What you need to know
- The Clipper Card has added support for Apple Pay.
- Riders in the San Francisco Bay Area can now use their iPhone and Apple Watch to pay for transit.
Apple Pay has officially added support for the Clipper Card, the popular transit card in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Apple announced support for the Clipper Card today, saying that you'll now be able to use your iPhone or Apple Watch to pay for transit without having to use Face ID or Touch ID to authenticate your device (if you have Express mode turned on).
Getting around the Bay Area is easier and safer with your Clipper card on iPhone or Apple Watch. Just tap and ride, there's no need to use Face ID, Touch ID1, or touch a vending machine or card reader.
Those with an existing physical Clipper Card will be able to add it to the wallet app and use it to pay for transit on buses, trains, and ferries. Apple has provided some information on which physical cards it will support in the Wallet app.
You can add Adult, Youth, Senior, and RTC Clipper cards. Translink cards and Clipper cards with some special fare products can't be added to Apple Wallet3. Be sure to keep your plastic Clipper card for Bay Wheels bikeshare use and your RTC card for fare inspection.
Apple has provided instructions on how to add your existing physical Clipper Card to the Wallet app. You'll even be able to reload funds to the card using Apple Pay in the app.
If you already have a physical Clipper card, you can easily transfer it to your iPhone or Apple Watch. 1. Open Apple Wallet. 2. Tap the plus icon, then "Clipper card." 3. Tap "Transfer Existing Card" and follow onscreen instructions.
Interestingly, the Clipper Card can only be present on one device at a time, so you'll need to choose to keep it on your iPhone or your Apple Watch instead of it being available on both like other debit and credit cards.
