The Opal card
Opal is the smartcard you use on Sydney’s trains, buses, ferries and light rail. Here’s how to buy one, check your balance and top up.
What is Opal?
Opal is NSW’s reusable travel smartcard. Touch it on the Opal reader before you board and touch off when you finish a train trip, and the correct fare is deducted from your balance — and capped automatically at the daily and weekly limits. You can also skip the card altogether and tap on with a contactless bank card or phone (Apple Pay / Google Pay) — it already works the same way, right across the network, for the same fares and caps.
Opal doesn’t have separate ticket products to choose between — you simply load travel credit onto the card (any whole-dollar amount), tap on and off, and the system automatically caps what you pay each day and each week. That makes an Opal card just as good for a one-off trip as for daily commuting.
The four types of Opal card
There are four types of Opal card, each a different colour. They all work the same way across trains, Metro, buses, light rail and ferries — the difference is the fare you pay and who is eligible. Pick the one that matches you.
Fares and caps shown are a guide (effective 2025). Concession, Child/Youth and Gold Opal cards require proof of eligibility — check the official Transport for NSW Opal pages for full conditions before you apply.
Buying an Opal
Where to buy an Opal
- Opal machines and staffed counters at train stations.
- Retailers with the Opal sign — 7-Eleven and many newsagents and shops.
- The Transport for NSW Hub and customer service centres.
- Online at the Opal website (posted to you) — or skip the card entirely and tap on with a contactless bank card or phone.
Opal cards are free — you only load travel value onto them. Registering your card (also free) protects the balance if it’s lost or stolen and lets you use auto top up.
Check your balance
How to check your Opal balance
There are several quick ways to see how much travel value is left on your card:
Top up your Opal
How to top up your Opal
Add travel credit in any whole-dollar amount (e.g. $10, $20, $50) — there’s no separate pass to buy:
Tip: top up before you travel. If you touch on with too little value you may go into a small negative balance — clear it at a machine before your next trip.
How Opal caps your spending
Daily cap
Each touch-on deducts the right fare. Once your fares for the day add up to $19.30 (Mon–Thu, Adult) or $9.65 (weekends and public holidays), the rest of that day’s travel is free — automatically, with nothing to buy or activate.
Weekly cap
Opal also tracks a Monday–Sunday cap of $50.00 (Adult, full fare). Once your week’s travel reaches that, the rest of the week is free too — the best deal for regular commuters, with no pass to plan ahead for.
Know your fare before you tap on
Map your whole journey — every change, the stations in between and the total travel time — so you know exactly what your Opal card will be charged.
Plan your tripFrequently asked questions
Yes — touch on at the start and touch off at the end of every train and Metro trip so you’re charged the correct, capped fare. On buses and light rail you tap on (and off where required) the same way.
If you don’t have enough value the gate may not let you through, or you can go slightly negative on touch-off. Clear any negative balance at an Opal machine before your next trip. Auto top up avoids this entirely.
A reloadable Opal card is valid for up to 9 years from when it’s first used (5 years for a free Child/Concession card). If a card sits unused for 5 years or more it can be cancelled as dormant, so register your card and use it now and then to keep the balance safe.
Yes — a contactless bank card or phone (Apple Pay / Google Pay) already works right across Sydney Trains, Metro, buses, ferries and light rail, charged the same fares and caps as an Opal card. A digital Opal card you can add straight to a phone wallet is planned as part of the Opal 2.0 upgrade, but hasn’t launched yet.
You can request a refund of the remaining balance on a registered Opal card through Transport for NSW — online, by phone on 13 67 25, or at a Transport for NSW Hub. Opal cards themselves are free, so there’s no card deposit to reclaim.