<p>What is a Chicago Card?
A Chicago Card is a stored-value card that has an imbedded microchip that can be read to register fares by the fare equipment when touched to the touchpad on the front of rail station turnstiles and bus fareboxes on all CTA routes and Pace buses. You can use your Chicago Card to pay a full fare at any rail station or on any CTA and Pace bus.</p>
<p>What are the benefits of Chicago Card?
Chicago Card offers numerous benefits:</p>
<pre><code>* Fare Bonus -All Chicago Card customers will earn a $1 bonus for every $10 of value added to their card.
Quicker Boarding -To board a bus or enter through a rail station turnstile, simply touch your Chicago Card to the touchpad on the front of rail station turnstiles and bus fareboxes on all CTA and Pace buses.
Protected Fares -If your Chicago Card is lost, stolen or damaged, replace it online or call CTA Customer Service at 1-888-YOUR-CTA (1-888-968-7282) Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. to report the problem. A replacement card will be issued and the balance remaining on the card at the time CTA was notified of the loss or damage will be available to you. Replacement cards cost $5. A Chicago Card must be registered to receive this valuable benefit.
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<p>What is card registration?
Registering a card means designating a PIN (4 letters/numbers) which will identify the customer as the owner of the card. Only registered cards will be replaced with the fare value that was on the card at the time it was reported lost, stolen or damaged, minus a $5 replacement fee. Registration is encouraged at the time of purchase but you are able to register at any time.</p>
<p>The cards are free and shipping is too if you register the cards when you buy them online.</p>
<p>That is awesome! It’s actually should have been done long time ago. The public transit system in Hong Kong has been using this since 1996. Better late than never though.</p>
<p>A great offer, but I have no shipment address to provide (in the U.S. :))</p>
<p>Is there anyone interested in assisting three internationals out there with these cards? I’ll have three cards sent to your address and we’ll meet when we arrive in September, so you can give them to me. I could pay off with a beer, some new friends, or anything I can offer that you’ll be interested in :)</p>
<p>Please PM me or post here if you’d like to help. I promise I’ll tell all my friends about you. If I were a believer, I’d also mention your name in my prayers. Unfortunately I’m not, so you’ll have to be content with my t h a n k s. :)</p>
<p>Finally! finally is chicago having some advancement in her metro system! I truly welcome this chicago card.</p>
<p>Yes, the Octopus card in Hong Kong is the first of its kind. This HK guy invented this technology several years ago and now it’s being used so extensively! </p>
<p>It’s funny cos the article was written 2 years ago. And we do start seeing more people (still minority though) have “stereo speakers in their ears” and “mobile-phone mikes in front of their mouths”. Only we are couple years behind and it will be quite a while before they will be (or may never be) widely used.</p>
<p>The flip-side of living in a city like HK is the pressure to keep up with the latest trend–be it fashion or gadgetry. I kinda like carrying my old cell phone without feeling embarrassed.</p>
<p>I don’t see why one would get one of these as opposed to normal stored-value farecards. It’s maybe a half-second difference in how long it takes to board a bus/train. Besides, Chicago cards pay full fare, while you can get a reduced fare card (halfprice) for being a student. Being from the Chicago area, I would recommend getting a reduced fare card instead. There are no real benefits to getting the Chicago card. </p>
<p>from the website: </p>
<p>Can Chicago Card Plus be used to pay reduced fares for seniors, customers with disabilities, or students?
At this time, reduced fares for seniors, customers with disabilities and students are not available with Chicago Card Plus.</p>
<p>chicago cards don’t offer reduced fare. Farecards are just cards with magnetic strips, they store your money and you stick in in a little machine and it spits in back out with the value of the fare removed in like half a second. You can get farecards at any CTa train station, reduced farecards, you have to give them your student ID or somethign like that. I use one I found on the ground.</p>
