Last month, when we wrote about Ontario debuting its One Fare program, we noted that PRESTO Apple Wallet support was still missing in action on the TTC.
But despite the lack of official PRESTO card support in Apple Wallet on the iPhone, it’s still possible to use the latter to tap to pay—without unlocking your device and when it doesn’t even have power.
“With Express Mode, you can use cards, passes, and keys in the Wallet app with just a tap,” explains Apple. This means you can use your Apple Wallet cards without unlocking your iPhone, or authenticating with Face ID or Touch ID or passcode.
iPhone in Canada reader iPab let us know in the comments last month it’s possible to set up Express Mode with Apple Pay and use it on the PRESTO system with your debit or credit card. So this means you can just tap your iPhone without waking or unlocking it when you board a bus or street car, but at the time, not yet in subway stations.
But that has since changed recently, notes @andrewe (via @MacRumors), who said the subway fare gates have been updated to support PRESTO cards in Apple Wallet. You can also now use Express Mode at subway fare gates, too.
Apple Wallet “Express Mode” now works across the TTC. Pay without a double click, a passcode, Face ID, Touch ID — and even without power.
(Subway fare gates required an update to support Presto cards in Apple Wallet. Express Mode is an added bonus.) pic.twitter.com/9rskO1Dnm8
— Andrew Escobar (Andres) (@andrewe) March 25, 2024
How to set up Express Mode? It’s easy. On your iPhone, just head to: Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay > Express Transit Card and choose your credit/debit card.
Express Mode also works on Apple Watch. To set this up, launch the Apple Watch app (from your iPhone). Go to the My Watch > Wallet & Apple Pay > Transit Cards > Express Transit Card and select a debit or credit card of your choice.
You can also select a different debit or credit card on Apple Watch and iPhone for Express Mode.
Now, you can tap your iPhone to pay per trip without having to load your PRESTO card. This also means you can get cash back or other benefits from your assigned credit card. According to iPab, they have been using Express Mode with Apple Pay on the TTC for the past 6 months.
