Contactless payment will soon be available on all metros

The essence of the Budapest Pay&GO payment system is that purchase and validation take place in one step, by touching the bank card (or other smart device) to the ticket validator. There is no need for prior registration or downloading an application, nor a paper ticket, and the journey can begin immediately.

The bank card also serves as proof of travel entitlement, which the inspectors’ devices can verify based on the purchase made in the Pay&GO system. The Pay&GO payment option, which will soon be available on all metro lines, is now considered an international standard: it is used in hundreds of major cities worldwide.

Validators are continuously appearing at stations

The installation work required to extend the pilot to metro lines is being carried out by a subcontractor on behalf of BKK in cooperation with BKV and BKK specialists. The installation tasks typically take place during the day. The installation will start on Wednesday, March 11 and is expected to take about four weeks. The work is progressing on the metro lines according to schedule: first, the new validators will appear at the M2, then the M4, and then the M3 metro stations, which will remain inactive until mid-April, so tickets cannot be purchased and validated there. Typically, 2-5 new devices will be installed at each station, while some of the existing ticket validators will remain available. This way, passengers can validate their paper tickets in the usual way.

In parallel with the installation of Pay&GO validators, the NFC readers previously installed at metro stations and used to validate tickets purchased in BudapestGO will also be dismantled between March 9 and April 1.

It will be available on the entire metropolitan and agglomeration network

The full introduction of the Pay&GO system is part of a larger-scale development process: the Metropolitan Assembly supported the concept of the Budapest electronic ticket system in February 2026, allowing BKK to launch the necessary public procurement procedure. The pilot system, which has now been expanded, allows for ticket purchases, while the fully-fledged Pay&GO electronic ticket service, which will be implemented later, will offer multiple product types – such as passes and discount schemes – not only for occasional travelers, but also for regular public transport users, and will also allow for the setting of spending limits – such as daily or weekly limits – during occasional trips. According to plans, the system based on bank card payments may gradually appear on the entire public transport network in Budapest and the agglomeration from 2028.