Originally Posted by
eng3
Though dropping a ventra card means you lose whatever value is on it, dropping a credit card has no liability but certainly some headache and I suppose there may be an increase chance of someone stealing the number depending on how you hold the card.
I suggest
registering Ventra cards. The $5 card purchase fee will be refunded as transit value upon registration. Also, in the case of lost, stolen, or damaged cards,
a replacement can be requested, if the card was registered. That will deactivate the old card, and the balance will be transferred to the new card upon activation. There is, however, a $5 replacement fee, unless the card had a defect that wasn't the owner's fault.
I'd say using a NFC credit card is the same level of difficult as using a ventra card except you already have credit card and never need to reload it.
I agree. Other than the annoyance of a
temporary $5 pre-authorization and
batched charges with the wrong date, it should be about the same. Beyond that, I can only imagine that some people might be worried about limiting their loss to the value on a Ventra card in the case of something like a card skimmer, or a grab and run, even though most credit cards should indemnify the holder against such losses. There may also be cases where people get reduced fares when using a Ventra card.
It's worth mentioning that the Ventra app can be used with all four primary methods of transit that Chicagoland's
Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) offers. In addition to
Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) trains and buses, that also includes
Pace suburban buses and
Metra commuter rail; although, you have to use the app for Metra. You can use Ventra card transit value to buy Metra tickets in the app, however.