Pay as you go travel

You can use your contactless payment card, mobile or smart device to travel with pay as you go. Simply tap on the TfW gates and/or yellow card readers at stations to start and end your journey.

Please use the same device to tap in and out. For example, if you tap in with your phone, tap out with your phone.

The following contactless cards are not accepted for pay as you go Journeys:

• American Express
• Maestro

To activate pay as you go, use your contactless bankcard at the ticket barriers/validators for a week (Monday - Sunday). After that, you can switch to a smart device.

Always use the same device to tap in and out. For example, if you tap in with your watch, tap out with your watch.

Follow the signage on the pay as you go gates at Cardiff Central, Cardiff Queen Street, Cathays, Newport, Bridgend and Pontypridd to find the correct gates to tap in and tap out.

Our yellow card readers can be found on platforms at smaller stations, and on platform 0 at Cardiff Central.

Please let the train staff know you’re using pay as you go. They’ll ask you to tap your payment card or device on their inspection device to confirm you’ve tapped in. Make sure to use the same card or device you used at the start of your journey.

If you haven’t tapped in before your journey, you will need to pay an inspection charge (currently set at £10).

When using the platform card reader, always look for the green ‘tick’, this indicates that your tap has been collected and you’re ready for travel.

If you get a red ‘X’ this means that your card is not valid for travel, potentially due to reasons such as an expired card or being placed on the denial list due to outstanding fares from a previous journey.

In such cases, consider using an alternative card or purchasing a different type of ticket.

Most of our stations have two platform card readers, one on each platform, allowing you to start and end your journey using either one. If the card reader you wish to use is unresponsive (indicated by a black screen), we suggest using the card reader on the opposite platform, ensuring you look for the green ‘tick’ to confirm a successful tap. 

In cases where both card readers are non-operational, you will need to buy a ticket through alternative means, such as our TfW app, a ticket vending machine, or directly from the train manager onboard.

To ensure you benefit from the best fare throughout the week, it's important to consistently use the same payment method when tapping in and out. If you tap in with a bank card or smart device, please make sure to use the same payment method to tap out, ensuring you use same payment method for the remainder of the week. This helps you benefit from pay as you go fare capping and avoid incomplete journey charges that can occur when different payment methods are used.

To get the most out of pay as you go, we highly recommend registering your card on the TfW app, as it will notify you of missed taps and allow you to correct them manually.

*Please note, you can manually correct up to 6 missing taps every 28 days. The system will also auto-complete your frequent journeys where applicable up to 10 times within 28-day period.

The maximum journey time has been set at 2.5 hours. If you tap out after 2.5 hours, you’ll be charged an incomplete journey (currently set at £10).

We recommend registering your card on the TfW app for the best pay as you go experience. However, If you’d prefer not to register your card, you can still use pay as you go as a ‘guest customer’.

If you’re a guest customer, you can access your complete journey and payment history through our web portal for the last 7 days of travel.

The following exclusions apply when using pay as you go, however these are subject to change. 

Pay as you go journeys are not currently available on GWR services.

No return journeys: pay as you go operates a single adult journey only.

No group tickets: these will need to be purchased from the TfW app.

Not permitted for first class travel.

No peak and off-peak times.

No child tickets, please visit tfw.wales/family-ticket for affordable family travel.

Pay as you go does not support the use of concessionary cards. 

 You can download the TfW app from Apple App Store or Google Play store.

Download the TfW app and register your contactless payment card.

Step 1
Open TfW app.

Step 2
Navigate to pay as you go in footer.

Step 3
Add contactless card details.

Step 4
Upload and confirm card details.

Step 5
Ready to travel.

If you’re travelling with multiple people, each person must tap in with a separate bank card or smart device, or they can all purchase a digital or physical ticket.

Non-Registered Customers:

Individuals who have not registered for PAYG through the TfW app should contact our customer support team by calling 03333 211 202, selecting option 2 followed by option 5.

This procedure is necessary as we do not possess any information regarding their journeys.

Upon contacting our support team, you will be guided through a secure portal where you will need to provide your card details. This will enable us to access all journeys associated with that payment method.

Registered Customers:

Customers who have registered for PAYG via the TfW app can contact our customer support team through various channels, as we maintain their journey details in our system due to the registration of their payment cards. They can utilize the online webform, call our customer support team at 03333 211 202, selecting option 2 and then option 5, or reach out through our social media platforms on X/Twitter, as well as via WhatsApp.