PATH SmartLink cards: What you need to know before Sept. 1
After two decades, changes are coming for cardholders.
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After almost two decades, commuters who ride PATH trains will have a new payment method that will replace the SmartLink cards some riders may still have in their wallets.
In less than a week, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will permanently retire the SmartLink payment system. It will be replaced by the new TAPP fare system on Sept. 1.
TAPP will allow commuters to ride the trains by tapping a contactless credit or debit card, smartphone or wearable device at station readers. This means passengers who still have SmartLink cards must use their remaining balances by Aug. 31. After that, any remaining balances can be transferred to a TAPP card by contacting the TAPP Customer Service Center by February 2027. TAPP cards are available at vending machines in all PATH stations and online.
“The vast majority of PATH riders have already switched to TAPP as their preferred fare payment method, with 96 percent of riders tapping into the system by the end of July,” the Port Authority said in a statement.
SmartLink made its debut in 2007 as the first tap-and-go fare card, replacing the QuickCard, which was a paper ticket. The TAPP payment system was introduced in December 2023, with TAPP readers installed at all 13 PATH stations. Through TAPP, riders can obtain a reloadable card or pay their fare by tapping a credit or debit card or using a smartphone with a digital wallet.
