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If you have any magnetic stripe 1-, 3-, 7-, or 30-day passes, they will not be honored after December 15, 2013. They will not be refunded and they will not be transferred to a Ventra Card. Use them up or lose them.

If you live in Chicago, the CTA has announced a schedule of Ventra events at public parks where they will transfer Transit Cards and Chicago Cards to Ventra cards. For everyone else (and those who don't get to one of the events), they will transfer balances in January through March by mail.

Here is the latest transition schedule:

September 9

Ventra is available to all CTA and Pace customers.
Chicago Card, Chicago Card Plus and magnetic stripe fare cards will no longer be sold online via CTA’s website

October 7

Chicago Card and Chicago Card Plus will no longer be able to have value loaded on to them, either online or at CTA rail station vending machines.
Rail station vending machines will no longer sell magnetic striped stored value cards or period passes.
Pace offers a new 30-day premium pass for customers using Ventra.

November 15

Chicago Card and Chicago Card Plus will no longer be accepted on CTA buses and trains, nor on Pace buses.
Customers will no longer be able to add value to stored value magnetic stripe cards. They will need to spend down balances or transfer their existing balances to Ventra cards.
CTA and Pace will no longer sell magnetic stripe period passes. Customers need to use up existing passes by December 15.

December 15

The CTA and Pace will no longer accept any magnetic stripe fare cards.
Ventra replaces all CTA and Pace existing fare media.