The public transport authority for the Greater Paris region has announced that Metro users will from July 2026 be able to ‘tap in’ to the network using their bank cards, rather than having to buy a ticket or pass.
The so-called ‘touch-in, touch-out’ system was first introduced in London in 2012 and allows visitors to the UK capital to simply tap their bank card at either end of their journey to pay their fare, eliminating the need for tickets. Since then it has been rolled out in French cities including Brest, Lyon and Marseille.
The French capital has been slower off the mark, but earlier in June, the regional public transport network Ile de France Mobilities announced that it will begin to roll out this system on the Metro, starting with the most popular tourist lines.
The rollout will begin this summer on a couple of sites only, and then the full rollout on whole Metro lines will start from 2027 – beginning on Metro Line 1, which is the line most used by tourists.
On Tuesday, IDFM announced more details of the new system, including start dates and prices;
- From June 30th, 2026, at the Orly Airport exit of Line 14
- From July 8th on the Montmartre funicular
The full rollout onto complete Metro lines will not start until next summer;
- July 2027 – Line 1
- By the end of 2027 – Lines 4, 14, 15 and 18
- By the end of 2028 – Lines 7 and 12
- By 2030 – all the Metro lines
Paris buses have been equipped with direct card-payment terminals since 2025, but entry to the Metro still requires a ticket, pass or app. There was no announcement about a similar system for the city’s tram network, or the RER suburban trains.
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Although the use of a bank card is open to anyone, in practice it is most likely to be used by tourists or visitors, since the price includes an 80 centimes surcharge – journeys will be charged at €3.35 for bank card payments, as opposed to €2.50 for people using a ticket or app (or €2.04 for those using a travel pass).
An airport journey will cost €14.80 using a bank card, as opposed to €14 for a ticket.
Locals and regular visitors will therefore most likely continue to opt for the various types of Navigo pass.
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IDFM boss Valérie Pécresse said that the extra charge is to cover the cost of the change, adding “so that this costs taxpayers in the Île-de-France region zero euros; we need to find €45 million in additional revenue”.
She added: “Validation by bank card will enable occasional users, such as tourists, to travel legally on the Île-de-France Mobilités network.
“This is an additional option, complementing the range of solutions introduced by Île-de-France Mobilités since 2019, which are primarily aimed at residents of the Île-de-France region, who account for 95 per cent of daily journeys.”
Above all, the aim is to enable tourists to get around the network more easily, given that 48 per cent buy their tickets from ticket machines and 37 per cent at ticket offices, according to a study.
“This shows that tourists want a simple solution for buying single-journey tickets on arrival, without having to plan ahead or prepare for their visit,” she added.
It is estimated that 500,000 tourists per day use the Paris public transport network.
Paris public transport system has been gradually phasing out paper tickets, and since the start of the year passengers can only buy tickets via a pass or on the Ile de France Mobilités or Bonjour RATP apps.
Visitors have complained that the system is too complicated and time-consuming for tourists who simply want to purchase a single journey.
Consumer groups too have long been in favour of the ‘touch-in’ system, which is seen as one of the simpler solutions for public transport payments. The president of the Plus de Trains association said existing ‘ticketless’ systems, such as the IDFM app, are “not user friendly”.
The rollout of bank card payments has been made more straightforward by the ending of the zone system, meaning that people will not have to ‘tap out’ at the end of the journey in order to calculate the price of their ticket. Instead, all journeys within the greater Paris region (with the exception of airport tickets) are priced at a flat fee of €2.50.
Having a weekly, monthly, annual or pay-as-you-go Navigo card gives subscribers a discounted price of €2.04 per journey.
