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Now Use Credit Cards to Buy MetroLink Tickets at Select Stations
Return to BlogUPDATE: As of March 17, credit card vending now available also available at all Missouri MetroLink stations.
Now you can use credit cards to purchase MetroLink tickets in Missouri! Just in time for Mardi Gras. Metro is now phasing a credit card option into our Missouri MetroLink station ticket vending machines (TVMs). These TVMs accept Visa, Mastercard and Discover credit cards, including debit cards with these logos. The following stations now have credit card options:
Airport Main, Central West End, North Hanley, Arch/Laclede’s Landing, Clayton and Civic Center
Not all TVMs at these stations have the credit card option, so look for them. As a precaution, since this is a newly installed technology, it’s a good idea to have a cash option in case of an emergency. The rest of the Missouri stations should have access to credit card vending by the end of March.
Here is a quick video demonstration of how to use the credit card option that I took at the Arch/Laclede’s Landing station this afternoon:
Let us know what you think, or if you encounter any problems.
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Since this post covers ticket vending at the airport, it makes me wonder why a ticket departing Lambert costs significantly more than a ticket purchased at any other station.
Nothing says “Welcome to St. Louis” like gouging visitors who won’t even discover they got overcharged until they buy a ticket back to the airport.
The reason for the difference in pricing is that the majority of MetroLink customers coming through Lambert are from out-of-town and do not pay the transportation sales taxes collected in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County as do our local residents. Since customers pay only a portion of the operating cost of their ride with the remainder paid by those sales taxes, Metro charges a higher fare to those visitors.
This is the official response that I received to your question.
Funny — I responded to a comment, and not the original story.
Credit cards acceptance for tickets is long overdue. Even fast food restaurants take them. I am glad to see Metro finally accepting them.
This comment is from RTBones. I accidentally deleted it (sorry!) from the queue:
“Thanks for the response, Courtney. I have always wondered why this was. This doesnt make 63101’s point any less valid. It is gouging anybody coming through the airport, out of town or not. While I realize that the official line makes sense to somebody, to me, it is just plain silly.
“Since customers pay only a portion of the operating cost of their ride with the remainder paid by those sales taxes, Metro charges a higher fare to those visitors.”
I live in the city. I pay the transportation taxes mentioned. So why again do I have to pay the upcharge?
The official response begs a question: how many other systems have this difference in charging — for the SAME ROUTE?”