Difference between using Opal and MasterCard/Visa

Old Feb 17, 2020, 8:30 pm
  #1  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL, OZ, AC, AS, AA, BA, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 19,798
Difference between using Opal and MasterCard/Visa

I asked at the train station and the rep said it's the same. No discount whatsoever. If that's the case, then what's the point of using an Opal?
lsquare is online now  
Old Feb 17, 2020, 8:54 pm
  #2  
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: GA
Programs: VA-PLT, QF-GLD, DL-GM, UA-ex1K, AA-exPLT, HH-DM, IHG-PLT, MR-GLD
Posts: 8,241
Originally Posted by lsquare
I asked at the train station and the rep said it's the same. No discount whatsoever. If that's the case, then what's the point of using an Opal?
Various reasons.

- Opal is the only way to pay cash (by topping up your Opal with cash) and obviously not everyone has a credit card
- You can get concession Opal cards for students, elderly, etc which give discounts not available via credit card
- Opal was there first so even if they wanted to discontinue it, it would take time
Mwenenzi and Cupart like this.
CPMaverick is offline  
Old Feb 17, 2020, 9:07 pm
  #3  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL, OZ, AC, AS, AA, BA, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 19,798
Originally Posted by CPMaverick
Various reasons.

- Opal is the only way to pay cash (by topping up your Opal with cash) and obviously not everyone has a credit card
- You can get concession Opal cards for students, elderly, etc which give discounts not available via credit card
- Opal was there first so even if they wanted to discontinue it, it would take time
Can you confirm that the the rep is right that credit card users get discount as well?

I feel stupid for getting the card now since I might not use up all of the funds on the Opal. I don't go to Sydney all that often.
lsquare is online now  
Old Feb 17, 2020, 9:15 pm
  #4  
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: GA
Programs: VA-PLT, QF-GLD, DL-GM, UA-ex1K, AA-exPLT, HH-DM, IHG-PLT, MR-GLD
Posts: 8,241
Originally Posted by lsquare
Can you confirm that the the rep is right that credit card users get discount as well?
I don't know what this sentence means.

I thought I was pretty clear, but unless something has changed recently, if you use a contactless credit card to pay, it pays for an Adult fare. Concessions for seniors, children, etc require an Opal card.
Mwenenzi and Cupart like this.
CPMaverick is offline  
Old Feb 17, 2020, 9:18 pm
  #5  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL, OZ, AC, AS, AA, BA, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 19,798
Originally Posted by CPMaverick
I don't know what this sentence means.

I thought I was pretty clear, but unless something has changed recently, if you use a contactless credit card to pay, it pays for an Adult fare. Concessions for seniors, children, etc require an Opal card.
I guess I was and still is confused. When I did a quick search in Google, it said I get a discounted adult fare when using Opal. The train rep said the rate is the same for both Opal and MasterCard. Thank you for taking the time to respond.
lsquare is online now  
Old Feb 17, 2020, 9:29 pm
  #6  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: RSE
Programs: AA Exp|VA Platinum
Posts: 15,480
Originally Posted by CPMaverick

I thought I was pretty clear, but unless something has changed recently, if you use a contactless credit card to pay, it pays for an Adult fare. Concessions for seniors, children, etc require an Opal card.
Yes, that's right and obviously assuming you use the same CC you get the daily caps etc.
lsquare likes this.
bensyd is offline  
Old Feb 17, 2020, 9:33 pm
  #7  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL, OZ, AC, AS, AA, BA, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 19,798
Originally Posted by bensyd
Yes, that's right and obviously assuming you use the same CC you get the daily caps etc.
Thanks bro! Can you tell me what the merchant code is? I wonder if Chase or Citi will classify this as travel, but I won't know until a few days from now when my transaction is posted.

At SYD, the minimum top up is $35. Since going to and from the airport is A$17.49, I guess I'll use most of it up by the time I leave. Having said that, what's the best way to drain the card to A$0? I'll keep the card as souvenir.
lsquare is online now  
Old Feb 17, 2020, 9:39 pm
  #8  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 20,921
The Opal card was introduced a long time before the system could take contactless credit/debit cards (2017~2018~2019)
Both have the daily caps limit (~discount)

https://transportnsw.info/tickets-opal/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opal_card

Enjoy your time in Sydney.
Mwenenzi is offline  
Old Feb 17, 2020, 9:41 pm
  #9  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL, OZ, AC, AS, AA, BA, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 19,798
Originally Posted by Mwenenzi
The Opal card was introduced a long time before the system could take contactless credit/debit cards (2017~2018~2019)
Both have the daily caps limit (~discount)

https://transportnsw.info/tickets-opal/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opal_card

Enjoy your time in Sydney.
I wished I had asked you before buying an Opal card.

