The On-Board Inspection Charge will be renamed pay as you go penalty charge from Monday 9 February. It will also increase from £10 to £20.
Save money with pay as you go
Experience smoother, contactless train travel.
- No more tickets - just tap in and out to pay.
- No queuing, no waiting, no hassle.
- You’ll always pay the best-value fare.
How it works
Tap in with your card or device
Tap out with the same card or device
Pay the best-value fare
See how much you could save
Pay as you go fare finder
Where can I use pay as you go?
- Available across our South Wales Metro network.
- Valid on TfW and CrossCountry services.
- Not valid on Great Western Railway services.
See all locations
The following stations support pay as you go travel:
| Aber | Cogan | Heath Low Level | Pencoed | Severn Tunnel Junction |
| Abercynon | Coryton | Hengoed | Pengam | Taffs Well |
| Aberdare | Crosskeys | Lisvane & Thornhill | Penrhiwceiber | Tir-Phil |
| Abergavenny | Cwmbach | Llanbradach | Pentre-Bach | Ton Pentre |
| Bargoed | Cwmbran | Llandaf | Pontlottyn | Tondu |
| Barry | Danescourt | Llanharan | Pontyclun | Tonypandy |
| Barry Docks | Dinas Powys | Llanhilleth | Pontypool & New Inn | Trefforest |
| Barry Island | Dinas Rhondda | Llanishen | Pontypridd | Trefforest Estate |
| Birchgrove | Dingle Road | Llantwit Major | Porth | Trehafod |
| Bridgend | Eastbrook | Llwynypia | Pye Corner | Treherbert |
| Brithdir | Ebbw Vale Parkway | Maesteg | Pyle | Treorchy |
| Cadoxton | Ebbw Vale Town | Maesteg (Ewenny Road) | Quakers Yard | Troed-y-rhiw |
| Caerphilly | Energlyn & Churchill Park | Merthyr Tydfil | Radyr | Ty Glas |
| Caldicot | Fairwater | Merthyr Vale | Rhiwbeina | Waun-Gron Park |
| Cardiff Bay | Fernhill | Mountain Ash | Rhoose Cardiff Airport | Whitchurch |
| Cardiff Central | Garth | Newbridge | Rhymney | Wildmill |
| Cardiff Queen Street | Gilfach Fargoed | Newport | Risca & Pontymister | Ynyswen |
| Cathays | Grangetown | Ninian Park | Rogerstone | Ystrad Mynach |
| Chepstow | Heath High Level | Penarth | Sarn | Ystrad Rhondda |
The following stations support pay as you go travel:
Aber
Abercynon
Aberdare
Abergavenny
Bargoed
Barry
Barry Docks
Barry Island
Birchgrove
Bridgend
Brithdir
Cadoxton
Caerphilly
Caldicot
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Central
Cardiff Queen Street
Cathays
Chepstow
Cogan
Coryton
Crosskeys
Cwmbach
Cwmbran
Danescourt
Dinas Powys
Dinas Rhondda
Dingle Road
Eastbrook
Ebbw Vale Parkway
Ebbw Vale Town
Energlyn & Churchill Park
Fairwater
Fernhill
Garth
Gilfach Fargoed
Grangetown
Heath High Level
Heath Low Level
Hengoed
Lisvane & Thornhill
Llanbradach
Llandaf
Llanharan
Llanhilleth
Llanishen
Llantwit Major
Llwynypia
Maesteg
Maesteg (Ewenny Road)
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Vale
Mountain Ash
Newbridge
Newport
Ninian Park
Penarth
Pencoed
Pengam
Penrhiwceiber
Pentre-Bach
Pontlottyn
Pontyclun
Pontypool & New Inn
Pontypridd
Porth
Pye Corner
Pyle
Quakers Yard
Radyr
Rhiwbeina
Rhoose Cardiff Airport
Rhymney
Risca & Pontymister
Rogerstone
Sarn
Severn Tunnel Junction
Taffs Well
Tir-Phil
Ton Pentre
Tondu
Tonypandy
Trefforest
Trefforest Estate
Trehafod
Treherbert
Treorchy
Troed-y-rhiw
Ty Glas
Waun-Gron Park
Whitchurch
Wildmill
Ynyswen
Ystrad Mynach
Ystrad Rhondda
Tap in and out for the correct fare
Please remember to tap in and out, or you may have to pay more for your journey:
- £10 incomplete journey charge if you don’t tap out.
- £20 penalty charge if you travel without tapping in.
Register to track your journey and payment history
For the best pay as you go experience, get an account on our app and link your payment card. You’ll get:
- Tailored support if you have any problems.
- Your full journey and payment history in one place.
- Easily downloadable travel receipts.
- Alerts if you forget to tap out (helping you avoid extra charges).
Frequently asked questions
How does pay as you go work?
Use a contactless Europay, Mastercard or Visa card to tap in at the start of your journey and tap out at your destination. You can also use a smart device like your phone or a smartwatch.
American Express, Maestro and physical Chase cards cannot be used.
You’ll need to use the same card or device to tap in and out.
We’ll calculate your journey and automatically charge you the cheapest possible fare.
Which stations can I use pay as you go at?
Currently, stations on our South Wales Metro network. See where you can travel with pay as you go on this map.
We’re expanding pay as you go to parts of North Wales in 2026.
Which trains can I use pay as you go on?
TfW and CrossCountry services across our South Wales Metro network only. See where you can travel with pay as you go on this map.
It isn’t valid on Great Western Railway services.
Are there restrictions on using pay as you go?
Pay as you go cannot be used:
- on Great Western Railway services
- with a Railcard
- to buy Return tickets (you still need to tap in / out on your return journey)
- to buy First Class tickets
- to buy Group tickets
- to buy Family tickets
- to buy Peak or Off-Peak tickets (you can travel at any time)
Could I save money with pay as you go?
Pay as you go fares are typically cheaper than other fares. They’re capped at a daily and weekly level to give you the best value.
To see how much you could save, please visit pay as you go fares and capping.
How do I see my travel and payment history?
You can either register for a pay as you go account or use our guest portal.
We’d recommend registering. You’ll get your journey and payment history for the past year, downloadable travel receipts and alerts if you forget to tap out.
Our guest portal shows your journey and payment history for the last 7 days of travel only.
To register
- download and open the TfW app
- go to ‘pay as you go’ in the footer
- add your contactless card details
- upload and confirm your card details
To use the guest portal
- go to the guest portal here
- select ‘view my journey history as a guest’ at the bottom
- follow the instructions to upload your card details
More frequently asked questions
Contact us
We can assist with simple pay as you go enquiries. For some queries, you’ll need to register for a pay as you go account before we can provide help.
If you’re registered
- Visit our online webform.
- Call us on 03333 211 202. Select your language preference, then listen for the pay as you go option.
- Reach out on X or WhatsApp.
If you’re not registered
Please call us on 03333 211 202. Select your language preference, then listen for the pay as you go option.
We’ll guide you through a secure portal where you’ll need to provide your card details. This enables us to view your journeys associated with that payment method.
Full T&Cs: tfw.wales/pay-as-you-go/terms-and-conditions.
