How do I add my SmarTrip card to Apple Wallet?

Open the Wallet app, tap the plus button, choose Transit Card, and select SmarTrip. To create a new card, enter a starting balance with a $4 minimum and pay with Apple Pay. To move an existing plastic card, tap Transfer Existing Card and hold the plastic SmarTrip to the back of the iPhone. Then set SmarTrip as the Express Transit card under Settings, Wallet & Apple Pay.

What happens to my plastic SmarTrip after I transfer it?

It is permanently disabled. WMATA states that once a card is transferred to a device, the physical card cannot be used again. The stored value and any passes move to the iPhone, since one SmarTrip card can only be active on one device at a time. Keep this in mind if you wanted to keep the plastic card as a backup.

Can I use SmarTrip on Apple Watch?

Yes, on Apple Watch Series 3 and newer. The watch needs its own separate SmarTrip card, because a single card can only be active on one device at a time. The iPhone and Apple Watch cannot share one balance, so add a second digital card if both devices need to tap the gate.

Does SmarTrip work without unlocking my iPhone?

Yes. SmarTrip set as the Express Transit card taps the gate with no Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode. Hold the top of the iPhone flat to the reader and a tone confirms the tap. On supported iPhones, Express Transit keeps working for up to five hours after the battery needs charging, so the ride home still taps even on a dead-looking phone.

Can I set up auto-reload for SmarTrip in Wallet?

Yes. Auto-Reload tops the card up automatically when the balance drops below $10, and passes renew before they expire. Auto-Reload and card registration are set up in the free SmarTrip app rather than in Wallet itself. Funding can come from a credit or debit card, Apple Pay, or commuter SmartBenefits.

Can I add a senior or student SmarTrip card to Apple Wallet?

Senior and registered reduced-fare cards cannot be created new in Wallet; they move over only through the transfer flow using the existing plastic card. Students aged 13 and up can convert a plastic student or Kids Ride Free SmarTrip into a digital card for the school year. Check the card type in the SmarTrip app first, since transferring disables the plastic version.

SmarTrip in Apple Wallet: Tap Your iPhone for DC Metro

Most SmarTrip riders do not realize the card already works in Apple Wallet. There is no workaround needed and no third-party app to ride. Since September 1, 2020, the iPhone and Apple Watch tap the same Metrorail and Metrobus readers as the plastic card.

Two native flows put SmarTrip on the iPhone: create a brand-new digital card straight inside Wallet, or transfer the balance from a plastic card so the phone takes over. Both use Express Transit, so a tap at the gate needs no Face ID and no unlocking.

Two Native Ways to Get SmarTrip on the iPhone

Both options live inside Apple Wallet itself, set up with the plus button. Pick based on whether there is already a plastic card with value on it.

Create a new digital SmarTrip

Add a fresh card in Wallet with a $4 minimum starting value. No SmarTrip account needed to ride, and the plastic card stays untouched if there is one.

Transfer an existing plastic card

Move stored value and passes from a plastic SmarTrip onto the iPhone by holding the card to the back of the phone. The plastic card is disabled once the transfer finishes.

Add a New SmarTrip Card in Apple Wallet

Creating a digital card takes under a minute and needs no separate SmarTrip account. The card loads with a starting balance and is ready to tap at the next gate or bus.

Open Wallet and tap the plus button

In the Wallet app, tap the plus button in the top corner and choose Transit Card. Scroll to or search for SmarTrip in the list of supported transit cards.

Select SmarTrip and choose a starting amount

Enter the value to load onto the new card. The minimum is $4. This stored value covers Metrorail and Metrobus fares right away.

Pay with Apple Pay

Confirm the purchase with the card already in Wallet using Face ID or Touch ID. Apple Pay, plus credit and debit cards, fund the balance.

Set SmarTrip as the Express Transit card

Wallet usually offers to make the new SmarTrip the Express Transit card. Accept it, or set it later under Settings, Wallet & Apple Pay, Express Transit Card.

Express Transit means tapping without unlocking

With SmarTrip set as the Express Transit card, the iPhone or Apple Watch taps the fare gate with no Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode. Hold the top of the phone flat to the reader and a short tone confirms the tap. On supported iPhones, Express Transit keeps working for up to five hours after the battery needs charging.

Transfer a Plastic SmarTrip to the iPhone

Transferring moves the balance and passes from a plastic card onto the iPhone, so no value is lost. This is the route for a card that already holds money or a monthly pass, and the only route for a senior SmarTrip.

Start the transfer in Wallet

Tap the plus button, choose Transit Card, select SmarTrip, then tap Transfer Existing Card instead of buying a new one.

Hold the plastic card to the iPhone

Follow the prompt and place the plastic SmarTrip flat against the back of the iPhone, near the top. Keep it still while the value reads across.

Confirm and finish

Wallet moves the stored value and any passes to the digital card. Set the new card as the Express Transit card so it taps without unlocking.

