New credit card readers on Seattle transit charging untapped cards

When local transit agencies announced they were bringing credit card readers to the region's buses and trains, it was described as a long-awaited convenience.

But the ease of paying has, for some, become too easy.

With Tap to Pay card readers at every entrance of every Metro bus, and at every light rail station, at least a few transit riders have seen surprise charges show up on their credit card bills, even though they kept their credit card - or phone - far from the reader.

I'm still shocked a bit," said Greg McMahon, a Madrona neighborhood resident and longtime ORCA card-holding transit rider who ended up paying twice for one bus trip recently: $1 for his regular senior fare, and $3 when the reader charged his American Express-linked iPhone.

"It was just a quick trip downtown. When I got home I got a notification from Amex saying there was a charge from ORCA, which didn't make any sense at all. So I called Metro. It was a known problem, they said," McMahon said. "It's not right and it's got to be happening to other people."

ORCA officials said the program makes it easier for residents and tourists alike to take transit, and describe it as a success since it began in February, months before this summer's FIFA Men's World Cup matches to allow any bugs to be worked out.

Tap to Pay works on most of the region's transit agencies, including Sound Transit, King County Metro, Community Transit, Everett Transit, Kitsap Transit and Pierce Transit. Cash is still accepted, as are ORCA cards, which are the preferred method of payment.

Still, officials acknowledge the headache of inadvertent charges and unintentional taps, even if "the frequency is very minimal," said David Jackson, Sound Transit's spokesperson who also works with the ORCA Joint Board.

How often this has occurred is unknowable, but officials acknowledge the headache of mistaken charges.

In the three months since the program began, about 820,000 rides were paid for by credit or debit card - more than 5% of all boardings - proving the ease and popularity of paying with a simple tap of a Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express card, or a mobile wallet like Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.

But that ease comes with the duty to tap responsibly, Jackson said.

Jackson counseled "riders to take the card they want to tap out of their physical wallet or phone cases with wallets on the back."

"To ensure an accurate charge on the correct card a rider wants to use, we recommend riders tap with just one card or device at a time," he said in an email.

Richard Fuhr, who lives in Seattle's Bryant neighborhood, said he was playing by the rules.

"I did not do a Tap to Pay," said Fuhr. "I used my ORCA card, as usual. I didn't offer any credit cards for Tap to Pay. But since I have an Apple Watch and Apple Card and iPhone, I noticed later by a notification on my iPhone that my Apple Card was charged without my permission."

After Fuhr received the notification, he called Metro, which reversed the charges.

"They did admit, they did acknowledge, that this is a problem affecting other transit riders," Fuhr said.

Like McMahon, Fuhr paid double fare due to his smartphone. Both men have iPhones, and both unknowingly had something called Express Transit Card enabled in their mobile wallets. The feature pays fares automatically without requiring Face ID, a passcode or the double-click usually required when using the phone to pay at a credit card reader.

McMahon said he's changed his phone settings so it "shouldn't happen again to me." While he's not overly concerned about the program, he just wants his fellow passengers to be aware. "Eventually, it'll work better. But at this point there are some holes in their system."

Fuhr was less sanguine. "It's as if the transit rider has to consciously do something to stop (the charge) from happening. It should be the opposite. The transit rider should have to give permission," he said, criticizing Tap to Pay and the iPhone allowing payment.

Sound Transit's Jackson said people with smartphones should "be aware of active devices," and turn off the express payment option in their mobile wallet settings if they don't want to use it.

He also said the ORCA agencies are continuing to look at making fare payment as intuitive as possible to help passengers avoid unwanted charges. If someone is mistakenly charged, Jackson said to contact ORCA customer service for a refund.

Fuhr, though, suggested ORCA had to be more proactive to ensure the issue didn't lead to more unintended, and unknown, charges.

"My concern was not the money. But if I didn't follow up right away, this could become a repeated pattern. I want to get it resolved," Fuhr said. "There are other transit riders who are affected. Other people might shrug it off or won't bother to follow up. But I did bother to follow up.

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