go card allows you to travel on all Translink bus, train, ferry, tram and on demand services across greater Brisbane, Ipswich, Moreton Bay, Redlands, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast regions.
At present, go card does not operate in regional areas in Queensland.
To use, simply:
- top up your card
- tap on at the start of your journey
- tap off at the end.
Select your go card
go card is available for adults, children, and eligible seniors and concession card holders.
Tertiary students, job seekers, and asylum seekers need to buy an Adult go card and apply for concessions fares to be activated on the card.
Tickets are also available for tourists and visitors and for business.
Ready to travel?
To travel, simply tap your go card to the electronic card reader each time you start and finish your trip.
When you tap off, your fare is automatically deducted from your card balance. The card reader will display your fare, along with your remaining balance.
If you forget to tap on or off, you may be charged a fixed fare at the end of your trip.
For information on how to use and maintain your go card, take a look at our go card user guide (PDF).
Card reader sounds and lights
The card reader sound and lights will be different depending on your type of card.
The reader will give:
- a green light and one beep for adult cards
- an amber light and two beeps for children, seniors and concession cards.
Getting a red light or a cross? Try again, or try another card reader.
Register your go card
It only takes a few minutes to register your go card online. It means you can:
- top up your card online and over the phone
- set up auto top-up to always have travel credit on your card
- protect the money loaded onto your card if it's lost or stolen
- check your balance and transaction history
- request a refund or a balance transfer
- receive SMS or email notifications (you can choose the type of notifications you receive)
- check your expiry date.
If you've recently purchased a new go card, you won't be able to register your card until our backend system recognises it. In most cases, this will only take a couple of hours but sometimes it could be up to 24 hours.
All go cards are programmed with an expiry date.
The date varies depending on the type of go card, for example, concession go cards expire the same day as your Concession ID. Adult go cards are all programmed to expire after 10 years.
Once your card expires, it is no longer valid for travel. So it's a good idea to update it BEFORE this happens.
Expiry dates for go card
| Card type | Expiry date |
|---|---|
| Adult | 10 years from date of issue. |
| Child | On the child's 15th birthday. |
| Senior | 10 years from date of issue. |
| Concession | Pensioners and veterans, and school students - the same day as your concession card expiry. Tertiary, job seeker, and asylum seeker - concession passes loaded to an Adult go card are valid until either Centrelink or the tertiary institution identifies the card holder as no longer eligible. |
| go explore card | Pass loaded to the card is valid until the last service on the day you activate the pass. |
Check your go card's expiry date via your online go card account (registered cards only).
How to update your expiry date
- Visit selected go card retailers or Queensland Rail ticket offices (only in South East Queensland) and ask to update your expiry date. Then you can continue to use your go card.
- If more than 255 days have passed since your card expired, you need to buy a new go card to travel. You can then transfer the balance and refundable deposit from your old card to your new one.
Concession card holders:
- Concession card holders need to present a valid concession ID to update their go card expiry date.
- If you bought your concession go card online, you need to update your expiry date at a retailer within 14 days of purchase.
Dormant cards
If you don't use your go card for five years, your card becomes dormant and you cannot use it to travel.
However, you can apply for a refund of any unused credit on your card, along with the refundable deposit. Any unused funds from dormant go cards are reinvested into the public transport network.
Your go card travel credit does not expire.
If you don't use your go card for 5 years, your card becomes dormant and you cannot use it to travel. However, you can apply for a refund of any unused credit on your card, along with the refundable deposit.
Top up reversals
If you top up your go card:
- online
- via auto top-up, or
- over the phone
and you don't tap on within 60 days, the top up is reversed and the money will be returned to your credit or debit card.
Your current balance is displayed on the card reader each time you tap on or off.
You can also check your balance online or at your local retailer.
If you think you've been overcharged or received a default fare of $2.50 because you weren't able to tap on/off correctly, you can request a balance adjustment within 120 days from the date the error occurred.
The easiest way to request a balance adjustment is online via your go card account. You can also call us on 13 12 30.
How to request an adjustment online
- Login to your go card account. If you don't have one, you'll need to register your go card first.
- Click the 'History' tab to see a list of your trips.
