Leave Your Myki at Home: Melbourne Trams Now Take Tap-and-Go Payments

Commuters and tourists in Melbourne can finally leave their physical transport cards at home. Starting today, Public Transport Victoria (PTV) has officially activated contactless bank card and mobile device payments across the city's entire tram network.

The move represents the most significant update to Melbourne's transit ticketing since the initial rollout of the myki smartcard system, aligning Victoria with other global transport hubs like London, Singapore, and Sydney.

Tapping Into the Future

Passengers can now pay for their tram fares by tapping a contactless Visa, Mastercard, or American Express card, or using digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Wallet on their smartphones and smartwatches.

According to Gabrielle Williams, the Victorian Minister for Public and Active Transport, this modernization project is aimed at removing friction for casual commuters and visitors:

"This is about making public transport as easy and accessible as possible. Whether you are a tourist arriving in Melbourne for the first time or a local who left their wallet at home, you can now simply tap and go on any tram in our network."

Full-Fare Only (For Now)

While the open-loop payment system is a massive step forward, PTV has noted some key restrictions during this initial phase:

• Full Fares Only: Contactless bank card payments automatically charge a default adult full fare.
• Concessions: Senior, student, child, and other concession cardholders must continue using their concession myki cards to receive their respective discounts.
• Bus and Train Integration: Contactless payments are active on the metro train network and all trams. However, buses will not receive the update until next month (July 2026), when the rollout expands to myki-enabled bus routes.

Tapping On and Tapping Off

To ensure the correct fare is calculated and charged, commuters must follow the standard transit rule: tap on at the beginning of the journey and tap off at the end using the exact same card or device. Failing to tap off or using a different device (e.g., tapping on with an iPhone and tapping off with an Apple Watch) may result in being charged multiple default fares.

For journeys completely within Melbourne's famous Free Tram Zone, passengers do not need to tap on or tap off at all, maintaining the existing free travel guidelines.

The Long Road to Contactless

Melbourne's transition away from a closed smartcard system has been a subject of intense public debate for over a decade. The original myki contract, plagued by cost overruns and technical delays in its early years, has slowly evolved.

By integrating modern open-loop contactless technology, Public Transport Victoria is laying the groundwork for a more flexible, hybrid transport network. While physical and digital myki cards will remain fully supported for the foreseeable future, the convenience of direct bank card integration is expected to quickly become the preferred method for the majority of Melbourne's daily commuters.