go card
About go card
go card is TransLink's travel card which stores up to $250 so you can travel seamlessly on bus, train and ferry services.
Register and login
Buy a go card online or register your go card to protect your balance and manage your account.
You can top up, set up auto top-up, view your card balance, view your transaction history and update your details.
Auto top-up
Auto top-up ensures you always have enough balance on your go card to get to your destination.
- Why use go card?
Quicker - no need to queue for a ticket.
Great value - go card users save about 30% on each single paper ticket price - from your first trip. And, if you use your card more than 10 times in a week (Monday to Sunday), you get a further 50% off. go card users also get a 10 per cent discount on all journeys during off-peak times.
Convenient - no need to buy separate tickets for different zones travelled - and you can use it on buses, trains and ferries. And, if you register your card, you can top up online or by phone.
Easier - simply touch on at the beginning of your journey and touch off at the end. Your fare is automatically deducted from your card balance.
Smarter - the cutting-edge technology calculates the value of your journey, including up to three transfers.
Reusable - easy to top up and the money you put on your go card doesn't expire. You can choose how much money you put on your go card.
Safer - you can register your card to protect your balance against theft or loss.
- How do I use it? 'Touch on, Touch off'
go card touch onTo ensure you pay the correct fare, you must always touch on to the card reader at the beginning of your journey and touch off at the end. The cost is deducted from your card balance for each journey you take.
If you don't do this, you will be charged a fixed amount.
You can also transfer across bus, ferry and train services.
View video .
- Where can I buy a go card?
You can buy a go card where you see the go card sign:
- online
- at go card retailers
- at selected train stations
- over the phone by calling 13 12 30 - 24 hours a day, seven days a week
- or fill in an order form and mail it to us.
There are now more places where you can buy go cards. Buy $20 adult, senior and child go cards that are ready to go with a $5 deposit and $15 travel credit.
Find out more about buying and topping up a go card including payment methods, minimum and maximum top up amounts and transaction processing times.
- Where can I top up a go card?
Topping up your card balance
With go card there are now two ways for you to top-up your account:
Auto top-up
When your go card balance falls below $5, a preset amount of your choice is transferred from your credit card to your go card. Multiple cards can be linked to the same credit card.
Set up auto top-up online or for more information contact the call centre on 13 12 30.
Manual top-up
You can top up your go card anytime via:
- online
- at go card retailers
- at fare machines at selected QR stations
- over the phone by calling 13 12 30 - 24 hours a day, seven days a week
- on board TransLink bus services (except Brisbane Transport).
Please note: When topping up in person, the funds are generally available immediately. However, if topping up online or by phone, it may take up to 48 hours to process the amount you add to your card balance.
- Setting up auto top-up
Auto top-up ensures you always have enough balance on your go card to get to your destination.
View some auto top-up frequently asked questions.
Set up auto top-up online.
- go card fees and start-up costs
Before you start using your go card, you will need to top up your card and pay a refundable deposit. This deposit is like a safety net which allows you to finish your journey even if you have insufficient funds on the card (as long as your balance is positive at the start of your journey).
Adult Child Senior/Concession Refundable deposit $5* $5 $5 Fixed amount (charged if you do not touch on or off) $5 (train)
$3 (bus and ferry)
$30 (Airtrain)$2.50 (train)
$1.50 (bus and ferry)
$12.50 (Airtrain)$2.50 (train)
$1.50 (bus and ferry)
$30 (Airtrain)Minimum starting balance $5 Card issuance fee $5 (waived during introductory period) * The deposit on adult go cards is now $5. If you purchased an adult go card before 2 December 2009, your $10 deposit will remain valid, and can be refunded to you in full once you complete and return the refund and cancellation form.
- What go card is right for me?
There are four types of go card:
Card type Eligible customers Expiry date Adult
- 15 years of age or older.
No expiry date. Child
- 5 - 14 years of age.
Expires on the child's 15th birthday.
You can change the expiry date on your card at a retailer where you can top up your go card.Senior
- Seniors holding a current Seniors Card, issued by any Australian state or territory.
No expiry date - if you are eligible for both a Senior and Concession go card, select the Senior card because it will not expire. Concession
- Full-time secondary school students 15 years of age or older
- Tertiary students (full-time only)
- Pensioner Concession Card holder
- Repatriation Health Card (gold card).
Expires on the same date as the concession entitlement card you used when you bought your concession go card.
You can change the expiry date on your card at a retailer where you can top up your go card.Full details of child, senior and concession card eligibility.
- Registering your go card
The benefits of registering your go card include:
- balance protection - to protect the money loaded on your card from the time you report it lost or stolen
- online and phone access - to top up your card, check your balance and transaction history.
You can register your own go card online or by phoning 13 12 30.
To register a go card for someone else to use - such as your child, parent or dependent - post a completed registration application form to us or phone 13 12 30.
You must supply credit card details when another go card user - such as your child, parent or dependent - is linked to you.
Special conditions apply to registered child go cards:
- A child cannot personally register a go card.
- A registered child go card must be linked to an account holder who is 15 years of age or older, and the child must be listed as the authorised user of the card.
- The account holder must supply credit card details.
- go card on Airtrain
You can use go card with Airtrain. However, Airtrain is not a TransLink service and sets their own fares that are adult and child only. Senior and concession travel is treated as adult for the purpose of Airtrain fares.
View full list of Airtrain fares.
For more information refer to:
