NATIONAL NEWS - As of October 31 2019, commuters can use their contactless bank cards to tag in and out at Gautrain stations and Gaubuses and to tag out of Gautrain parking lots.

What is a contactless bank card?
Contactless payment systems are found in credit cards, debit cards, key fobs, smart cards, or other devices, including smartphones and other mobile devices and are part of technology that enables one to make secure payments using radio-frequency identification (RFID) or near field communication (NFC).

Most mobile devices (Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Fitbit Pay, or any bank mobile application that supports contactless technology) and major South African banks have introduced this technology.

The embedded chip and antenna enable consumers to wave their card or handheld device over a reader at the point of sale terminal in order to complete a transaction – often without requiring a pin.

The amount limit for contactless payments is often quite low to safeguard against misuse of the technology should the card fall into the wrong hands. As a safety mechanism, contactless devices and cards also occasionally require the user to enter the card pin to complete the transaction.

“Whether you choose to use a contactless bank card or not, please take care to avoid card clash as of 31 October 2019 by tagging in and out with the card that you choose to travel with (either your Gautrain card or your contactless bank card) and not with your wallet or purse,” advises Gautrain in a statement.

Read more on the Caxton publication, The Citizen