by Micah Avry Guiao, SPOT.ph
(SPOT.ph) Running low on beep load—or worse, just found out your card has expired? Good news: You can now use several contactless payment options as your LRT-2 ticket instead.
Starting July 13, commuters can pay for rides by tapping a Visa or Mastercard credit, debit, or prepaid card at the fare gates. The new payment option is available at all LRT-2 stations, from Recto to Antipolo.
You can also tap your phone or smartwatch at the gate if a Visa or Mastercard is saved in a supported mobile wallet, such as Google Pay. GCash works differently: Open the app to generate a Commute QR code.
Simply tap it when entering the station, then use the same card or device when exiting so the system can calculate and charge the correct fare.
Emphasis on the same payment method: If you tap your physical card at entry, do not switch to the card saved on your phone at exit. The system may read them as two different cards, even if they are connected to the same account.
Ride LRT-2 for P1
To celebrate the launch, RCBC is offering a Piso Fare Cashback Promo until July 31.
Eligible RCBC Visa and Mastercard credit cardholders can ride the LRT-2 for a net fare of P1. You will still be charged the regular fare first, but RCBC will return the difference as cashback. So if your ride costs P16.50, your card will initially be charged P16.50, then P15.50 will be credited back.
RCBC Visa and Mastercard credit cardholders can receive up to P300 in cashback per eligible card.
Also still in place is the 50% fare discount for all LRT-2 passengers, which took effect on March 23. No end date has been announced, so commuters can still pay as little as P8 for a ride.
The discount is automatically applied when using a beep card or buying a Single Journey Ticket. Whether it also applies to the newly launched bank card, NFC, and QR payment options has yet to be clarified.
See full post here.