Smart Trip Card: Balance, Top Up and How It Works
How to check your Smart Trip balance, add money, register the card - and when a contactless bank card does the job instead.
What is a Smart Trip card?
Smart Trip is WMATA’s stored-value card. It works on Metrorail, Metrobus and most regional bus systems in the Washington area. The card costs $2.00 and you load money onto it, which is deducted as you travel.
WMATA rebranded the card in 2026 – you will see both “SmarTrip” and “Smart Trip” in circulation, and older cards remain valid.
You do not actually need one. A contactless credit or debit card, or a phone or watch, works at every faregate for the same fare. A Smart Trip card is worth having if you want to load cash, buy a pass, or park at a Metro lot at the rider rate.
How to check your Smart Trip balance
There are four ways, and no phone line that reads it out:
- At the faregate. Your remaining balance is displayed as you tap in or out. This is the quickest check and needs nothing.
- At a fare vending machine. Tap the card on the target and the screen shows the balance and recent trips.
- In the SmarTrip app (iOS and Android), if the card is registered or stored in your phone wallet.
- On wmata.com, by signing in to the account the card is registered to.
If you paid with a contactless bank card rather than Smart Trip there is no balance to check – charges appear on your card statement, usually grouped a day or two after travel.
How to add money to a Smart Trip card
You can top up at any fare vending machine in a Metro station, with cash or a card; online at wmata.com if the card is registered; in the SmarTrip app; or at retail locations including many supermarkets and CVS stores around the region.
Online and in-app top-ups are not always instant on a physical card – they can need a tap at a station or a faregate to load. If you are relying on the money for your next trip, topping up at the station is the safe option.
To enter Metrorail you need at least the base fare on the card. For Metrobus you need the full bus fare.
Registering your card - and why it matters
Registration is free and it is the only thing that protects the balance. An unregistered Smart Trip card that is lost is simply gone, like cash. A registered one can be canceled and the remaining value transferred to a replacement.
Smart Trip or contactless: which should you use?
| Smart Trip card | Contactless bank card | |
|---|---|---|
| Fare charged | Standard | Standard - identical |
| Card cost | $2.00 | None |
| Load cash onto it | Yes | No |
| Buy a pass | Yes | No |
| Rider rate in Metro parking lots | Yes | Not at every lot |
| Bus and rail transfer discount | Yes | Yes |
| Balance protected if lost | Only if registered | Handled by your bank |
Frequently asked questions
The fastest way is to look at the faregate display as you tap in or out – it shows the remaining balance every time. You can also tap the card on a fare vending machine, use the SmarTrip app, or sign in at wmata.com if the card is registered.
At any fare vending machine in a Metro station, online at wmata.com, through the SmarTrip app, or at retail outlets across the region. Station machines take cash; the online and app routes need the card registered and may require a tap at a station before the money is available.
The card is $2.00, separate from the travel value you load onto it. Senior cards are issued without the fee.
No. Any contactless credit or debit card, phone or watch works at the faregate for the same fare. Smart Trip is still worth it if you want to pay cash, buy a pass, or use Metro parking at the rider rate.
Only if the card was registered. Registered cards can be canceled and the remaining value moved to a replacement. An unregistered card behaves like cash and the balance is lost.
No. Metrorail requires each rider to tap in and out individually, so one card cannot cover two passengers through the faregates.