Sound Transit announced on Monday that ORCA cards can now be stored and accessed on Google Wallet for Android and Wear OS devices. Customers with devices from manufacturers such as Samsung and Google will be able to enjoy this new feature, while Apple customers will have to wait for compatibility with Apple Wallet. The cost of adding a new adult digital ORCA card to the wallet will be the same as purchasing a plastic card, priced at $3.
Customers will also have the option to convert a physical card to a digital card without any additional cost. However, once a card is converted to a digital version, the physical card will no longer be functional. Reversing this process can be done for a $3 fee in order to issue a new plastic card if customers change their minds.
Brittany Esdaile, the ORCA Program Director, expressed excitement about this new payment option for transportation customers with Google devices. Adding a new ORCA card to the Google Wallet app is a simple process involving opening Google Wallet, selecting “Add to Wallet,” choosing a transit pass, searching for “ORCA,” and tapping on the ORCA option to start using the card.
Passengers who use an ORCA card through their employer, school, or organization may not be able to convert their plastic cards to a digital version at this time. Sound Transit mentioned that organizations will need to opt into the program gradually. To use this feature, phones must run on Android Lollipop (Android 5.0) or higher and have an NFC chip.
It is important to note that each Google Wallet account can only have one ORCA card in it, as stated by Sound Transit. This new feature provides a more convenient payment option for transit customers and aims to streamline the process of using ORCA cards for daily commuting.
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