Thank you, I think I will. The weather is fantastic! Sure beats New York at the moment!
lsquare is online now  
Old Feb 17, 2020, 9:50 pm
  #10  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 20,921
There are threads on SYD public transport. Used to be a lot better until 24 Feb 2017, when many threads were trashed in a (very poor) merge of threads
lsquare and bensyd like this.
Mwenenzi is offline  
Old Feb 17, 2020, 9:55 pm
  #11  
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: GA
Programs: VA-PLT, QF-GLD, DL-GM, UA-ex1K, AA-exPLT, HH-DM, IHG-PLT, MR-GLD
Posts: 8,241
Originally Posted by lsquare
I guess I was and still is confused. When I did a quick search in Google, it said I get a discounted adult fare when using Opal. The train rep said the rate is the same for both Opal and MasterCard. Thank you for taking the time to respond.
A standard Opal card on its own offers no discount. You can get discount Opal cards, if you are in an eligible category.

You can use Opal card on public ferries as a way to do something 'fun'. Or you can give it to a homeless person or someone waiting in line to buy one at the airport when you leave.
lsquare and nancypants like this.
CPMaverick is offline  
Old Feb 17, 2020, 9:57 pm
  #12  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL, OZ, AC, AS, AA, BA, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 19,798
Hey guys, any tips on how to completely drain my Opal now?
lsquare is online now  
Old Feb 18, 2020, 3:19 pm
  #13  
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,512
Just a quick comment, my understanding is you only get the discounts (caps) using a credit card if it is a credit card which is linked to an opal account, if you're using a credit card which has no linked opal account then you do not get the discounts/caps. At a point in time a while back that is what I saw happening so went back to using opal and credit card as emergency.
IMOA is offline  
Old Feb 18, 2020, 3:27 pm
  #14  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 20,921
Originally Posted by IMOA
Just a quick comment, my understanding is you only get the discounts (caps) using a credit card if it is a credit card which is linked to an opal account, if you're using a credit card which has no linked opal account then you do not get the discounts/caps. At a point in time a while back that is what I saw happening so went back to using opal and credit card as emergency.
While no direct experience with contactless in Sydney, do not see any requirement to register a cc to an Opal account, to get the daily cap level.
If wanting a student, senior, etc discount may have to, otherwise the system would not know you are eligible for the concession discount.

https://transportnsw.info/tickets-op...to-pay-content

From https://transportnsw.info/tickets-op...ts/adult-fares
Daily and Weekly Caps
With an Adult Opal card you can travel as much as you want on metro, train, bus, ferry and light rail services within the Opal network and you never pay more than $16.10 a day, $50 a week, or $2.80 on Sunday.

Please note that:
How fares are processed

Like Opal card fares, contactless fares are calculated according to the distance you travelled – from where you tap on to where you tap off, and are therefore calculated at the end of your journey.

After you tap on, a pre-authorisation $1 charge will appear as a pending transaction on your statement. As you travel throughout the day, fares will be accumulated and the total cost of the day’s travel will be processed at the end of each day. The total cost will replace the $1 charge.

The description on your credit or debit card statement will appear as ‘TransportforNSW Tap’ or ‘TransportforNSW travel Sydney’. The date the payment appears may vary from the actual travel date depending on your bank’s processing time.
Anyway lsquare may be able to tell us in few days, if he has used the system a lot (daily cap)

Last edited by Mwenenzi; Feb 18, 2020 at 3:41 pm
Mwenenzi is offline  
Old Feb 18, 2020, 4:36 pm
  #15  
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: GA
Programs: VA-PLT, QF-GLD, DL-GM, UA-ex1K, AA-exPLT, HH-DM, IHG-PLT, MR-GLD
Posts: 8,241
Originally Posted by IMOA
Just a quick comment, my understanding is you only get the discounts (caps) using a credit card if it is a credit card which is linked to an opal account, if you're using a credit card which has no linked opal account then you do not get the discounts/caps. At a point in time a while back that is what I saw happening so went back to using opal and credit card as emergency.
I don't believe this is correct.

You cannot get discounts using a credit card. You must get the Opal card with your discount (senior, child, etc) applied.

The daily limits DO apply to credit cards (assuming you always use the same one) and there is no action required, this happens automatically.

I re-read the terms and this is what I still see. If I am incorrect please point me to the T&C.
lsquare and Mwenenzi like this.
CPMaverick is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.