The plastic card is disabled after transfer

WMATA states that once a card is transferred, the physical card is permanently disabled and cannot be used again. The balance lives on the iPhone from that point on. This is intentional, since one SmarTrip card can only be active on one device at a time, but it surprises riders who expect to keep using the plastic as a backup.

Auto-Reload So the Balance Never Runs Out

A digital SmarTrip supports Auto-Reload, which tops the card up automatically when the balance drops below $10. Weekly passes renew three days before they expire, and monthly passes renew seven days before. Reloads happen in seconds inside Wallet, with no fare vending machine needed.

Setting up Auto-Reload and registering the card is done in the free SmarTrip app, not in Wallet itself. Wallet handles adding stored value on the fly; the SmarTrip app handles passes, registration, and the recurring reload setup. Funding can come from a credit or debit card, Apple Pay, or commuter SmartBenefits.

SmarTrip on Apple Watch

SmarTrip works on Apple Watch Series 3 and newer, which is ideal for tapping in without reaching for the phone. The watch raised to the reader taps the gate the same way the iPhone does, with Express Transit handling the no-unlock part.

The watch needs its own SmarTrip card

A single SmarTrip card can only be active on one device at a time, so the iPhone and Apple Watch each need a separate card. They cannot share one balance or be used interchangeably. Add a second digital card to the watch if both devices need to tap.

Where a Digital SmarTrip Is Accepted

A SmarTrip card in Wallet works everywhere the plastic card does, across Metrorail, Metrobus, and the regional partners that share the fare system:

Metrorail and Metrobus: the core WMATA rail and bus network across DC, Maryland, and Virginia
Regional buses: ART in Arlington, DASH in Alexandria, Fairfax Connector, CUE in Fairfax City, Ride On in Montgomery County, TheBus in Prince George's County, Loudoun County Transit, and OmniRide
Metro parking: the staffed exit lanes and garages at Metro stations accept SmarTrip for parking fees
Express Transit at every gate: one tap to enter, one tap to exit on Metrorail, single tap on the bus

One gap is worth knowing before a trip: SmarTrip is not accepted on MARC, VRE, or MTA Maryland commuter services. Those run on separate ticketing, usually paper or barcode tickets bought through their own apps or stations.

Reduced-Fare, Senior, and Student Cards

A standard full-fare SmarTrip is the one created fresh in Wallet. Senior SmarTrip cards cannot be created new in Wallet; they move over only through the transfer flow with the existing plastic card. The same goes for other registered reduced-fare cards tied to an identity check.

Students aged 13 and up with an iPhone or Apple Watch can convert a plastic Kids Ride Free or student SmarTrip into a digital card in Wallet for the school year. Anyone unsure which category a card falls into can check in the SmarTrip app before transferring, since the transfer disables the plastic version.

Where NeatPass Fits Around SmarTrip

For the SmarTrip fare itself, Apple Wallet is the answer, not NeatPass. SmarTrip is an NFC transit card, and NeatPass does not create NFC transit credentials. NeatPass earns its place with the rest of the DC-area paperwork that arrives as PDFs, emails, and screenshots and has no Add to Apple Wallet button.

Got a MARC, Amtrak, or event ticket that should be in Wallet?

NeatPass makes it easy to convert any ticket, pass, or loyalty card to Apple Wallet.

Try NeatPass Free

What NeatPass can help with around DC travel

MARC, VRE, and Amtrak tickets: the commuter and intercity rail SmarTrip does not cover often arrive as QR or barcode tickets that turn into Wallet passes
Event tickets: Capital One Arena, Nationals Park, and venue passes that come as a PDF or screenshot get a clean Wallet home next to the SmarTrip card
Museum and attraction passes: timed-entry barcodes and parking receipts that lack a native button become tidy Wallet tiles

For those tickets, see the supported barcode formats, the import methods for getting them in, how adding to Wallet works, and the lock screen widgets for one-tap access at the gate.

Everything is processed on device. The privacy FAQ covers exactly what does and does not leave the iPhone when a pass is created.

Tickets work underground, even without signal

Barcode passes render from local data, with no network needed. How offline mode works is a short read for the deep Metro platforms where mobile data drops out. The SmarTrip Express Transit tap also keeps working without a connection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Park DC-area tickets in Wallet next to SmarTrip

Download

SmarTrip Already Lives in Apple Wallet

The honest summary: SmarTrip is one of the transit cards that works natively in Apple Wallet, and has since 2020. Create a fresh digital card or transfer a plastic one, set it as the Express Transit card, and the iPhone or Apple Watch taps every Metrorail and Metrobus reader with no unlocking.

For the DC-area tickets that genuinely lack a native button, MARC and Amtrak barcodes, event tickets, museum passes, NeatPass turns the barcodes into Wallet passes that sit alongside the SmarTrip card. The iPhone ends up carrying both the tap-to-ride fare and the tickets in one place.

Riding transit in another US city on the same trip? See Ventra in Apple Wallet for Chicago, Clipper in Apple Wallet for the Bay Area, Apple Wallet Express Mode explained, and the Oyster card in Apple Wallet for London.