Not quite sure how that would work -- the amount on the SmarTrip card doesn't update until the card is tapped the second time. Otherwise, the transaction times out and cancels.
Originally Posted by
mhnadel
Not really, because fares paid with a paper fare card are a buck more than those paid with a Smartrip card.
But a paper card's value can be transferred to a SmarTrip card.
In other SmarTrip news, card prices go down to $2 tomorrow, which means that
anyone doing even just one round-trip on Metro would be well advised to buy a SmarTrip card:
http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/new...ReleaseID=5547
The $2 cards can be purchased at sales offices (e.g., CVS); the vending machines in stations will sell the cards for $10 with $8 of transit value.