page for more details.

To add a card to your Android phone, open the Google Wallet app and click the "+" sign. Select "Transit card" and "Add Clipper card". Select "Add money" and follow the steps to continue purchasing a card and adding value to it. See the Google Pay How-To page for more details.

To use Clipper on your phone, tap your phone by holding it over a Clipper sceren reader or target every time you board a bus, train or ferry including when you transfer.

There is no need to open an app. Once you hear a single beep—that means you have paid your fare and are good to go! If you hear two beeps, your value is low. If you hear three beeps, you do not have sufficient value and need to add more value to your Clipper card.

You will not necessarily be charged every time you tap, but it validates your fare and serves as your proof of payment, so be sure to tap on every time you board (you may need to tap off for some agencies). Keep your phone handy in case an inspector asks to see your fare. Learn more about using Clipper on your phone. Please note: Once you convert your plastic card to Clipper on your phone, you will no longer be able to use your plastic card for transit.

• You can tap and pay with a plastic Clipper card.
• You can tap with your phone and pay using your mobile wallet. There are two ways to pay using your Apple or Google wallet—a mobile Clipper card or a contactless bank card you already have in wallet. You can add a mobile Clipper card directly from your phone's wallet, or you can add one using the Clipper mobile app. If you have a plastic Clipper card you'd like to add to your phone, you can also do this through the mobile app.
• You can tap and pay with a bank card as long as it has the contactless symbol.

To use your plastic card, locate the Clipper reader and tap it by holding it flat against the Clipper screen reader or target. The Clipper reader will be inside the door of a bus or streetcar; at the Muni or BART fare gates; on the Caltrain, SMART or VTA platform; or at the ferry terminal.

On the cable car, the conductor carries a handheld card reader. If you are traveling on a transit service that charges based on distance or zones (BART, Caltrain, Golden Gate Transit, San Francisco Bay Ferry, SMART and Sonoma County Transit) you will need to tap your card again at the end of your trip.

Some transit agencies charge fares based on distance or zones. When you board or tap on, you are charged the maximum fare, and when you tap off, the difference between the maximum fare and the fare you should pay is credited to your card.

The other reason to tap off is to take advantage of eligible free or discounted rides when you transfer from one transit agency to another.

A single beep and a green light means you paid for your ride.

Two beeps and a yellow light means you paid, but your remaining balance is less than $2.

Three beeps and a red light means your card wasn not accepted. Tap again or use another payment method.

For Caltrain and SMART, you can cancel your ride and get a full refund if you tap again at the same station within 15 minutes. After your second tap, the card reader will display a message that your initial tap was refunded. If you want to ride, you will need to tag again. If you tap again outside of the cancellation window, you will be charged the maximum one-way fare.

For BART, you can see a gate agent before exiting through the fare gates if you need to leave a station without riding the train. Otherwise, you will get charged a BART Excursion fare.

Try tapping your card again. Hold it flat against the Clipper logo on the Clipper reader until you hear it beep or the BART fare gate displays \"OK"\. If you store your card in a wallet or near chip-based cards that use radio frequency information, remove it and tap it separately to the card reader. If you do not hear any beeps or see any lights, your card may be defective or damaged. You can mail your card to our Customer Service Center along with a completed Clipper Defective Card Form opens in new window for the card to be tested, or visit an in-person service location.

If your card is found to be defective through no fault of your own and you have had it for less than a year, we will replace the defective card and restore your balance free of charge. If it is damaged, however, you will need to pay the $5 fee for a replacement card and restoration of your balance.

If you are participating in a special pass program through your employer, school or residence, please contact your program administrator for information about getting a replacement card.

If you used your old card with a transit benefit program or Bay Wheels, you will need to give that provider your new card serial number. To find out more information about replacing a Clipper Access card, please visit 511.org. Opens in new window

If your Clipper card on your phone does not work, please contact Clipper Customer Service at 877-878-8883.

