Originally Posted by
jerryhung
Does the $5 new card fee apply to the Passes (1/3/7 days)?
A $5 NEW CARD fee (vs $1 for NYC MTA new card fee) is insane
especially for Canadian visiting ORD since we cannot register online to get $5 credit back
The CTA will be issuing "tickets" from 'L' station Ventra Machines. They use the word ticket to mean a disposable card that cannot be reloaded.
The 1-day Pass will be available as a ticket at no extra charge. You do not need a Ventra Card to get a ticket. So you can get a 1-day Pass without paying for a Ventra Card. All other passes (3-, 7-, and 30-days) will be available only with the Ventra Card. 1-day Passes will also be available with the Ventra Card. You will need to already have a Ventra Card onto which to load the 3-/7-/30-day passes or buy a new one.
Since registration is done by phone or internet, they obviously won't be requiring proof of address. Maybe you can find a suitable address to use.
They are offering another option that I didn't mention earlier. Instead of using a Ventra Card, you can make your own personal bankcard (credit or debit) act like a Ventra card if it has the NFC touchless technology. But I don't think that any cards issued outside the United States have this feature. These include Visa PayWave and Mastercard PayPass. They will also accept NFC equipped phones with Google Wallet.
Beginning 9/9/13, you can use these directly at a train station turnstile or bus farebox. But if you do so, you will be charged a full fare every time you use the card or phone, NO TRANSFERS. If you want transfers or Passes, you will have to register your cards or phones in order to establish a Ventra Account and pre-fund the account with sufficient funds to pay for your rides or Passes.
I didn't want to bring this up because, frankly, it's confusing and my post was probably already longer than anyone wanted to read.
And just to complete the discussion about tickets. All Ventra machines will dispense a $3 single ride ticket, except O'Hare machines which will dispense a $5 single ride ticket. No Ventra Card is required. The tickets do include two transfers within two hours. Unlike normal transfers, no additional 25 cent fare is needed and they are not good on Pace.
PRO TIP: If you enter at O'Hare paying-per-ride with a Ventra Card, the fare is $5. If you transfer, the first transfer costs an additional 25 cents. If you enter with an O'Hare ticket, the ticket costs $5, but there is no extra charge for a transfer (but the transfer is not valid on Pace).