Whether you don’t have a SUBE card yet or you’ve gone and lost it again, you’re in luck. You can now pay your fare on the Buenos Aires Subte (subway) with contactless credit and debit cards, as well as digital wallets like Google Pay, Apple Pay, and local wallets such as MODO. 

Special new turnstiles inaugurated in December at all Buenos Aires subway stations accept Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards from any bank, local or international. Look out for the purple screens on the turnstiles that are compatible with cards and NFC devices.

Pay for the Buenos Aires Subte with your phone or international credit cards

The payment system also accepts NFC devices, which allows you to use your smartphone or smartwatch to pay with credit and debit cards through digital wallets and banking apps. 

The NFC-enabled device doesn’t need to be connected to the internet, as the system works offline. You can pay for up to 10 rides in a single day with the same card, and up to four rides within a one-hour period.

The fare is the same as with the SUBE card, currently AR$757 (US$0.72 at the official rate. US$0.65 at the MEP rate). But while the new credit card payment provides the same discount for frequent passengers — 20, 30 and 40%  after the first 20, 30 and 40 rides respectively — it doesn’t provide the same benefits as the SUBE Network (50% discount on the second ride and 75% on the third, for trips made within 2 hours). Reduced fares (for retirees, people with disabilities, students, teachers and welfare recipients) are still only available with a SUBE. 

Local bank discounts

The new system has prompted banks to offer significant discounts and reimbursements for those who pay by card. Some are even discounting the entire fare, meaning that Subte rides are temporarily free. Banco Ciudad is offering a 100% discount throughout January for fare payments with contactless Visa credit and debit cards, MasterCard credit cards, as well as Google Pay or MODO on Android phones. 

Major banks like Banco Galicia, BBVA, Santander, Macro, ICBC, Credicoop, Hipotecario, Patagonia, Supervielle, HSBC and Brubank, among others, offer a 65% discount for payments with Visa and MasterCard, through either contactless cards or digital wallet MODO, with a weekly reimbursement cap of AR$8,000.

Personal Pay is offering a 65% discount when paying with their Visa prepaid card, capped at AR$32,000 in reimbursements per month. Ualá is offering a 70% discount with a cap of AR$17,000 per month with its MasterCard, through both credit cards and Apple Pay. 

Lemon is offering a double bonus with its Visa Lemon card: a 65% reimbursement plus 2% cashback in Bitcoin, with a monthly AR$40.000 cap. 

SUBE cards, which until now were the only public transport payment system, are still valid in all Subte stations.