Yes! Tap the "Trip Tools" icon in the Clipper app's menu at the bottom of the screen and search for your location and destination by name and address. From there, you can choose your desired route and transit mode and your destination and travel directions will be displayed on the screen.

Call Clipper Customer Service at 877.878.8883, TDD/TTY 711 or 800.735.2929, to request reimbursement of any cash fares you feel have been mistakenly charged to your card.

No, every rider needs their own Clipper card, contactless bank card or mobile Clipper card to pay for transit.

You have several options:

Clipper on Your Phone

Add Clipper to your phone before you take-off!

• To add a card to your iPhone (or Apple Watch), open the Apple Wallet app and click the “+” plus icon. Select Clipper card and follow the instructions to add a card and load value. See the Apple Pay How-To page for more details.
• To add a card to your Android phone, open Google Wallet and click the + sign. Select "Transit card" and "Add Clipper card." Select "Add money" and follow the steps to continue purchasing a card and adding value to it. See the Google Pay How-To page for more details.

Purchase a Plastic Clipper Card at SFO or OAK

You can get an adult Clipper card and load cash value (accepted by all Bay Area transit agencies) at the BART San Francisco International Airport (SFO) station in the International Terminal. You can also stop at a transportation information booth to buy a card and load value. You can find the booths with Clipper cards on the arrivals level at Terminals 1, 2 and 3 or on the departures level at the International Terminal. For more information, visit the Sales and Service Locations page.

At the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK), just a short walk from either terminal is the BART Oakland Airport station, where you board the BART Shuttle Train to go to the BART Coliseum Station. Once at BART Coliseum Station, you can buy a card, load cash value and tap your card to exit BART to OAK and transfer to another train to reach other stations in the BART system.

Use a Contactless Bank Card

You can use a contactless bank card to pay for transit just as you would with a Clipper card. Accepted payments include Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. Visit our Enhanced Features page for more informaiton.

You have several options:

Clipper on Your Phone

You can add a Clipper card to your iPhone or Android phone: To add a card to your iPhone (or Apple Watch), open the Apple Wallet app and click the plus “+” icon. Select Clipper card and follow the instructions to add a card and load value. See the Apple Pay How-To page for more details.

To add a card to your Android phone, open the Google Wallet app and click the + sign. Select "Transit card" and "Add Clipper card". Select "Add money" and follow the steps to continue purchasing a card and adding value to it. See the Google Pay How-To page for more details.

Purchase a Plastic Clipper Card

You can order a card and value online but note we can only mail cards to domestic addresses. To order a Clipper card, visit Get Card. You can also order value at the same time. Your card should arrive within 5 to 10 days.

Use a Contactless Bank Card

You can use a contactless bank card to pay for transit just as you would with a Clipper card. Accepted payments include Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. Visit our Enhanced Features page for more informaiton.

If you know that your Clipper card is not damaged or defective, call Bay Wheels Opens in new window at 855.480.2453 to see if there's an issue with your account or an issue with the equipment at the bike share station.

Please note that you cannot use your phone to unlock bikeshares. You will still need to use your plastic Clipper card for this.

Tapping on with a plastic Clipper card or mobile Clipper card:

• Center the card or device over the "Tap Here" graphic on the screen
• On a successful tap, lights and a "Travel OK" screen will appear on the machine
• The tap will not register if you place your device or card too low or high on the screen

Tapping on with a plastic contactless bank card:

• Remove the physical credit or debit card—Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover—from your wallet
• Center your card or device over the BART Clipper reader target that says "Hold to Pay"
• On a successful tap, a "Travel OK" message will appear on the reader screen, and gates will open where applicable

Tapping on with a mobile device:

• Center your mobile device over the "Tap Here" graphic on the screen
• On a successful tap, lights and a "Travel OK" screen will appear on the machine
• The tap will not register if you place your device or card too low or high on the screen