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ACTV introduces 'Best Fares' for its 'Tap to Pay' card readers

Now you can ride a Venice vaporetto, tram, bus, or People Mover by swiping your bank card. The transit system will keep track of your rides and give you the best deal, whether that means individual tickets or a 24-hour to 7-day pass.

ABOVE: ACTV's "Tap to Pay" (a.k.a. "Tap & Go" or "Tappy") readers can be used to validate transit tickets or purchase fares with a Visa, MasterCard, or Europay card.

By Durant Imboden

June 22, 2025

In 2024, Venice's ACTV transit network introduced a new generation of "Tap to Pay" electronic devices for validating tickets on public water and land transportation. Now, in 2025, the system has been upgraded to allow on-the-spot ticket purchases with bank cards (both physical cards and virtual cards on smartphones and similar devices).

And here's the really big news: With "Tap to Pay," you'll now be charged the cheapest possible amount when you use your bank card to buy tickets as you board. Here's how it works:

• Each time you swipe your card or device against the Wi-Fi symbol on the validator, the system automatically registers a single fare (currently €9,50 for visitors).

• If you travel multiple times within a 24-hour to 7-day period, the system will calculate whether you'd save money with a tourist travel pass. And if that's the case, the system will automatically automatically charge you for a pass instead of individual fares.

ABOVE: A vaporetto on the Grand Canal promotes the "Tap to Pay" system.

A reader describes his experience:

Here's a real-world report from John C., who sent us an e-mail about his own positive encounter with the new system:

Other things to know:

• Up to five people can share a bank card. (All taps must be made within 60 seconds.)

• On vaporetti and other ACTV water buses, you tap only once (at the station before boarding). On suburban land buses and trams, you'll need to "tap in" when you board and "tap out" when you get off. Otherwise, you'll be charged the maximum for that route.

• ACTV warns that "It is important to remember not to pass wallets, bags or backpacks over the ticket validator in order to avoid incorrect charges, especially for those who have travel tickets loaded onto a Venezia Unica card or an electronic device."

• If you're approached by a ticket inspector, show the card or device (such as a smartphone) that you used to pay your fare.

For more information:

See the ACTV's English-language EMV Payments pages and a press release that briefly covers the highlights of the new system. (Note that some of the information may not apply to you as a tourist.)

About the author:

Durant Imboden has written about Venice, Italy since 1996. He covered Venice and European travel at About.com for 4-1/2 years before launching Europe for Visitors (including Venice for Visitors) with Cheryl Imboden in 2001.

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