- Click the 'Report' link next to the trip with the incorrect charge. This will open the 'Fare adjustments' tab.
- Check the details are correct including the date and time of the trip. You can add any special comments about your trip in the box at the bottom of the page.
- Click the 'Submit fare enquiry' button at the bottom of the page.
We usually process balance adjustment requests within 48 hours.
Your card balance will adjust the next time you tap your go card to a reader.
To check if your balance adjustment has been made, login to your go card account and check your transaction history.
You can get a refund on any unused go card travel credit and deposit, minus any outstanding fares, fees and charges. This also applies to cards belonging to deceased estates.
You can also transfer the balance and deposit of your registered go card to another valid go card.
To receive a refund you must surrender your go card and it will be cancelled, unless it's for a registered card that has been reported as lost or stolen.
Refund options
There are a few ways to obtain a go card refund:
Cash refunds
Available at selected go card retailers if all these conditions apply:
- your go card balance is less than $50 (plus card deposit), and
- your last top-up was made at a retailer using cash, and
- your go card hasn't expired within the last 255 days.
PLEASE NOTE: Cash refunds are not available at Queensland Rail ticket offices in South East Queensland.
EFTPOS refunds
Available at Queensland Rail ticket offices only (in South East Queensland) if all these conditions apply:
- your last top-up was made using an EFTPOS, debit or credit card from an Australian Financial Institution at a Queensland Rail ticket office, retailer or fare machine, and
- your go card hasn't expired within the last 255 days.
Directly into an Australian bank account
Complete the balance transfer and refund form (PDF) and post it to us.
You must use this option if any of these apply:
- Your go card balance is more than $50.
- Your last top-up was made online, over the phone, or via auto top-up.
- Your go card expired more than 255 days ago.
- You haven't used your go card for more than 5 years (dormant card).
- Your go card is lost or stolen (registered cards only).
- You are seeking a refund for a deceased estate.
Refunds are made to Australian bank accounts only.
Funds may take up to 28 days to appear in your account.
International visitors
go card refunds are not available to international bank accounts, debit or credit cards.
If you've been using a go card to travel in South East Queensland, you can:
- hold onto your go card for your next visit
- give your go card to family or friends (if your go card has not been registered)
- get a cash refund at selected retailers except Queensland Rail ticket offices, to a maximum of $50 go card balance plus deposit
- apply for a refund into an Australian bank account.
Travel tip: Cash refunds at Airtrain may be unavailable if they do not have sufficient cash.
For full details about go card refunds, please read our guide to balance transfers and refunds (PDF).
Smart Ticketing refunds
If you have used Smart Ticketing to pay for your fare with a Mastercard or American Express card, smartphone or smart watch, please call us on 13 12 30.
You can transfer your balance and refundable deposit from your old card to your new card, if both cards are registered.
Customers who do not wish to register their go card should apply for a go card refund.
Balance transfer options
To request a balance transfer, you can:
- log in to your go card account
- call 13 12 30
- complete the balance transfer and refund form (PDF). Use this option if your card expired more than 255 days ago, or you haven't used your card for more than five years (which means it has become dormant).
Balance transfers are usually completed within 10 business days.
For full details about balance transfers, please read our guide to balance transfers and refunds (PDF).
If your lost or stolen go card is registered, call us on 13 12 30 immediately and we'll block it so it can't be used.
If you buy a new card, you can transfer the balance from your old card.
Register your go card today for peace of mind.
If you find a go card that someone has lost, please post it to:
Translink Cardholder Support
Reply Paid 83865
Brisbane QLD 4001
No stamp is required.
If you're unable to tap on or off, first check:
- you are tapping your go card flat to the card reader
- nothing is interfering with your card — sometimes the card won't read properly if it's touching another card in your wallet or purse
- for any marks, scratches or holes — these may have damaged the card and prevent it from working.
If your card still isn't working, it may be damaged or faulty and you'll need to buy a new go card. You can then transfer the balance and refundable deposit from your old card to your new card.
There are third party applications on the internet and for mobile phones that display go card account balances and other go card information.
Translink doesn't endorse these products. Customers who provide their go card details to non-Translink third party applications or non-endorsed service providers are breaching the go card terms and conditions.